Terry Award Winner
With the 'Terry,' we have the privilege of recognizing those individuals and organizations that truly center learning and student success at the heart of all that they do to reimagine general education, engage in pedagogical innovation, and transform assessment praxis.
The 2026 Terrel L. Rhodes Game Changer Award recipient is the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) Office of Academic Affairs.
The TBR Office of Academic Affairs has distinguished itself through its remarkable system-wide, collaborative reimagination of the TBR core curriculum.
This comprehensive transformation represents far more than a simple curricular revision—it embodies a fundamental shift toward student-centered learning that prioritizes academic excellence and the cultivation of the critical competencies students and graduates need to thrive in work and life. By bringing together faculty, administrators, and staff from across the TBR system, the Office of Academic Affairs created a unified vision that respects the unique strengths of individual institutions while establishing coherent, high-quality educational standards that serve all students. This collaborative approach has not only strengthened the academic foundation for thousands of Tennessee students but has also created a replicable model for other state systems seeking to enhance their educational offerings. Through its commitment to evidence-based practices, comprehensive assessment strategies, and faculty development initiatives, the TBR Office of Academic Affairs has elevated the role of community colleges in reimagining undergraduate education for today's students.
TBR's Office of Academic Affairs has consistently demonstrated how community colleges can be catalysts for educational innovation, breaking down traditional barriers between access and excellence. The impact of the Office’s work extends far beyond Tennessee's borders, providing an aspirational example as well as a practical roadmap for other state systems grappling with similar challenges.
TBR's Office of Academic Affairs facilitated a collaborative, system-wide process that centered faculty as the leaders of curricular reform, which ultimately led to the establishment of the system's 7 Core Competencies by the TBR faculty.
A primary focus of the revision of the TBR Core Curriculum, these competencies serve as the learning outcomes for all Core courses in a student’s degree program are aligned with the 7 Core Competencies established by TBR faculty. These learning outcomes are measured through assessments designed, reviewed, and approved by the faculty from the associated disciplines at each college. In this "constellation" of competencies, Critical Thinking serves as the "North Star" a guiding principle for all courses in the TBR Core curriculum, which comprises the 7 competencies crucial for effectively navigating life at all levels: personal, professional, and civic.
The Office's innovative approaches to curriculum design, assessment practices, and inter-institutional collaboration have garnered attention from educators and policymakers nationwide. The Office stands out for its commitment to amplifying student voices, showcasing students' perspectives about their own learning.
"Why do I have to take this class?" is a common refrain on campus. TBR's Office of Academic Affairs provides its students with the answer.
Too often, students fail to understand the purpose of general education. They struggle to "connect the dots" between general education and their majors. And too often, institutions struggle to effectively communicate the relevancy and power of general education to students, parents, and policy makers. In contrast, TBR's Office of Academic Affairs approach to clearly communicating the purpose and value of general education provides an exemplary model for other institutions to emulate.
By demonstrating that large-scale educational transformation is not only possible but can be achieved, the TBR Office of Academic Affairs has established itself as a true game changer in American higher education.