Michigan Senate leadership put its plan on the table Thursday to change how the governing boards of the state’s three largest universities are picked.
Senate Majority Floor Leader Sam Singh (D-East Lansing) said the three university boards have all faced too many troubles to let the current way of picking board members stand.
“I think if you talk to the general public, they’re just as disgusted by what they’re seeing. And so, this idea that we would continue to politicize these three boards when they’re such important institutions to our state and to our economic development is beyond me,” Singh said.
Currently, voters pick the members for Michigan State University’s Board of Trustees, the University of Michigan’s Board of Regents, and Wayne State University’s Board of Governors from candidates nominated by both major parties at a convention.
Rather than voters deciding, the Senate measure would have the governor appoint new members as old terms expire, with the advice and consent of the Senate. That’s how it works for the state’s other public universities.
The push comes after each school’s board has faced mounting criticism in recent years. That’s ranged from tensions between board members and school leadership to alleged mishandling of sexual assault scandals at MSU and U of M.
The Michigan State University president resigned last month, citing frustrations with his board.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a couple former governors, and leadership in the Michigan House of Representatives have all supported a change to the process. But the visions look different.
Changing the system would require voters to approve a state constitutional amendment. And getting one on the ballot needs a supermajority in both legislative chambers, meaning it would take a lot of heavy lifting.
The Senate’s plan would also go to a primary system for the Attorney General and Secretary of State nominations, rather than party convention delegates picking candidates.
A plan the House put up earlier this week focused solely on the big three university boards. The vote failed to receive a simple majority.
That version would clear all three university boards starting next year and replace existing members with an even number of Democrats and Republicans from a list submitted by legislative and major party leadership. The governor would name a ninth, independent member of each board.
House Majority Floor Leader Bryan Posthumus (R-Rockford) said that’s a middle ground for the boards to move away from elections.
“Our state is used to the people voting on these in general. And so, the voice of the people, the legislative body, should be represented in some way, shape or form. So, I think that is important that we keep that in there too,” he said Thursday.
Overall, Posthumus said he was happy to see the Senate introduce his plan and predicted a final version would be a compromise between the chambers.
The House vote failed because some Republicans and only one Democrat voted in favor of the measure. Democratic leadership in that chamber said they weren’t consulted on it before the vote went up, despite it being impossible to pass without support from that side of the aisle.
Leadership did not comment on the Senate’s version Thursday. But some members feel voters should still have direct input on the boards.
“What makes Michigan so unique and why our universities are so successful is because our university boards and our regents are held accountable by the people,” state Rep. Samantha Steckloff (D-Farmington Hills) told reporters Wednesday.
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