Tennessee Private Universities Hide Foreign Influence

When the Tennessee Senate unanimously passed a bill in March that requires private institutions of higher learning to disclose foreign contributions, it seemed like a given that it would end up on Governor Lee’s desk by the end of the session. However, in a surprise move, the House’s Higher Education Subcommittee sidelined their own version of the bill less than 48 hours later—allegedly caving to intense pressure from private universities and lobbyists.

When he sponsored HB 998, House Higher Education subcommittee member Rep. Robert Stevens (D-13), hoped to bring the same oversight to private schools and international partnerships that the state requires of its public universities.

“The bill would have only required private universities to disclose contracts and gifts from countries on the U.S. State Department's ‘Countries of Concern’ list (which is not many) for amounts over $50,000,” Rep. Stevens said. “The only one on there that would matter to the universities would have been China, most likely.”

Both HB 988 and its Senate equivalent, SB 102, began as calls for a simple, one-word amendment to the laws already on the books for state schools. However, sources tell The Pamphleteer that the legislation immediately raised the ire of the Tennessee Independent Colleges and University Association (TICUA), the primary lobbying arm of the state’s private institutions of higher learning. 

Sources familiar with the matter say that TICUA member institution Vanderbilt took the most umbrage with the legislation. The university sent Daniel Culbreath, Assistant Vice Chancellor for State Government Relations, and Nathan Green, Vice Chancellor for Government and Community Relations, to make its concerns known to lawmakers.

Allegedly, Culbreath and Green along with TICUA President, Dr. Cameron Conn, pushed Senate Bill sponsor Dawn White (D-13) to compromise the bill’s language. Rather than a blanket disclosure of any gifts over $10,000 as intended, the revised bill included a floor of $50,000 and only applied to the six countries on the State Department’s list. Senator White could not be reached for comment about the bill’s evolution. Neither could Mr. Culbreath or Mr. Green.

Though the compromises made the legislation benign enough for the Senate to pass it unanimously, sources say that TICUA and its member institutions continued to assert pressure on the House subcommittee to kill the bill entirely. 

Three of the Higher Education Subcommittee members have TICUA member institutions in their districts: Reps. Renea Jones (D-4, Milligan Uiversity), Kevin Raper (D-24, Lee University), and Kirk Haston (D-72, Freed-Hardeman University).

For Rep. Stevens, the explanation is simple: “The foreign disclosure bill died because several of the subcommittee members have private colleges in their districts that called them and asked them not to vote for the bill.”

Rep. Raper acknowledged that Lee University officials repeatedly asked him to curtail to the legislation, but considered his opposition as part of his duty to his constituents: “Lee University is a big thing here. Everybody supports Lee University. As their representative, I am absolutely going to support them unless something egregious comes up. They were adamantly opposed, and it wasn’t even a question for me.”

The Pamphleteer contacted Reps. Jones and and Haston. Neither could be reached for comment. 

We also reached out to representatives from Lee, Milligan, and Freed-Hardeman about the nature of any lobbying efforts and reasons for opposing the bill. Dawn Bramblett, whose PR firm represents Freed-Hardeman, responded that the university administration was unfamiliar with the bill. The other universities could not be reached for comment. 

Though Dr. Conn could also not be reached for comment regarding TICUA’s concerns about the bill, Rep. Stevens cites “administrative burden” as the primary reason for such stringent opposition. Yet, state schools with much larger student populations and faculties have had no issues with such disclosures.

As the enrollment cliff commences, international outreach and partnerships have become lucrative avenues for many colleges and universities. While enrollment declines have hit Northern and Midwestern schools the hardest, Southern universities have also experienced recruitment and revenue challenges. 

Given that annual tuition at private Christian colleges can cost three to ten times as much as state schools, institutions like Lee, Milligan, and Freed-Hardeman are especially vulnerable to these shifting demographic trends. But even well-endowed research universities like Vanderbilt are not immune. Support from deep-pocketed countries of concern like China could indeed be a lifeline, especially with the promise of international students.

“It does make you wonder,” Rep. Stevens said.