Board of Regents leader resigns, slams Haslam plan

• Morgan had led the Board of Regents college system since 2010.
• He fast-tracked retirement plans amid concerns over Haslam proposal.
• Morgan said Haslam's plan could "weaken the effective collaboration" between colleges.
• Board of Regents to meet "very soon" to discuss a replacement.

John Morgan, chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents, announced he would resign in a scathing letter that slammed Gov. Bill Haslam's plan to dramatically restructure the state's largest public college system.

In a letter sent Thursday to Haslam and Board of Regents Vice Chair Emily Reynolds, Morgan called Haslam's plan "unworkable" and added that it will "seriously impair" the colleges' abilities to work toward state goals. Morgan had planned to retire in January 2017, but he said he fast-tracked those plans after Haslam announced his proposal in December.

"I cannot, in good conscience, continue as chancellor for another year," Morgan wrote. He will step down Jan. 31.

Haslam's proposal, which will be included as part of the "Focus on College and University Success Act" this year, calls for the creation of independent boards for six state universities governed by the Board of Regents. The governor has said that model would allow the universities to get more attention from their own boards while allowing the Board of Regents to focus on community and technical colleges, which have experienced significant growth under the Tennessee Promise scholarship and other state programs.

The plan has won praise from the state's top lawmakers, although an expert who testified before the Senate Higher Education Subcommittee in December cautioned that such a plan likely would lead to additional costs for state colleges.

Major overhaul planned for Tennessee colleges

"I believe the path being proposed is the wrong one for many reasons," Morgan wrote in his resignation letter. "I would not be in a position to help implement a proposal that, in my view, will do nothing to further TBR's work to accomplish the state's goals."

In past comments to reporters and state lawmakers, Morgan had stopped short of criticizing Haslam's plan directly. Instead, he has said the Board of Regents is successful in its current structure, in which one central board oversees the six universities, 13 community colleges and 17 technical colleges.

College heads take wait-and-see approach to Haslam plan

But in his letter to Haslam, Morgan made his concerns clear.

"As outlined, the FOCUS proposal will not lead us closer to the state's goal. Instead, it disperses authority and responsibility so that the institutions, the system or (the Tennessee Higher Education Commission) can always implicate one or the other if goals are not achieved," Morgan wrote. "I fear the FOCUS will weaken the effective collaboration we have worked so hard to achieve and instead drive competition and shift priorities away from the state's goals."

Morgan also urged Haslam and other state leaders to consider other models as they fine tune the details of the proposal. He said North Carolina's higher education system provides an outlet for local input "without destroying the effectiveness and accountability of a comprehensive system focused on the state's agenda."

JohnMorganLetterToGovHaslam.pdf

Appointed in 2010

Former Gov. Phil Bredesen, a Democrat, appointed Morgan as chancellor of the Board of Regents in 2010. Morgan had spent decades working in state government, including stints as Bredesen's deputy in 2009 and as comptroller of the treasury from 1999 to 2009.

Republican lawmakers criticized Morgan's appointment at the time because the Board of Regent's re-wrote the chancellor's job description to allow Morgan, who holds a bachelor's degree, to qualify for a position that used to require a doctorate. He also was the only candidate interviewed for the position.

As chancellor, Morgan oversaw the college system during the implementation of the Complete College Tennessee Act, which redesigned the state's funding formula for higher education to reward colleges that produced more markers of student success. Morgan also worked with Haslam on his Drive to 55 plan to boost the number of Tennesseans with a college education.

In a Thursday statement, Morgan said leaving the public college system was a bittersweet decision. He did not mention the FOCUS plan by name, although the statement said Morgan hoped his decision "will allow Governor Haslam to actively engage in the selection of a new chancellor and to spend meaningful time with the new system leader while focused on new initiatives during his final term in office."

“I have been honored to serve the state for many years," Morgan said in the statement. "But my role with the Tennessee Board of Regents and this opportunity to work with the people who shape the next generation of our citizens and leaders has been the most rewarding of my life."

In the same announcement, sent by a spokeswoman for the Board of Regents, Haslam praised Morgan's work to adapt to Tennessee's evolving higher education landscape.

“With the Complete College Act and the Drive to 55 initiative, the state has been asking more of its higher education system than ever before, and John has guided the Tennessee Board of Regents system admirably since becoming chancellor in 2010,” Haslam said in the statement. “I am grateful to John for his service to Tennessee and wish him all the best.”

In an email, Haslam's spokeswoman Jennifer Donnals declined to respond to the resignation letter, referring instead to the statement from the Board of Regents.

It is unclear who will fill Morgan's role after he steps down at the end of the month. Reynolds said the board would meet "to consider an interim chancellor appointment very soon.”

Reach Adam Tamburin at 6156726-5986 and on Twitter @tamburintweets.

University heads optimistic, curious about Haslam plan

Leaders react

College presidents were quick to praise John Morgan, chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents, on Thursday after he announced his plans to resign. Glenda Glover, president of Tennessee State University, said she was saddened to learn of Morgan's decision.

"His absence will be a tremendous loss to the entire TBR System and State of Tennessee," Glover said in a prepared statement. "He had the ability to understand the needs of each university. This could not have been more evident than with his relationship with TSU. We will truly miss him as an advocate and true friend of our university."

Sidney A. McPhee, president of Middle Tennessee State University, said in a statement that Morgan had "helped bring about significant reforms and improvements in our state’s higher education system."

"As president of MTSU, I have respected and appreciated his counsel and guidance as we secured our $147 million science building," which opened in 2014, McPhee said.

Haslam's plan

The "Focus on College and University Success Act" will propose the creation of local boards for the six public universities outside the University of Tennessee system: Austin Peay State University, Middle Tennessee State University, Tennessee State University, Tennessee Tech University, East Tennessee State University and the University of Memphis. The UT system, which includes one board that oversees four campuses, will not be affected.

Under the new plan, which will have to be approved by the legislature this year, the Tennessee Board of Regents will "continue to provide key administrative support to the six state universities," according to a statement from Haslam's office. The Board of Regents will continue to oversee the state's 13 community colleges and 27 technical colleges.