About the Board of Trustees

Under the leadership of Governor Bill Haslam and the 109th Tennessee General Assembly, the Focus on College and University Success (FOCUS) Act was introduced in 2015 and passed in 2016. The FOCUS legislation allowed for an independent governing board to be established at the University of Memphis, which increases autonomy and local control of the University's strategic direction.

Governor Haslam announced eight appointees in October 2016 to serve as trustees of the University of Memphis. All eight individuals were confirmed by joint resolution of the Tennessee General Assembly in February 2017 to serve as trustees of the UofM. As required by statute, the University's Faculty Senate developed a process in Fall 2016 for the nomination and selection of the faculty trustee. At the Inaugural UofM Board of Trustees Meeting on March 17, 2017, the Board approved the Student Government Association to develop and implement a process for selecting the student trustee.