TISL Nominates Students for TSAC Board

Delegates to the TISL General Assembly nominate students to the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation. The term of office begins the following July 1.

Any Tennessee college student may be a candidate for the TSAC Board, regardless of whether the student's college participates in TISL's programs.

TSAC administers a variety of financial aid programs for higher education, including HOPE lottery scholarships, Wilder-Naifeh technology scholarships and state need-based grants.

Directors influence how much money is available for scholarships, the TSAC legislative agenda and collection policies for delinquent loans, among other things.

The TSAC Board of Directors typically meets twice a year, in March and September, in Nashville. Sometimes there are additional called meetings.

TISL voters will nominate three students for every TSAC vacancy, and the Governor of Tennessee will make the final appointment.

Student board members are expected to attend all meetings and communicate with students across the state to get their input and to share TSAC decisions and policies.

Expenses

Members of the TSAC Board of Directors are reimbursed for reasonable travel expenses, including parking and mileage (47 cents per mile as of 2011). Directors who live more than four hours from Nashville are usually eligible for food and lodging reimbursement. Travel reimbursement is governed by official guidelines from the Department of Finance & Administration.

How To Become A Candidate

Candidates qualify for the ballot by submitting an application online and obtaining a letter of recommendation from a college administrator, professor or past/present employer. Copies of the application and the letter of recommendation will be distributed to voters.

Log-In To Qualify As A Candidate

Guidelines for Letter of Recommendation

General Assembly Info

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Term of Office

Effective July 1, 2012, students will have two seats on the TSAC Board of Directors -- one from a public institution and one from a private institution.

Each board position will be filled for a term beginning July 1, 2012.

Initially, a student from a private institution will be appointed to a one-year term as a voting board member, and a student from a public institution will be appointed to a regular two-year term with voting privileges in the second year.

Thereafter, all appointments will be for two years. In the first year, each student director will be a non-voting director. In the second year, the student will be a voting director.

Election Guidelines

Notice of Election

Voting will occur on Saturday of the TISL General Assembly each November. State law requires TISL to submit the names of the winners to the Governor of Tennessee by April 1. Beyond that, the timetable is up the Governor.

TISL elections are governed by the TISL Legal Code. The electorate will be delegates at large, as defined in TISL Legal Code section 1-2-16.

For the inaugural year in 2011, TSAC elections will primarily be governed by rules promulgated by the TISL Executive Council.

TISL's TSAC Election Rules for 2011

These rules will be submitted to the TISL General Assembly in November 2011. If adopted, they will become part of the TISL Legal Code for future elections.

TSAC elections are also governed by the TISL Election Procedures Act. Among other provisions, the Election Procedures Act discourages campaign spending (section 1-2-10). It also prohibits campaign materials such as signs and buttons on state property.

In the event of a conflict between this web page and the TISL Legal Code, the Legal Code is decisive.