TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Dec 29, 2025

Tennessee lawmakers voted unanimously to extend Tennessee State University’s (TSU) Board of Trustees for three years, signaling renewed confidence in the leadership of the state’s only historically Black and land-grant university following years of underfunding and state intervention, the Tennessee Lookout reports. The decision, made by a joint Government Operations Committee, comes after the legislature replaced TSU’s board in 2024 and amid ongoing efforts by new President Dwayne Tucker and trustees to stabilize operations and address decades of underfunding. Lawmakers praised recent progress and the university’s recent memorandum of understanding with the state allowing the use of $96 million in grant funds for operations and prior emergency state funding to support payroll and finances.