Michigan House Rejects Proposal to Alter University Board Appointments
In a closely watched legislative session, a proposal to revamp the method of appointing board members for Michigan’s leading public universities was defeated in the state House on Wednesday. The initiative, which aimed to transfer appointment powers from party conventions to the governor, failed to secure the necessary supermajority to progress to the August ballot.
Currently, board members of Michigan’s “Big Three” universities—University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and Wayne State University—are elected by the public after nomination at party conventions. The defeated proposal sought to amend the state constitution to allow the governor to appoint these board members, a change requiring voter approval.
Endorsed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer and former governors John Engler and Jim Blanchard, the proposal was seen as a response to ongoing dysfunction at the universities’ board level. Whitmer, Engler, and Blanchard, all of whom have ties to MSU, supported the measure as a way to enhance governance.
The proposal was narrowly defeated with 52 votes in favor and 54 against, falling short of the 74 votes required for a two-thirds majority. Notably, the proposal received support from just one Democrat, underscoring the partisan divide. House Minority Leader Ranjiv Puree (D-Canton) criticized Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) for bringing the vote to the floor without adequate preparation or negotiations, noting that six Republicans opposed the measure.
“His own members turned it down and so I don’t know what type of 4-D tic-tac-toe he’s trying to play here, but setting a bill up for failure on the board very publicly, I can’t explain why he’d want to do that,” Puri remarked after the vote.
The proposed amendment would have resulted in the removal of all current board members at U of M, WSU, and MSU, allowing Whitmer to appoint a majority of replacements on her last day in office, with her successor filling remaining positions the following January 1.
Speaker Hall emphasized the urgency of placing the proposal on the August ballot, stating, “And we’re trying to put this on the ballot today to give the people the ability to decide whether we should come up with a new process to select our university boards so we have people who are much more qualified to do it.”
Although the initiative for the August ballot failed, Hall indicated a possibility of introducing the proposal for the November ballot, which is set to include at least one other measure. He also expressed intentions to explore a more rigorous plan to abolish an elected state board of education.
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