The three higher education supervising systems, including the one governing The University of Memphis, could close their doors in 2010 if one senator has his way.
"It's a dramatic remedy," said Sen. Jim Kyle (D-Memphis), U of M law school graduate. "If we don't do something, then we've set ourselves up for a problematic situation."
Last week, Kyle filed senate bill 2122, named the Streamlining Higher and Postsecondary Education Act, or the S.H.A.P.E. Act. If passed, the bill will disband the three higher education systems in the state - the University of Tennessee system, the Tennessee Board of Regents and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
The U of M is one of 19 schools that make up the TBR system. U of M administrators have previously expressed an interest in splitting from TBR, like UT, but the act will eliminate all boards.
The bill requires the three systems to present a plan for their replacement before they go out of business July 1, 2010.
Before the S.H.A.P.E. Act passes, it must receive 17 votes in the Senate and 50 from the House of Representatives.
Kyle said the absence of leadership among the three higher education systems pushed him to propose the bill. UT President John Petersen resigned recently, and the Tennessee Board of Regents asked Chancellor Charles Manning to postpone his retirement.
"If there were a time to look at restructuring higher education, now would be the time to do it," he said.
Mary Morgan, spokeswoman for TBR, said the board is discussing what will replace it, although no decisions have been made.
"We are aware of it and have done a lot of talking about it," Morgan said about the bill. "We don't have any way to evaluate. It's too early and too fluid to say what might end up passing if it passes."
Morgan said the Tennessee legislature would not eliminate the three systems until there was something else in its place.
"That's our assumption. Otherwise, it would be chaos," she said. "(Kyle) wants to see the three get together and come up with a plan."
Morgan said it is too early to say how the bill will affect Tennessee colleges and universities.
Bob Eoff, vice president of communications, public relations and marketing at The University of Memphis, said no one knows how the bill will affect tuition increases and the unknown budget.
"This is all new," Eoff said. "We've never gone through anything like this. Our role is to give info to senators about our plans."
Kyle said tuition could increase between 8 and 9 percent this year.
"To my knowledge, there is no other product or service that's going up that much this year," Kyle said. "What is the cost of that? Is it our structure? I'm going to ask questions."
The long-term goal of the S.H.A.P.E. Act is to increase the number of Tennessee college graduates, Kyle said.
"We are one of the lowest in the nation (in regards to enrollment)," he said. "Is the problem with people of Tennessee or the institutions of higher education?"
