Matthew Hurtt

Alright.

I don’t have either the memorandum from Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor Charles Manning, nor do I have the response letter from MTSU Faculty Senate President Alfred Lutz; however, I will attempt to present as much factual information concerning Chancellor Mainning’s proposed “business model” for the TBR system as I can from memory.

The Chancellor issued a memorandum recently, describing in detail a potential “business model,” which will be considered by the TBR in their regular quarterly meeting this morning at East Tennessee State University. Outlined in this memorandum are several initiatives that - if implemented - would dramatically alter the face of higher education in Tennessee. There’s certainly no doubt about that.

Some of the propositions include: allowing senior-level students to teach freshman- and sophomore-level students, moving the Master’s Degree programs online, encouraging more students to take online classes with little or no faculty direction, and charging a per-hour fee for every class taken over 12 hours.

These proposals coupled with the reduction in the number of non-essential employees and the creation of larger online class sizes will reduce the number of faculty needed to “teach” classes. I use the word “teach” lightly, because dissemenation of information is hardly teaching, and under the proposed “business model,” professors would hardly be more than paper passer outers, assigning do-it-yourself work with minimal oversight.

There are many other suggestions, and these are merely suggestions at this point. A backlash against Manning’s proposal erupted in classrooms at MTSU, and will likely spread across the state to other institutions within the TBR system, which include many state universities, community colleges, and technical schools.

I believe cooler heads will prevail in this situation. At present, his proposal is merely a suggestion. Both the Tennessee Board of Regents and the General Assembly would have to approve any dramatic changes in the status quo. I can’t forsee Manning’s suggestion being a politically viable solution.

This morning, students took to the streets (allegedly), protesting the proposal outside the TBR office in Nashville. Other such protests are in the works and will be carried out at appropriate times.

Today the TBR is scheduled to address Manning’s proposal. Once I get in a position to attach documents to this site, I will update you on the responses from various players in this situation. Check back later today for updates.