Janie Mayeron to take over as vice chair for University of Minnesota regents

Retired federal magistrate judge Janie Mayeron will take over as vice chair on the University of Minnesota's Board of Regents, following an election Friday that focused on what it meant to have diverse leadership.

The change came almost two months after Regent Steve Sviggum stepped down from the leadership role following an outcry over his remarks questioning whether the system's Morris campus had become "too diverse."

The board voted 9 to 3 Friday morning to select Mayeron, who is white, over Regent James Farnsworth, whose candidacy was supported by some students in part because they wanted the board to elect a leader of color.

The University of Minnesota, like other institutions across the nation, is trying to recruit from a pool of high school graduates that is becoming both smaller and more racially and ethnically diverse. Some students have called on Sviggum to resign, saying they worry that his remarks will harm those efforts.

The Board of Regents consists of 12 volunteers appointed by state lawmakers. They are tasked with setting tuition rates, reviewing legal and business matters and completing other tasks that shape the university's trajectory. The vice chair helps set the board's agenda and is expected to take over if the chair isn't able to serve.

Mayeron, 71, spent years as a lawyer focusing on civil litigation and mediation before she was selected as a U.S. magistrate judge. She earned a bachelor's degree and a law degree from the U and previously served as president of the alumni association.

She said she understood the students' desires to have a leader of color.

"It resonates with me, just as much as having people who bring categories of diversity to the table," she said, noting that she is willing to work with people of all backgrounds.

Regents who supported Mayeron's selection said they believed her legal experience would allow her to balance the concerns of people with diverging interests and help her build consensus on difficult issues.

Regent Ruth Johnson, who voted for Mayeron, said she wanted to "affirm that diversity is very important — diversity of gender, race, age and life experiences." She said she believed the current board, which includes five women and four people of color, was the most diverse she could remember.

Regent Bo Thao-Urabe, who also voted for Mayeron, said diversity was crucial for the institution's success, saying that both the university and its students and employees lose out if people "feel like they are not fully welcomed and embraced."

Still, she added that it was "important that we not use the moment to talk about tokenizing and just creating a seat because we are in a difficult position."

Regent Darrin Rosha, who voted for Farnsworth, said he was concerned people were talking about tokenization and supported Farnsworth because he felt that he was a qualified candidate who had shown a willingness to engage with fellow regents.

Farnsworth, 24, said he doesn't know much about his biological family's history because he was adopted at an early age in a closed process, though he does identify as a person of color. He said he tossed his own name into consideration for vice chair because he wanted the board to reflect not just racial and ethnic diversity but also generational diversity and a commitment to engagement.

Sviggum voted for Farnsworth.

"James would bring a different perspective to board leadership," Sviggum said. "And, he asked me."

The election came almost two months after Sviggum's remarks about Morris reinvigorated a debate about diversity on university campuses. Morris often ranks high among public liberal arts schools, but it has struggled with enrollment. The system's goals call for Morris to have 1,700 students by 2025, but it had just 1,068 at one recent count.

In a regents meeting in October, Morris' acting Chancellor Janet Schrunk Ericksen attributed the decline to a number of factors: the pandemic, shifting attitudes toward higher education, changing demographics and increased competition for Minnesota students.

During that meeting, Sviggum asked how the campus fits into Minnesota's higher education system and whether the market was oversaturated. Stating multiple times that he was "on thin ice," he asked if it was possible Morris had become "too diverse."

Sviggum issued a public apology. Student leaders at Morris and other University of Minnesota campuses issued public letters this week calling for his immediate resignation, saying they doubted the apology's sincerity and his commitment to strengthening diversity.

Sviggum has not resigned from the board. He is one of four regents whose terms expire next year. He has not applied to serve again.