MSU Faculty Senate backs plan to dilute power of Board of Trustees

EAST LANSING - Members of Michigan State University’s Faculty Senate voted Tuesday to endorse a plan to ensure student and faculty involvement in the process of choosing the university's next president along with other proposed changes to the university’s bylaws.

The proposal was developed by ReclaimMSU, which describes itself as a group of students, staff, faculty and alumni “demanding transparency, accountability, and equitable distribution of power and resources from the MSU administration.”

“This is a huge victory for us,” said Natalie Rogers, an organizer with the group who attended Tuesday’s Faculty Senate meeting with half a dozen other student supporters.

The group proposes changing the bylaws of the MSU Board of Trustees to create a new University Board. That board would be composed of the eight elected trustees as well as one undergraduate student, one graduate student, and two faculty representatives. Each member would have voting rights except in the case of the selection of a university president, which falls to elected trustees under the state Constitution.

The Faculty Senate voted 29 to 18 to endorse the proposal, but only the Board of Trustees has the power to change its bylaws.

The plan's proponent hopes that will happen.

“This would be a great way to start rebuilding trust,” said Anna Pegler-Gordon, who introduced the proposal along with Andaluna Borcila. Both are associate professors in MSU’s James Madison College. "This is what the board needs to do to work with us.”

Several faculty members at the meeting expressed doubts about MSU trustees supporting the proposal.

Board Chair Brian Breslin did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment on the proposal. Vice Chair Joel Ferguson declined to comment on the proposal.

The proposal went further, asking that the board change its bylaws to affirm "that the search for a President shall be conducted with the faculty, students and staff playing a central role throughout the process, including: articulating the qualities and qualifications required for a President; having representatives from the faculty, students and staff on the search committee; engaging with top candidates in open forums.”

A preliminary pick for president would first have to be approved by a two-thirds majority of the University Board, the proposal states. Academic Congress, a body that encompasses some 2,200 MSU faculty, could also vote to reject a presidential pick with a two-thirds majority. If that happened, the board would be restricted from offering that candidate the job, according to the proposal.

Related:

Michigan State Faculty Senate calls on entire Board of Trustees to resign

MSU faculty call for vote of no confidence in MSU President Simon

The plan also calls for a constitutional amendment that would ensure two students and two faculty members serve on governing bodies of MSU, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University.

James Dulebohn, a professor in the School of Human Resources and Labor Relations, said doing so would be a “heavy lift”. He also has issues with the timing of the vote.

“This is the first time I’ve seen these proposals, and I thought more time was needed to reflect on the contents before moving forward,” he said.

Rogers said students have talked to legislators about the proposal, saying that it had support, though nothing has been formally introduced in the state House or Senate.

MSU’s Faculty Senate has taken several significant votes in recent months, including beginning the process of calling a no-confidence vote in former President Lou Anna Simon ahead of her resignation. The representative faculty body also voted no confidence in regard to the Board of Trustees and called on them to resign in February.

Breslin, a Republican whose term expires at the end of the year, has said he will not run again. At the board's Feb. 16 meeting, Breslin said he would spend the remainder of his term working to rebuild the trust lost.

"I do believe what trust you don’t have in us, what confidence you don’t have in us, can be restored," he said.

Republican Mitch Lyons' term also expires this year and he has said he will not run for reelection.

Contact RJ Wolcott at (517) 377-1026 or rwolcott@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @wolcottr.