Chancellor Morgan to retire amid Board of Regents shakeup
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Chancellor John Morgan is stepping down as head of the Tennessee Board of Regents following Republican Gov. Bill Haslam’s announcement that he wants to grant more autonomy to the six four-year universities in the system.
Haslam surprised Morgan and many others in the higher education community when he announced plans last month to re-focus the Board of Regents on the state’s 40 community and technical colleges.
Haslam’s plan calls for creating local boards for Austin Peay in Clarksville; East Tennessee in Johnson City; Middle Tennessee in Murfreesboro; Tennessee Tech in Cookeville; Tennessee State in Nashville; and the University of Memphis.
Morgan previously served as state comptroller and as chief deputy to then-Gov. Phil Bredesen, a Democrat. He was appointed chancellor in 2010.
