27 College and University Presidents Team to Form Tennessee Campus Compact

Tennessee Campus Compact is the 33rd state Campus Compact office formed to provide statewide leadership in advancing civic engagement, service-learning, and community service in higher education.
Providence, RI — With the signing of its founding charter, Tennessee Campus Compact (TNCC) has officially joined Campus Compact's coalition of state offices, which now number 33. State offices make up a vital network of support for Campus Compact's work to ensure that college students graduate with the skills and experience to address society's most pressing issues. Over the past 22 years, the national and state Campus Compact organizations have mobilized more than 20 million students in service to their communities.

Higher education and other leaders from across the state gathered in Nashville on March 13 to sign TNCC's founding charter at a special Presidents' Roundtable during the Gulf-South Summit on Service-Learning and Civic Engagement through Higher Education. Attending the ceremony were representatives of TNCC's 27 charter member colleges and universities, along with senior representatives from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, the Tennessee Board of Regents, the University of Tennessee System, and the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association, as well as government, business, and community leaders.

"We are delighted to welcome Tennessee Campus Compact as our 33rd state office," notes national Campus Compact president Maureen F. Curley, who was present at the ceremony to sign the state organization's affiliation agreement. "The office and its member presidents will be a huge resource in building state capacity for campus-based civic engagement through partnerships, research, training, funding, and development of best practices." In addition to these efforts, TNCC was an early adopter of AmeriCorps*VISTA and now has an established program in place to help build service-learning infrastructure capacity on the campuses of member institutions.

State leaders have been working for some time to build support for campus engagement through the creation of a Tennessee Campus Compact office. In December 2007, the Tennessee Board of Regents passed a unanimous resolution endorsing TNCC, which was signed by Governor Phil Bredesen. At the same time, Tennessee State University (as TNCC's host institution) passed a similar Student Government Association board resolution. A General Assembly Act in support of TNCC's establishment is in the process of being submitted for approval by the Tennessee legislature.

TNCC is a presidential membership organization governed by a presidents' council, an executive board, and an advisory committee. President Melvin N. Johnson of Tennessee State University, TNCC's founding president, serves as the organization's Executive Board Chair. Dr. Sue Fuller, Director for the TSU Center for Service-Learning and Civic Engagement, is the organization's Advisory Committee Chair.
Other members of the executive board are state senator Rosalind Kurita, President Timothy Hall of Austin Peay State University, President Sidney McPhee of Middle Tennessee State University, President Robert Bell of Tennessee Technological University, President Shirley Raines of the University of Memphis, Chancellor Tom Rakes of the University of Tennessee at Martin, President Carl Hite of Cleveland State Community College, President Karen Bowyer of Dyersburg State Community College, President Mary Lou Apple of Motlow State Community College, President Nathan Essex of Southwest Tennessee Community College, President Warren Nichols of Volunteer State Community College, President Robert Fisher of Belmont University, President Fred Zuker of Lambuth University, President Wesley McClure of Lane College, President Randolph Lowry of Lipscomb University, President Ted Brown of Martin Methodist University, President Joel Cunningham of the University of the South - Sewanee, and President Claude Pressnell of the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association.
In addition to the colleges and universities above, charter members of TNCC include East Tennessee State University, Lee University, Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia, Pellissippi State Community College, Roane State Community College, Tusculum College, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Vanderbilt University, and Walter State Community College.

For more information, please contact Mani Hull, Interim Executive Director, Tennessee Campus Compact, Tennessee State University, 3500 John A. Merritt Blvd., Box 9503, Suite 302, Holland Hall, Nashville, TN 37209-1561. Telephone: 615-963-1247; or e-mail Mani Hull.

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Presidents' Service Learning Conference

For more information please contact Mani Hull at (615)322-5608 or by e-mail: Mani Hull.

Mani Hull is a Research Associate for the Child & Family Policy Center at the Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy Studies.