UT System Board of Trustees receives leadership award after contentious restructuring

Three years after the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees was streamlined from 27 to 12 members through a controversial bill, the new board is being recognized for its accomplishments for the higher education system. 

The Board of Trustees was awarded the 2021 John W. Nason Award for Board Leadership by the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. 

The award is given to boards that advance their institutions through exceptional leadership and initiative, unusual courage during difficult circumstances and contributions that strengthen governance and trusteeship. 

"I think the award is important because it helps to validate the original premise that Gov. Haslam, former board chair Raja Jubran and the board had on what the ultimate benefits of the UT Focus Act would be," Board of Trustees chair John Compton said in an exclusive interview with Knox News on Thursday. "That if you can streamline the board, if you could enable our campuses and the leadership of the administration to work more closely with the board, that that should lead to a better outcome."

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Henry Stoever, the president of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, presented the award to the board Thursday. 

"You did everything right by focusing on your students," Stoever said during the ceremony. 

This year the association chose six boards to recognize out of 42 nominations. The association represents 2,000 universities and 1,300 boards. 

"For me, if the number was 1,000 nominations, and there was only one selection, the UT System would have been the one because the work that you've done," Stoever said. 

What is the UT FOCUS Act? 

The UT FOCUS Act was a law proposed by Gov. Bill Haslam to reduce the size of the UT System Board of Trustees from 27 to 12 members. 

The law vacated the board and introduced 12 new members, none of whom had previously served on the board of trustees.

"It allows us to really get down to a number of people who can engage in a dialogue, versus just having a presentation," Compton said. 

In addition to reducing the size of the board, the legislation created seven advisory boards on the individual UT campuses.

"That was, without a doubt, the most challenging piece of legislation that I had dealt with during that whole time," Rep. David Hawk, R-Greeneville, said during the ceremony.

The bill, which passed narrowly in the Tennessee legislature, received intense criticism from lawmakers, faculty, students and other UT staff, who said the smaller board wouldn't include enough student and faculty voices.

MORE:Bill reducing size of UT governing board narrowly passes Tennessee House

"I think with any change, there is pause and concern," Compton said. "But once we got going, and once we started to work together, and to meet with the state legislature to spend more time with the faculty and listen to the concerns of the students, I think people started to say, 'Oh, this is a good thing.'"

Accomplishments and challenges

The new board is responsible for the appointment of UT System President Randy Boyd, UT Knoxville Chancellor Donde Plowman and UT Knoxville Athletic Director Danny White. 

"I think those three decisions, when we look back five years from today, what will prove to be really smart decisions," Compton said. 

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Just as the board was getting settled, the coronavirus pandemic hit. Cases spread wildly throughout the state in August and September 2020. 

"COVID hit and, you know, with any with any issue, there's an opportunity, right?" Compton said. "And I think that that issue that came along, has sharpened us and made us even better." 

Despite the pandemic, the UT system increased enrollment to an all-time high, awarded 8,600 degrees in 2020, and awarded the UT Promise scholarship to students for the first time.

"When you're in the education, business, you're in a people business. And if you're not growing enrollment, then your business isn't going to be growing," Compton said. "So I'm really proud of the enrollment growth."