State Rep. Phil Williams is exploring how the University of Alabama in Huntsville might break away from its handlers in Tuscaloosa.

Williams, R-Monrovia, said it's not all about the sudden loss of UAH hockey. Rather, it's about Huntsville lacking a say in the overall direction of the public university at the city's center.

"I'm researching what it takes for us to exit the University of Alabama system," said Williams on Tuesday, saying he spent Monday in the legislative reference office. He said any exit would require a legislative act, but he didn't think it would require a statewide constitutional vote.

As it stands now, UAH is part of a system run by Chancellor Malcolm Portera and the University of Alabama trustees. That 15-member board also oversees the University of Alabama in Birmingham and the main campus at Tuscaloosa.

"We have to have some way that our community feels they have some control of our university," said Mayor Tommy Battle on Wednesday, saying the current university system must change.

The recent decision of Portera to end competitive ice hockey at UAH, despite noisy objections here, called attention to UAH's lack of representation on its own governing board.

But Williams said talk of secession grew among local business leaders last month, after The Times wrote about the Tuscaloosa campus' quiet efforts to compete with UAH for military grants.

"The one I cannot get my arms around is setting up a Tuscaloosa-based research center to compete against us for research dollars," said Williams.

Businessman David Johnston said the news that Tuscaloosa would compete for Huntsville research dollars was met with concern from Rotary to the Chamber.

"What you're hearing is just the tip of frustration in the business community," said Johnston. "This is the talk of the town. We've got to have a strong research institute here, and not just an extension school of Tuscaloosa."

As of now, the board that runs all three campuses includes 13 Tuscaloosa graduates, two UAB graduates and no UAH graduates. Only one trustee lives in Huntsville.

"If we have input, it's just not listened to," said Battle in a meeting with The Times.

And he would know better than most.

Battle recently served on the committee to find the next UAH president. Several business leaders here wanted to hire UAH eminent scholar Mike Griffin, the former NASA administrator.

The search committee, led by Portera and trustee Finis St. John, instead selected Robert Altenkirch of New Jersey Institute for Technology. Altenkirch had worked for Portera as an administrator at Mississippi State.

Battle said he urged Portera to consider Griffin as the best fit for helping Huntsville win national research programs, but that Griffin received "token consideration."

Battle said he supports the creation of an autonomous governing board for each of the three campuses. Battle summed it up this way: "What value is there in being in a system, if the system is not supportive of you?"

Williams, a UAH graduate, said he's been talking to local business leaders, some linked to the UAH Foundation, an affiliated fundraising group and the only local leadership for the university. "I don't know that anyone at UAH is even aware we're talking," said Williams.

There are at least three separate groups in Huntsville looking into change for UAH. Each can rattle off a list of slights. For example, Portera once fought the use of state dollars for biotech research in Huntsville, or Tuscaloosa is getting an $18 million building for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research, even though UAH houses the state climatology office.

Dr. Jess Brown, a professor at Athens State University, suggested that the Huntsville delegation team up with Birmingham. He said UAB and UAH could easily push for a greater role in selecting the chancellor or more say on presidential searches.

In fact, there is already a movement at UAB.

System trustees, without public debate, recently killed plans for a proposed UAB football stadium. Just this week, state Sen. Jabo Waggoner, R-Vestavia Hills, sent a letter asking the trustees to respect the local vision for UAB. Battle sent the trustees a similar, strongly worded letter regarding the lack of local input for UAH. (See below.)

State Rep. John Rogers Jr., D-Birmingham, told The Birmingham News this month: "UAB and UAH have for years been treated like second-class citizens and the only way we're ever going to change that is by forcing that board to equally represent all three campuses."

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The following is an letter from Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle to the University of Alabama System trustees.

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Dear Trustees of the University of Alabama:

I am reaching out to you, the guardians of the University of Alabama system, to express Huntsville's concerns over events at UAH within the past six months.

First and foremost, I promised the Chancellor and Fess St John that I will support Bob Altenkirch as President of UAHuntsville. Dr Altenkirch's success will be Huntsville's success. We have to have him succeed for our community to succeed. I support him fully.

The process of what has happened over the past six months has left our community disenfranchised with the structure of the UA system. Today's AL.com blogs call for UAHuntsville to be removed from the UA system. Legislators have called my office suggesting the same. I would urge you to look at that process and correct it so that a community does not again feel disenfranchised with one of it's institutions of higher learning.

First part of that process was with Huntsville being forced to bid farewell to President David Williams, a man who had reinvigorated UAH and forged strong and significant ties to our community. Dr. Williams was highly regarded by the City's leadership, and his departure was a blow to many who had come to embrace his vision. David Williams had recruited Gary Zank, a noted Astro-Physicist, and Mike Griffin, the former Director of NASA. He had forged significant relations with Redstone Arsenal, Hudson Alpha Institute, our Research Park community and the business community at large. He had gone beyond our area to places like the European Union space program, Oak Ridge Energy office and had developed relationships with Universities across the world.

Dr. Williams' farewell came at the most inopportune time for UAH and the City. Dr. Williams was leading an effort by UAH, the Marshall Space Flight Center, and a dedicated coalition of experts and business leaders to win the National Solar Observatory project. The decision to make this major administrative change at a crucial juncture in the competition was detrimental to the effort. In the end, UAH lost the project, and the National Solar Observatory was awarded to the University of Colorado. The Huntsville community feels this decision on Dr Williams negatively affected that decision.

Dr Williams leaving came with no consultation with the local community by the UA System.

When the search began for Dr. Williams' replacement, I was asked to serve on the selection committee. As a former NASA administrator, the Huntsville leadership community believed Mike Griffin was a strong candidate to replace Dr. Williams. While Mr. Griffin was asked to interview for the position, I do not believe he received more than token consideration.

This, again, was a decision made by the UA System.

After Chancellor Malcom Portero's announcement that Robert Altenkirch would be the next president, the Chancellor made the executive decision to eliminate Charger hockey, UAH's only Division I sport. Hockey has long been part of UAH's identity and a point of pride for the City of Huntsville. We were the hockey capital of the South. No more.

This, again was a decision by the UA system without considering local input.

A new University of Alabama research office has opened in Huntsville to allow the Tuscaloosa campus to compete with UAH for military research dollars. It is a move that feels most disingenuous.

This move should have been thought through by the UA System.

I would suggest the board look at the UA board process and the system. It is not made for local input and in some cases I'm not sure board input is taken into consideration. Within the trustees of the University of Alabama system, there is not a single UAH graduate.

I would like to see a steering committee formed with UAH that has community leadership for an engineering, aerospace, physics University; a committee that would make decisions about our area and give our community local input.

I appreciate you giving thoughtful consideration to these growing concerns in our community, and I welcome the opportunity to discuss solutions with your board.

Sincerely,

Tommy Battle

Mayor