Naming trustees too low on Gov. Granholm’s list

After more than six months of checking daily to see if CMU’s new trustees have finally been appointed, we got word Friday that they have been.

I have long since lost count of the number of times I’ve been told “there’s nothing new” when asking when CMU would get trustees to replace the two terms that expired six months ago.

The answers to my questions generally came in two flavors – the governor-has-no-time-limit rice cake and the trustees-who-are-filling-in-are-good vanilla.

Neither bland answer tasted very good.

Okay, I get the point. Gov. Jennifer Granholm is busy with the budget mess and Trustees Roger Kesseler and Jerry Campbell continue to do great work for the university.

But Granholm’s Friday choices for the CMU Board were her office’s 79th appointment this year.

Yeah, we’re that high on her list.

Lets go over some of those who were lucky enough to get replacements before the fourth-largest university in a state that puts education as a priority (listed below).

The Michigan Onion Marketing Program Committee was able to begin planning for their future on Jan. 11, followed by cherries, soybeans, beans, apples, corn, dairy and grapes and wine.

That tells me CMU is a lower priority than marketing Michigan onions.

What happened to the emphasis on education? Did they mean educating people on Michigan’s produce?

There also were two occasions when Granholm made appointments to the State Boundary Commission – that ever-vigilant organization keeping Ohio and Wisconsin at bay – four others have had two different appointments this year and another has received three distinct appointments.

Wonder why college graduates flee Michigan?

Maybe it’s the rotten produce.

Or maybe we get the feeling we’re being played, like the politicians give us lip service but when it comes to the important decisions of raising tuition, they don’t give new trustees enough time to make good decisions.

The real damage to the state will not be due to a lack of corn advertising, recent appointees Jacqueline Garrett and Brian Fannon now have less than a month before they will be voting on our tuition raises for more than 20,000 students and their families.

Less than a month to learn everything there is to know about CMU and analyze how tuition raises keep students out in order to keep the school running.

Less than a month before the July 12 board meeting with tuition raises on the schedule.

While certainly more than 20,000 Michiganders eat apples, you can’t compare apples to a college education.

And you shouldn’t put apples before teachers, biologists and students.

Even trustees of the caliber of Campbell and Kesseler cannot seemingly bring the freshest ideas to campus after years of service.

Their expertise is experience and institutional knowledge. Both were first appointed before incoming freshmen were in 2nd grade, in 1995 and 1991, respectively.

That’s a lot of time for ideas to die on the vine. And a lot of ideas have sprouted up since then.

CMU needs new trustees like Sam Kottamasu and his recent suggestion for a medical school at CMU.

Even if it doesn’t pan out, just proposing something revolutionary helps the university’s image, donations and reputation.

With all due respect and appreciation for the many accomplishments of the long-serving duo, it’s past time to throw out the old veggies and get some fresh ideas at CMU.

Maybe even a tofu bar, too.