The Michigan House of Representatives recently witnessed a significant decision-making moment concerning the governance of the state’s leading public universities. A proposal to shift the appointment process for board members of Michigan’s “Big Three” universities from public election to gubernatorial appointment was put to a vote but failed to gather the necessary support.
Currently, board members are chosen through party conventions before facing the public vote. The proposed change, requiring an amendment to the state constitution, aimed to allow the governor to appoint these board members directly, thereby enhancing the selection process.
This initiative, advocated by Governor Gretchen Whitmer and former governors John Engler and Jim Blanchard, was primarily driven by concerns over board-level dysfunction at the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and Wayne State University. Both Engler and Blanchard have significant ties to these institutions.
However, the proposal fell short with a 52-54 vote, missing the two-thirds majority of 74 votes required to place the measure on the August ballot. Notably, only one Democrat supported the proposal, highlighting the partisan challenges it faced.
House Minority Leader Ranjiv Puree (D-Canton) criticized Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) for advancing the vote without adequate preparation or dialogue. Puree remarked, “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.”
The proposal also included a plan to replace all current board members of the universities in question, with appointments to be made by Whitmer and her successor. Hall expressed his desire to expedite the proposal to the Senate to secure a spot 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.”
Despite this setback, Hall indicated that there remains an opportunity to propose the question for the November ballot, which will feature at least one other initiative. He also mentioned plans to pursue a more comprehensive reform, potentially targeting the abolition of an elected state board of education.
