Volunteer State News

A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was sent to Lee University regarding a list of all students admitted to the school for the 2024-25 academic year on December 12, 2024. The request was made by Volunteer State News, a media organization dedicated to providing comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs.

In our pursuit of transparency and accountability in public institutions, we requested specific details about the admitted students under the Tennessee Open Records Act, §10-7-503 et seq. The information sought includes student names, their home zip codes or hometowns, and the names of their graduated high schools.

We believe that access to these public records is crucial in fulfilling our professional responsibilities as journalists. As we continue to gather and report news to the public, such data provides us with essential insights into educational trends and developments within our community.

As a media organization, we have also applied for a fee waiver for this request. We are hopeful that our role in disseminating information to the public will be recognized and deemed eligible for this waiver.

We await Lee University's response and look forward to sharing these insights with our readers. Our commitment remains steadfast in providing comprehensive news coverage that promotes transparency and holds public institutions accountable.