The State Technical Institute in Knoxville established pursuant to § 49-8-101 and the Oak Ridge Branch of the Roane State Community College located on the Pellissippi Parkway in Knox County shall become one (1) institution, which shall be known as the Pellissippi State Community College.
The institution shall be under the management and control of the board of regents. It is the legislative intent that the board of regents will maintain a permanent presence in Oak Ridge.
The institution is authorized to provide comprehensive one- and two-year occupational, college parallel, continuing education and community service programs.
The institution shall continue to provide high quality technical and scientific occupational programs and serve as a regional technical school to train engineering technicians for industry and prepare students to earn a living as a technician or technical worker in the fields of production, distribution or service.
The board of regents is authorized to allocate appropriate funding, equipment and property from the Oak Ridge Branch of Roane State Community College to the new institution.
Employees of affected institutions who have achieved rank and tenure under policies of the board of regents and who continue as employees of the board of regents without a break in service shall retain that rank and tenure as employees of the board of regents.
