Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature
The Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature (TISL) is an annual legislative session conducted by college students from across Tennessee, providing students over with an education about Tennessee state government and a channel to express their opinions on state issues.
 The modern version of the official seal was designed by Tonya Kelley from The University of Memphis. | |
| Abbreviation | TISL |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1966 |
| Headquarters | Nashville, Tennessee |
Membership | Every accredited institution of higher education in Tennessee |
Governor | Faith Udobong |
Lt. Governor | Brock Rowell |
Speaker of the House | Matthew Mullins |
Chief Justice | Marina Yousef |
| Website | www.TISLonline.org |
This model legislature convenes in the State Capitol for four days, typically in November. It consists of a Senate and a House of Representatives, which debate bills that are produced wholly by the students. The Supreme Court consists of judges and lawyers participating in the Appellate Moot Court Collegiate Challenge (AMC3). Students also have the option to work as lobbyists or members of the media.
During each General Assembly, officers are elected to serve on the Executive Council that governs the organization for the following year. The Executive Council chooses from ten bills that have passed in both the House and the Senate and designates them as Priority Legislation to be presented to the Tennessee General Assembly. Many of TISL's bills have become state law.
History
The history of the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature is a story of students taking the initiative and providing leadership to organize themselves for learning about state government and expressing their views on state issues.
In 1966, Dr. Douglas Carlisle, a political science professor at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, approached the Student Government Association with the concept of TISL. Dr. Carlisle was familiar with similar programs in North Carolina and South Carolina.
Events of the 1960s were important to TISL's founding. President John F. Kennedy's emphasis on student activism motivated young people across the nation before he was assassinated in 1963. His death heightened the resolve of many students to participate and make a difference. Important federal laws under President Lyndon Johnson such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and other far-reaching programs were focusing attention on the role of government. Student activism over the Vietnam War was growing.
It was also an exciting time in Tennessee politics. In Nashville, the Tennessee General Assembly was demonstrating the first stirrings of independence after decades under the control of the governor's office. The 1962 Baker v. Carr decision, a Tennessee case of national significance, led to the first redistricting of the legislature since 1900. This, in turn, produced a flood of new state senators and state representatives to change the political dynamic.
The legislature also began annual sessions after voters approved a constitutional amendment changing the legislative calendar. Consequently, Tennesseans were paying more attention to their state government than they'd paid in a long time. Republican Howard Baker's election to the U.S. Senate in 1966 introduced two-party competition for statewide offices and raised interest in politics.
The UTK student most intrigued with the TISL concept was Phillip Moffitt. Together, Moffitt and Dr. Carlisle contacted other student government associations across the state. At Vanderbilt University, they caught the interest of student Charles Bone. Bone and Moffitt were to become the first and second governors of TISL.
Records suggest that an organizational meeting occurred on the Vanderbilt campus in the spring or summer of 1966. The 1st General Assembly occurred in the fall at the State Capitol. Since that time, TISL has convened in nearly every academic year. The General Assembly has been displaced from the Capitol occasionally, usually because of construction. It has sometimes met in the auditorium of the War Memorial Building and in committee rooms of the Legislative Plaza.
The Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature Foundation was incorporated in 1976 under TISL Governor David Lillard Jr. and received a 501(c)(3) classification from the Internal Revenue Service a year later as a further result of Lillard's work.
In 2014, the record for most colleges in attendance was broken. With 43 colleges and universities in attendance, the 45th General Assembly of the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature was the largest group of students to attend the conference.
Officers
Executive Council
The ten-member Executive Council manages TISL through the year and prepares for the next General Assembly. Officers are ambassadors for TISL, which means they frequently call on other campuses, university administrators and state officials. Officers’ duties and responsibilities are enumerated in Article V of the TISL Constitution.
The Executive Council consists of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Speaker Pro Tempore of the House of Representatives, Speaker Pro Tempore of the Senate, Attorney General, Lobbying Director, and Chief Justice of the Tennessee Intercollegiate Supreme Court.
The current officers were elected at the 49th General Assembly to serve a one-year term. The current officers are:
| Position | Office Holder | School Name |
|---|---|---|
| Governor | Faith Udobong | Rhodes College |
| Secretary of State | Alexandra Sledd | University of Memphis |
| State Treasurer | Kobe Hermann | Middle Tennessee State University |
| Lieutenant Governor | Brock Rowell | University of Memphis |
| Speaker Pro Tempore of the Senate | Harley Chapman | Rhodes College |
| Speaker of the House | Matthew Mullins | University of Memphis |
| Speaker Pro Tempore of the House | Hunter McCloud | University of Tennessee, Martin |
| Attorney General | Stephen Kusick | King University |
| Chief Justice of the Supreme Court | Marina Yousef | Trevecca Nazerene University |
| Lobbying Director | Jacie Womack | Trevecca Nazerene University |
Support Staff
In addition to the Executive Council, various other officers and support staff are appointed to help the Executive Council with the management of the different components of TISL. The Speakers of each chamber appoint a Chief Clerk to oversee the flow of legislation and keep records while in session. There is also a Deputy Clerk (and in some cases an Assistant Clerk) who help the Chief Clerk in his/her duties. Both the Secretary of State and State Treasurer appoint Deputies and Assistants to assist them in their responsibilities. The Supreme Court justices appoint a Chief Clerk and Marshall to oversee paperwork and records of the AMC3 competition. There are also a number of law clerks and courtroom clerks that help the AMC3 program function. A Director of Lobbying is appointed to coordinate that program, as well as a Media Director to oversee the media component. The Governor is assisted by a Chief of Staff and Cabinet, who advise him on bills and convey the Governor's wishes to Senators and Representatives.
TISL Governors: Past & Present
The Governors of TISL and the schools they represented are listed below. The incumbent Governor is James Matthew Wyatt, and is indicated below in bold.
| Year | Governor's Name | Governor's School |
|---|---|---|
| 1966-1967 | Phillip Moffitt | The University of Tennessee, Knoxville |
| 1967-1968 | Charles Bone | Vanderbilt University |
| 1968-1969 | Jonah Gray | East Tennessee State University |
| 1969-1970 | George DeJarnatt | Vanderbilt University |
| 1970-1971 | Chad McCullough | Tennessee Technological University |
| 1971-1972 | Frank Clement Jr. | The University of Memphis |
| 1972-1973 | David Fleming | Tennessee Technological University |
| 1973-1974 | Stephen Harris | East Tennessee State University |
| 1974-1975 | Roy Herron | The University of Tennessee, Martin |
| 1975-1976 | Philip Sanford | Austin Peay State University |
| 1976-1977 | David Lillard Jr. | The University of Memphis |
| 1977-1978 | Jeff Wilson | The University of Tennessee, Knoxville |
| 1978-1979 | Douglas Littlejohn | The University of Memphis |
| 1979-1980 | David Mason | Austin Peay State University |
| 1980-1981 | Kem Morgan | The University of Tennessee, Chattanooga |
| 1981-1982 | Randy Wilmore | Tennessee Technological University |
| 1982-1983 | Tony Yates | Middle Tennessee State University |
| 1983-1984 | Mark Ross | Middle Tennessee State University |
| 1984-1985 | Mark Ross | Middle Tennessee State University |
| 1985-1986 | Nathan Poss | Cumberland University |
| 1986-1987 | Glenn Keesee | Vanderbilt University |
| 1987-1988 | Alan Crone | The University of Memphis |
| 1988-1989 | David Sanford | Lincoln Memorial University |
| 1990-1991 | Kevin O'Connor | The University of Memphis |
| 1991-1992 | Mark L. Sluder | Tennessee Technological University |
| 1992-1993 | Mark L. Sluder | Tennessee Technological University |
| 1993-1994 | Tre Hargett | The University of Memphis |
| 1994-1995 | Steven L. Denney | Tennessee Technological University |
| 1995-1996 | Russell A. Humphrey | The University of Memphis |
| 1996-1997 | Elizabeth G. Millsaps | Middle Tennessee State University |
| 1997-1998 | Jeffrey F. Wisdom | The University of Memphis |
| 1998-1999 | Ashley Woods | Walters State Community College |
| 1999-2000 | Emily Cline | The University of Memphis |
| 2000-2001 | Lee Scott | Lambuth University |
| 2001-2002 | Josh Trent | Union University |
| 2002-2003 | Elizabeth Shelley | The University of Memphis |
| 2005-2006 | Joshua Clarke | Union University |
| 2006-2007 | Amir Bahreini | Cleveland State Community College & The University of Tennessee, Knoxville |
| 2007-2008 | Kenneth Taylor | The University of Memphis |
| 2008-2009 | Micah Roeder | Union University |
| 2009-2010 | Gian Gozum | The University of Memphis |
| 2010-2011 | Cory Higdon | The University of Memphis |
| 2011-2012 | Matthew Meinel | Vanderbilt University |
| 2012-2013 | Alexander R. Brown | Chattanooga State Community College |
| 2013-2014 | Jamie Arnett | The University of Tennessee, Martin & Austin Peay State University |
| 2014-2015 | Brandon Chrisman | The University of Tennessee, Knoxville |
| 2015-2016 | John Domanski | The University of Tennessee, Martin |
| 2016-2017 | Kara Gilliam | The University of Tennessee, Knoxville |
| 2017-2018 | James Matthew Wyatt | Union University |
| 2018-2019 | Faith Udobong | Rhodes College |
Notable TISL Alumni
Several alumni of the TISL program have gone into government and public serve in Tennessee and other states. Below is a list of TISL's notable alumni and positions they hold today.
| Name | Notes |
|---|---|
| Doug Overbey | Tennessee State Senator Former Tennessee State Representative |
| Russell Humphrey | Chief Clerk of the Tennessee State Senate |
| Mike Kernell | Tennessee State Representative |
| Ron Lollar | Tennessee State Representative |
| Tre Hargett | Tennessee Secretary of State |
| David Lillard | Tennessee State Treasurer |
| Jeff Bivins | Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice |
| Holly Kirby | Tennessee Supreme Court Justice |
| Mike Faulk | Former Tennessee Circuit Court Judge Former Tennessee State Senator |
| Roy Herron | Former Chair of the Tennessee Democratic Party Former Tennessee State Senator Former Tennessee State Representative |
| Tony Shipley | Former Tennessee State Representative |
| Phillip Moffitt | Founder, Balanced Life Institute |