Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Thec Master Plan College Going topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
THEC outlines 10‑year master plan and publishes college‑going report showing 56% immediate postsecondary enrollment for 2024 class
Summary
Tennessee Higher Education Commission staff presented a 10‑year master‑plan outline focused on alignment, access and agility, and released a college‑going report showing the Class of 2024 college‑going rate was 56% with notable disparities by subgroup; WICHE projects Tennessee will see a 15% increase in high‑school graduates by 2041.
The Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) presented an outline of its forthcoming 10‑year master plan and released a new college‑going report with data for the Class of 2024, including subgroup disparities and demographic projections.
THEC’s Steven Gentile told the State Board the master plan is statutorily required and the commission has engaged presidents, trustees, legislative leaders and stakeholders; THEC staff said the plan will emphasize three cornerstones—alignment (linking K–12, higher education and workforce), achievability (access, affordability and student supports) and agility (data, coordination and responsiveness to changing needs). Gentile said the plan will be finalized for commission approval in November and that THEC hopes to set a North Star goal extending to 2040.
As part of THEC’s session, Paige Elliott presented the newly released Tennessee College Going Report (class of 2024). Elliott said the report measures seamless enrollment by public high‑school graduates in the summer or fall after graduation and found the state’s college‑going rate for that cohort was 56%, down slightly year over year but representing 36,610 students enrolling because the graduating class was larger. THEC noted persistent gaps by subgroup: economically disadvantaged students enrolled at a rate of 38.7%, and the gap between white and Hispanic students widened to 23.1 percentage points for the class of 2024. Elliott pointed to WICHE projections that Tennessee will be insulated from the nationwide “enrollment cliff,” with an estimated 15% increase in high‑school graduates by 2041.
Board members asked about persistence and completion. Elliott said THEC tracks first‑time, full‑time four‑year graduation rates and that about half of first‑time full‑time students at public universities complete within four years, with variation by institution. THEC also flagged an ongoing project to identify adult learners close to completion and to design supports to help them finish degrees or credentials.
Gentile and Amanda Clefane (THEC chief strategy officer) describeddraft master‑plan strategies including recognition of prior learning, dual enrollment coordination, and skills inventories to communicate student learning to employers. THEC said additional stakeholder review (trustees, statutory committee, campuses) will continue this fall and the commission plans broad dissemination once the plan is finalized.
