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Board of Trustees must not keep any more secrets

By Editorial Board on September 22, 2010 3:00 am in Editorial, Voices / 2 comments

 

The CMU Board of Trustees should put its best foot forward with regard to students, the media and the public during its first meeting of the academic year.

In the past two years, trustees have approved the College of Medicine and appointed University President George Ross at meetings without announcing the intention to do so or listing these on the agenda prior to the meetings.

This behavior skirts on the edges of what is permitted by the Open Meetings Act and projects an enmity and antagonism toward both the media and interested or involved members of the university and community.

The board needs to stop trying to “pull one over” on the people affected by its decisions and be open and honest with how they are steering the future of this public institution.

These major decisions were made essentially without the opportunity for public input or dissent, when the purpose of public bodies being required by law to meet in public is to allow for that kind of input. It takes power away from the students and the taxpayers that fund this university.

The search process for a university president is exempt from the Open Meetings Act, but they did not announce a new president would be announced until halfway through the Dec. 3, 2009 meeting at which Ross was appointed. Never was it announced a decision was finalized or who the finalists in consideration were.

This is not the way a public institution should handle milestone decisions.

The board needs to operate and make decisions openly to give the public the opportunity to offer input and it needs to start immediately, at tomorrow’s meeting.

The meeting agenda released online earlier this week does not include any major announcements, decisions or major additions that could be likened to the College of Medicine.

If, for one reason or another, the contents of the meeting include a major decision not included on the agenda, the seeds of distrust may be sewn too deeply to be removed during the tenure of any of the current trustees.

 

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  • Michmediaperson

    Great editorial!

    Couple comments:

    6 of the 8 trustees are Jennifer Granholm appointees. Yes, the same socialistic and liberal Granholm who will soon, thank God, will be term limited from being Governor again. So, what lesson does this teach you about Democrats and Liberals like Granholm. Close minded.

    Suggestions:

    1. CM LIFE should interview the professor who recommended Granholm for Governor and how she would give us great trustees. Ask the professor exactly what you talked about in this editorial and ask the professor about the Med School. I think it was in the Fall of 2002. I called the prof and told the prof she would be a disaster. Looks like I was right.

    2. Instead of CM LIFE rubber stamping Bernaro for Governor, I'd interview either in person or via cell phone the candidates, both Snyder and Bernaro for Governor….and even the local State Rep and State Senate races. Go over your concerns and how will they address. Really put Bernaro on the spot…would he ask for the resignations of all the trustees and hire back certain ones or put a whole new group in. I'd see what they could do about the Open Meetings Act. The president's job at CMU, WMU, EMU, MSU, UM, etc. is the most critical job. I would think it would demand the same scrutiny as interviewing for an AD, academic dean, etc.

    3. I went back and looked at the minutes of that December 3 meeting. It's shocking the announcement of Ross was the last thing on the minutes. You'd think that would have been the opening act.

    4. Going back to the candidates, ask them this: Would they agree when they have their list of possible candidates for a Trustee opening, would they ask the candidates to submit themselves to either a 1-hour or 2-hour in person or teleconference call that the media, students, faculty,staff, administrators, alumni and local residents could ask questions. Then, people could submit comments or recommendations to the Governor. This way we'd get a better understanding and so would the Governor and his staff on who to select. If a candidate said they'd never speak to students or the media or attend a sporting or cultural event on campus, then that person probably shouldn't be selected.

    5. To get a better pool of talent, the new Governor and the Legislature should insist all state universities go to Saturday meetings. This way more people could apply for board seats…..instead of retirees, attorneys and business owners. Have a once a year meeting on a football Saturday. Maybe, have the meeting out at the football complex so alumni could attend and ask questions and give input into ideas. Maybe, as a conservative, I believe in openness unless Obama and his healthcare plan which was devised by a few behind closed doors.

    In the meantime, I'd take the Fox News strategy……I'd probably assign several reporters to these meetings and assign a reporter to Ross and selected trustees. Have the list of questions ready, have the video rolling,etc. Keep asking questions before and after the meeting. Keep asking until they answer the questions.

    This editorial was well put together. Good job!

  • Is Glen Beck a terrorist?

    Summary: We're lazy and don't want to bother showing up to a meeting and staying through the whole thing.

    Subtext: We suck at writing.
    Someone has since redacted the “best food forward”, but still missed “the seeds of distrust may be sewn too deeply.”