Proposals before Legislature would change University of Minnesota regent selection process

State lawmakers frustrated with the University of Minnesota regents are considering changing the way the group's members are selected.

Proposals before the state House and Senate would impose term limits, designate spots for a university employee and a member of a Native American tribe, and aim to prevent lawmakers from introducing new nominees at the last minute.

"I think that members on both sides of the aisle are frustrated with the regent selection process, as well as students," said Sen. Omar Fateh, DFL-Minneapolis, who said he hopes the bills he helped write will increase diversity on the board and give people more faith in the process.

Some people calling for changes argue the regent selection process has become too political, leaving the system with a board reluctant to question administrators and not adequately representing the people it is meant to serve. Some regents say that criticism undercuts their work and they're skeptical that the bills would resolve lawmakers' concerns.

"I'm at a loss to understand how this proposed legislation addresses either of those issues," said Regent Janie Mayeron, the board's vice chair. "But, that said, when I look at it, there are certain things that I think are worth looking at and worth examining."

The Board of Regents consists of 12 volunteers appointed by state lawmakers to serve staggered, six-year terms. Among other things, the regents vote on strategic plans, labor agreements and real estate transactions. They also review requests for government aid and approve the budgets that determine tuition rates.

Several controversies have placed increased scrutiny on the board in recent months. The previous vice chair questioned whether the system's Morris campus had become too diverse. The board also agreed to let the university president serve on a private corporation's board, though she stepped down following public criticism. And legislative committee meetings have raised questions about tuition rates and declining enrollment at some regional campuses.

An attempt to temper politics

The current regent-selection system was created in 1988, when lawmakers sought a more transparent process following a series of scandals. The university's president, Kenneth Keller, resigned after questions about his spending. A regent had been accused of making antisemitic remarks. And some lawmakers were calling for regents to resign.

Ember Reichgott Junge, then a state senator, said the university's alumni association approached her with concerns about the process, which was largely settled by veteran lawmakers in quiet, backroom deals.

"It was really, really political and the idea was to try to temper that," Junge said, adding that they also wanted to recruit a more diverse and qualified pool of applicants.

The result was a law that created the Regent Candidate Advisory Council, a group of 24 people who meet to review applications, publicly interview candidates and recommend finalists to the Legislature. Those recommendations are sent to the higher education committees in the House and Senate, which can heed their suggestions or disregard them. The full House and Senate then meet to make a final selection; lawmakers can follow the earlier recommendations or introduce nominees of their own.

Junge said she's concerned that lawmakers, in recent years, have seemed to increasingly ignore the council's recommendations. "I am, as an author of that bill, really disappointed to see the politics that have entered into this process," she said.

Some current lawmakers also have concerns. Rep. Gene Pelowski, DFL-Winona, said he worries that some regents are serving as a "rubber stamp" for university administrators and that alumni donors are exerting too much influence in their selection.

"The regent selection process is flawed, and it's been flawed for some time," he said.

Mayeron and Regent Steve Sviggum, the board's previous vice chair, both said they believe alumni should be able to express an opinion about regent candidates. They pushed back on critiques that the board hasn't been tough enough, saying they often ask administrators about their decisions.

The pair, though, also described the selection process as chaotic, complex and difficult to follow. Both said term limits were worth exploring. Mayeron thought it was worth considering provisions to limit surprise, last-minute nominees "if for no other reason than often candidates who come up right at the end of session have not been vetted by anyone."

New regent recommendations

The discussions about changing the selection process are unfolding as lawmakers prepare to fill four spots opening because regents' terms are expiring. Fateh and Pelowski presided Tuesday night over a joint meeting of the House and Senate higher education committees, where lawmakers voted on nominations to send to the full Legislature.

Each of the four people nominated came from a pool recommended by the Regent Candidate Advisory Council. They recommended West St. Paul City Council Member Robyn Gulley; Minnesota Nurses Association President Mary Turner, former Allina Health CEO Penny Wheeler and current Regent Tadd Johnson.

Each of the final votes fell along partisan lines — with one exception. Johnson was endorsed unanimously. Fateh said he wanted to nominate candidates who would prioritize students, and many of his colleagues had the same idea.

"It wasn't about politics," he said.