By John Adams, Jerry Rinehart, and Bill Donohue

On January 7, 2019, representatives of the University of Minnesota Retirees Association (listed below) met with leaders of the Regents Candidate Advisory Committee (RCAC)—Chair Dan Wolter and member Paul Taylor—to review the regent selection process and determine how knowledgeable and interested groups like UMRA could participate constructively in the process. 

Between now and the first two weeks of March, four persons will be selected by the Minnesota Legislature to serve six-year terms on the 12-member Board of Regents of the University. As a land-grant institution dedicated to research and discovery, teaching and learning, outreach and public service, the University is clearly one of the state’s most important institutions. The leadership provided by the Board of Regents is critical to the University’s success in carrying out its responsibilities.

Structure of the Board of Regents

One regent is elected from each of the state’s eight Congressional Districts, and four   members come from the state at large. One of the twelve must be a student at the time of her or his election. Regents serve without pay. Terms are staggered, with one-third of the board up for election every two years. This year the four open positions include one from the 5th District; two at-large members; and one student member. 

How the Selection Process Works

The RCAC was established by the Legislature in 1988 to advise the legislature in the election of regents. The committee consists of 24 members appointed by legislative leadership to staggered six-year terms. During November and December this year, RCAC reviewed the description of regents’ duties, outlined criteria for use in recommending candidates, and recruited candidates. The committee has now interviewed the 25 candidates and forwarded 16 finalists to a joint legislative committee.

In the coming weeks, the joint legislative committee will interview the RCAC-recommended candidates and send its recommendations for one candidate for each open seat to the full Legislature. Under the University Charter a joint convention of the Minnesota House and Senate elects the regents. Usually the joint legislative committee recommendations are followed, but nominees may be brought forward from the floor by any legislator.

While we were disappointed with a few RCAC decisions, we are pleased that the pool of candidates was quite strong, and the finalists appear to have the diversity needed for effective leadership. Overall, the system works well; however, it could be improved by more active citizen participation during each stage of the process. Interest groups, regional representatives, and groups like ours—University retirees who understand the University and its mission—need to be engaged to ensure the University has the leadership needed for it to flourish in the challenging years and decades ahead. 

How UMRA Can Be More Involved

Our discussion identified several ways in which UMRA can participate and contribute to the selection process. First, on January 23, the University Alumni Association (UMAA) will host the 2019 Regent Candidate Open Forum at 6:00 pm in Room 10 of the State Office Building. A reception will immediately follow. Past UMAA Chair, Jim du Bois will moderate the Forum. Attending this session is an opportunity to gain understanding of the quality of the candidate pool. This familiarity, in turn, would provide a basis for UMRA members to contact their legislators (by email or phone call) to express their perspectives on the candidates.

UMRA members could consider putting themselves or another UMRA member forward as a future member of the 24-member RCAC. Further, UMRA leadership might also consider recruiting an individual to compete for a Regent position. We believe our membership contains a strong pool of knowledgeable and talented individuals who could be outstanding contributors to these important decision-making processes in 2020.

Finally, while UMRA has a formal liaison to the Board of Regents (currently Terry Roe), attending one or more of the monthly meetings would allow any UMRA member an opportunity to better understand how the board functions and the range of issues with which it deals. This experience would also provide a broader sense of the skills, characteristics, and backgrounds that make for effective regents and, importantly, a successfully functioning board.

Please let any of us know if you have any questions or comments.

January 7, 2019, discussion participants from UMRA: Carl Adams, John Adams, Will Craig, Bill Donohue, Cherie Hamilton, Jerry Rinehart, Terry Roe.

RCAC’s 2019 report to the Regent Nomination Joint Committee, including a roster of finalists, can be accessed at https://www.rcac.leg.mn/reports/01-15-2019-rcac-recommendation-report.pdf