TSU trustees approve revised meeting cadence; committees to set separate schedules

The Tennessee State University Board of Trustees voted in a roll-call vote Jan. 31, 2025, to set full-board meeting dates and allow committee chairs to determine separate committee schedules rather than holding all committee meetings the day before the full board meeting. The board approved the motion as moved during the special meeting; the motion directed chairs to coordinate schedules with the president and Secretary Brown and to provide the committee calendar for board information.

The motion as presented at the meeting listed specific Fridays for full-board meetings in 2025 and asked that the committee meetings formerly held on the Thursday before the board meeting be redistributed across the month. Trustee speakers said the intent was to give committees more time to "go deeper" on substantive matters and to reduce "marathon" two-day sessions that can rush decision-making. Secretary Brown advised the board that committee meetings can be scheduled separately but require five days' public notice.

Chair Winton called the roll for the final motion. Trustees recorded as voting yes included Trustee Chapman, Trustee Northley, Trustee Qualls, Trustee Smith, Trustee Traubber, Chair Winton, Trustee Young Sigler and Trustee Smith Knight. The motion passed. The board also recorded prior procedural votes earlier in the meeting: a roll call finding that electronic participation was necessary under Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-44-108(b)(2) to allow trustees to join remotely, and a roll-call approval of the meeting agenda at the start of the session.

The approved direction requires committee chairs to work with Secretary Brown and Interim President Tucker to set dates that give committees adequate time for detailed review; Secretary Brown reiterated that a five-day notice is required for any committee meeting. Trustees discussed using electronic meetings for some committee sessions to reduce travel burdens and costs; several trustees emphasized the change need not be permanent and can be revisited.

Next steps recorded in the meeting: committee chairs are to propose a committee meeting calendar consistent with the board's instruction and provide it to the president and Secretary Brown for posting and public notice. The full-board meeting dates named in the motion as moved during the meeting were cited in the motion text and will be published with the committee calendars.