Lawmakers propose changes to BOG

The UNC-system Board of Governors is under fire this summer.

Scrutiny comes at a critical time as the board searches for a replacement for retiring UNC-system President Molly Broad.

The American Council of Trustees and Alumni released a report last week that reviewed the Board’s structure and function and offered recommendations on both.

N.C. legislators have offered criticism as well.

Several pieces of legislation to improve the structure of the Board have been on the table this session.

All told, the analysis from researchers and legislators has sparked dialogue about the BOG’s role and how best to execute it.

“I think a good debate is starting,” said Jon Sanders, a policy analyst at the Pope Center for Higher Education Policy, which sponsored the study.

Leaders want to make the board more proactive and arm it with a clear agenda.

Among changes suggested from various corners this summer to meet these needs are: a decrease in membership; adding a student vote to the board; appointments by the Governor; and giving more power to individual universities.

The report was written by Phyllis Palmiero, a senior consultant to the American Council of Trustees and Alumni.

She recommended a decrease in the number of voting BOG members — an issue lately confronted by the state legislature.

The report shrunk the number of voting members from 32 to 15.

“The 15 members would be a weaning down of the current members,” Palmiero said.

One version of a bill sponsored by Rep. Phil Haire, D-Haywood, would have decreased the number of BOG members by two. The bill failed on the House floor 26-91.

“Reducing the amount of members from 32 to 30 is a very small step in the right direction,” Sanders said.

Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand, D-Cumberland, also wants to decrease the number of board members.

“The board is too large to effectively operate,” Rand said. “There’s too much micromanaging.”

That is one reason Rand opposes legislation that would give the president of the Association Student Governments a vote on the BOG, instead of the current advisory position the representative serves.

Although the student vote is not directly discussed in her report, Palmiero said student and faculty input should come from advisory and not voting members.

Palmiero also suggested member appointment by the Governor and delegation of responsibilities to each campus’ Board of Trustees.

This would allow board members to focus on statewide issues of improving academic quality, assessing student learning, and better managing costs, she said.

The report does not discuss the efforts of N.C. State University and UNC-Chapel Hill to gain tuition autonomy, but Palmiero said it is an issue that should be reviewed.

“Tuition is a valid question,” she said.

Steve Gilliam, a spokesman for UNC-Greensboro, said he was optimistic about BOG operations.

“The BOG has been very good in addressing the concerns of students,” Gilliam said.

He said he is in support of keeping the same number of BOG members and adding a student vote.

Anne Neal, president of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, said the study is meant to foster further analysis.

She stressed that logistics must be worked out before any of the talks reach fruition.

“We’re just suggesting structural changes.”

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.