The Higher Education Resource Officer (HERO) was established to improve state government responsiveness to faculty, staff and employees of Tennessee’s public higher education system.

As the Tennessee General Assembly continues its efforts to boost the state’s college graduation rates, it is more important than ever that higher education faculty, staff and employees are able to work as efficiently and effectively as they can. Now there is an employee in the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury office who will help faculty, staff and employees navigate institutional barriers that may be limiting their ability to meet goals.

Nneka Norman-Gordon is a liaison and resource for faculty, staff and other employees at state colleges and universities for any issues they have in dealing with institutional red tape. For example, when one university staff member was told guidelines of its higher education system prohibited the institution from leasing color printers and using legal size paper, despite the need for students, the HERO stepped in.

Norman-Gordon worked with the institution and the higher education system to resolve the guideline misinterpretation. The institution began investigating the cost-effectiveness of providing leased printers that can be used by students for color copying and legal-sized print options.

“I look forward to serving the faculty, staff and employees of our state’s great colleges and universities,” Norman-Gordon said. “My goal is to improve the interaction between faculty, staff and employees of public postsecondary institutions with higher education institutions and systems. A large part of my job is providing constituent services to a group that is entrusted with helping to educate Tennesseans.”

For more information on the HERO office or to schedule a visit to your campus, go to the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury HERO website.