Electing University Boards: Dangerously Stupid

The mess at MSU provides tragic proof

Everyone I’ve talked with has told me that Kevin Guskiewicz had the potential to be one of the best presidents Michigan State University has had in a long time.

But two people who really knew what was happening told me there was one major problem. Three of the eight elected trustees who govern the board were making his life hell, constantly and publicly attacking his decisions. What’s more, two of the three, both Democrats had driven off acting president Teresa Woodruff before him.

Earlier this month, in an effort to keep him, the board, five of whose members have strongly supported Guskiewicz and his initiatives, took the unprecedented step of doubling his salary to $2 million a year. They also adopted a new Code of Conduct for the trustees. Basically, it requires them to not publicly undermine decisions made by the majority of the board and not disseminate false or misleading information.

Codes like this are pretty standard for boards in both the public and private sectors, including other universities. But two trustees, Democrat Rema Vassar and Republican Mike Balow refused to sign it. Vassar and another trustee, Democrat Dennis Denno, were censured two years ago for actions they took that had the effect of undermining Teresa Woodruff, then the acting president, and they’ve reportedly kept that up with Guskiewicz. Two days ago, indicating their antics were affecting his health, he quit.

Actually, to show how toxic the environment was, Guskiewicz fled to the presidency of Clemson University in South Carolina, for a salary that was $800,000 less.

So both MSU and the University of Michigan are without presidents, which is not a good look for either, or the state. When I was accepted as a freshman at MSU in late 1968, the president, John Hannah, had been at the helm for 27 years. Now, the school has had six presidents or acting presidents in the last nine years.

This highlights a major flaw in Michigan’s Constitution: The absurd custom of choosing members of these boards through statewide partisan elections. Nobody knows who the candidates are, and they mainly are chosen by people who vote straight ticket ballots. When it’s a big Red year, the Republicans win; when it’s a Blue year, the Democrats do. The average citizen isn’t well enough informed to know who should be on these boards. They should, in fact, be appointed by the governor.

And, as I noted in this column three days ago, right now YOU can help change this. There is a joint resolution before the legislature to put a law changing this on the ballot. If it gets on and passes, not only will this be fixed, but the people will also be able to select nominees for Secretary of State and Attorney General.

This is a completely nonpartisan and bipartisan project, and former governors John Engler, a Republican, and James Blanchard, a Democrat, are urging the lawmakers to put this on the ballot.

By the way, there is a person to blame for losing Guskiewicz: Governor Gretchen Whitmer. She has the power to hold hearings, and also the power to remove board members. Governor Engler removed a trustee from the Wayne State board.

When Jennifer Granholm was governor, she held hearings about whether to remove Detroit’s corrupt mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, from office, but he resigned almost immediately and later went to prison.

Whitmer was urged by the other board members to remove Denno and Vassar, but she didn’t do it. In recent weeks, high-ranking people have urged her to remove the terrible three so MSU could hold on to Guskiewicz, but again, she did nothing.

But YOU can do something by calling your legislators and urging them to get the resolution fixing this on the ballot as soon as possible. If they act within a week, it can be on the August 4th ballot; later, and it will be on in November.

We need our lawmakers to act on this, before higher education in Michigan goes completely down the drain. We’ve already lost so much. It’s about time our lawmakers did something right.