Each of our states has its own higher education management system. Some are more effective than others. Some are statutory and others are constitutionally mandated.
Michigan's 13 public universities get their board members in two distinctly different ways. University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Wayne State University have their board members elected in a statewide election. They are nominated in partisan political conventions and then run state wide. The other 10 public universities have their trustees appointed by the Governor. Every two years two of the trustees at each institution are up for appointment or re appointment by the Governor (unless their has been a resignation or death of a trustee before their term is up). After nomination by the Governor their names are sent to the Michigan Senate for advice and consent. All of this is provided for in the Michigan Constitution.
When the Governor and the Senate are of the same political party there rarely are any public hearings on the nomination. When the Governor sends it to the Senate it is almost automatically approved. This has been the procedure usually, although not always, used by most Governors when they find themselves in this situation. Hearings are held when the Governor and the Senate are of different political parties--not always but usually. This often may lead to some partisan political gamesmanship, so Governor's prefer not to have these public hearings if at all possible.
However when public hearings are not held the public is usually not well served and loses an opportunity to know about who is being sent to govern our public universities. The public has a right to know about these individuals--most of whom are smart, well intentioned and ethical people. However the question that needs to be answered is what in their background will enable them to be an effective university trustee. What do they know about higher education? What are their personal and political values? How do they feel about cost of tuition at our institutional? How do they see the issue of access to higher education and what will they do to increase it? Transparency and public access to university information? Presidential evaluations? What are the higher education issues they believe are most important in the coming six years? If they are being reappointed their should be a public hearing and the same questions should be asked of them--as well as what did they do about these issues in their immediate past term.
Public hearings will give taxpayers a change to comment to the Governor and the Legislature on their thoughts about this nomination. Especially if the public hearing process is given a chance to work--notice of the hearing and publication of the nominees answers to questions (written or in video or podcast format). Final approval by the committee members conducting the hearing only after 30 days to allow public comment on the nomination. The legislature and the Governor could consider these comments and then either withdraw the nominee if their is new concern on a nominee or send it to the full Senate for a vote. If nothing else the publication of the answers from nominees will give the public a chance to ask questions of the trustee(s) during their term based on their answers to the questions.
These trustees are responsible for setting policies and governing/spending billions of dollars in taxpayer money and tuition money. The public should know more about who is being entrusted with governing our public universities--again most of whom are honorable, well intentioned and qualified individuals. Cities, counties, townships, school boards and the state itself has more scrutiny for the public dollars they are responsible for--and they stand for election every X number of years.
Changing the Michigan Constitution to accomplish any of this would be near impossible. So maybe this is one of the "nudges" we could debate and maybe implement.
Taxpayers and voters could "nudge" the candidates for Governor in 2018 about this nudge and about their views on higher education and needs for reform. We could "nudge" them to commit to working with the Senate (regardless of which party controls the Senate) to create responsible and effective public hearings on candidates for university trustee. Commitment by Governors and Senators to not make these public hearings into partisan political hearings but a vehicle for taxpayers to know more about who is governing out state's amazing public universities.
Another nudge another day!