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Legislative session yields funds for TSU programs and a law changing university board appointments
Summary
A June 12 governance briefing summarized the 2025 legislative session: Tennessee State received targeted capital and outcome-based funding and state legislators passed a law that will change how university trustees are appointed, expanding boards and shifting two appointments to legislative leaders.
Leah Dupree Love, the university's legislative consultant, briefed trustees on June 12 about the 2025 Tennessee legislative session and its effect on Tennessee State University.
Key budget items: Ms. Dupree Love said the legislature included FY2025 funding targeted to several TSU initiatives: a McMinnville Center appropriation (about $1.6 million), funding for the Institute for Agriculture and Environmental Research (described as just over $6 million) and support for the TSU cooperative extension. She also noted the university received recurring outcome-growth funding tied to measures such as student progression and degree production; the figure reported in the presentation for TSU's outcome-growth allocation was included in the session materials (trustees were told that outcome-growth allocations vary across institutions and were compared in the briefing to peer institutions).
Board-appointment change: The governance briefing described a 2025 bill that increases university board membership from 10 to 12 and changes appointing authorities: the number of governor appointees is reduced from eight to six while the speakers of the Tennessee House and Senate each gain authority to appoint members. Ms. Dupree Love explained that the change applies to all public university boards and that board members whose terms end in 2027 (she named three trustees whose terms expire then) will be affected by the change when their appointments next arise. She emphasized that current members may be reappointed but that the appointing authority will change for seats coming open under the new law.
Other matters and next steps: The briefing covered procedural items including the sunrise/sunset review process under the Focus Act (the board's next review window was discussed) and noted the legislative session adjourned in April with the next regular session starting January 13, 2026. Ms. Dupree Love also summarized work with the president and Ingram Group to restore legislative relationships during the session.
Why it matters: Outcome-growth and targeted capital funding will help specific TSU programs, while the changes to board appointments alter the mix of appointing authorities and will affect how future trustee seats are filled. Trustees asked for clarification about how three trustees whose terms expire in 2027 will be treated under the new appointment rules; Ms. Dupree Love said the practical effect will be determined in 2027 when seats turnover and the new appointing authorities take effect.
Ending note: Trustees asked for follow-up materials; the governance office will circulate the memo of bills that passed and work with counsel to confirm how the new appointment law will be implemented for seats that come up in 2027.
