Organizational Structure of Regents

Submitted by DennisFithian on
I have always been curious to know how the board of regents operate.

  • Who do they report too?
  • How long is their term in office?
  • How are they compensated?
  • What powers do they have?

    • Aka CAN they GET BRANDON and Hoke fired?
    MGoBoard

    LSAClassOf2000

    October 1st, 2014 at 6:50 AM ^

    As I recall, the Regents don't really report to anyone directly but merely advise and vote on various items (mainly projects and proposals, and generally high dollar stuff) - the President does typically sit in, of course, and is considered part of the group because he is the President essentially. If you live in Michigan, you might know this - they are on the ballot every two years, at least some of them are and they are not paid by the school per the state's constitution, I think. 

    Can they get Brandon and Hoke fired? Not by themselves, I would imagine.

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    Feat of Clay

    October 1st, 2014 at 8:48 AM ^

    They do not get paid, that's correct.  Nor are they reimbursed for travel costs to attend meetings.

    There are perks, of course.  They get sweet parking (and those spots are reserved on campus for them all day, every day, 365 days a year, not just when a meeting is on).  They get excellent football tickets, and I would imagine the U picks up the tab when they attend big events.  I believe they also get some IT support to ensure they can get documents and stuff via their home computer setup.

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    S FL Wolverine

    October 1st, 2014 at 9:49 AM ^

    So here are a couple of "resources":

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Board_of_Regents_of_the_University_of_Michigan#Elected_Board_of_Regents_of_the_University_of_Michigan_.281852-present.29

     
     
    I can't find anything that says what powers the Regents have, even in the bylaws.  Shouldn't be this hard to find out what powers a public official has, should it?

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    Alton

    October 1st, 2014 at 9:56 AM ^

    They report to nobody other than the voters of the State of Michigan.  They are nominated in the political parties' nominating conventions, they are pretty much all generous donors to their political parties, and they are elected for 8-year terms--2 are elected every 2 years:

    The current board:

    Term expires 12/31/2014:  Julia Donovan Darlow (D-Ann Arbor) & Katherine White (D-Ann Arbor)

    Term expires 12/31/2016:  Laurence B. Deitch (D-Bingham Farms) & Denise Illitch (D-Bingham Farms)

    Term expires 12/31/2018:  Andrea Fischer Newman (R-Ann Arbor) & Andrew C. Richner (R-Grosse Pointe Park)

    Term expires 12/31/2020:  Shauna Ryder Diggs (D-Grosse Pointe) & Mark J. Bernstein (D-Ann Arbor)

    Note that the party that prevails in the State of Michigan at the top of the ballot will almost always get their Regent nominees elected as well.  So with Granholm winning the state in 2006, Democrats Darlow & White won their election for Regent.  And so on down the list.  If there is a vacancy due to retirement or death, the governor will appoint a replacement.  The President of the University is the 9th member of the Board of Regents, and is appointed by the Board.

    The State constitution only states that the Regents have "general supervision" of the University and "control and direction of all expenditures from the institution's funds," which is open-ended enough that they could be thought to have ultimate control over everything that takes place outside of a classroom, although you rarely see them exercise that control in a public way.

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