Dive Brief:
- Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear has filed a lawsuit against Gov. Matt Bevin for abolishing the University of Louisville's governing board.
- The AG says that potential for an executive abuse of power is "evident and scary."
- It is the second lawsuit filed against Bevin by Beshear in three months; the first was aimed at stopping Bevin from levying dramatic budget cuts against public colleges and universities.
Dive Insight:
The mix of politics and finance is going to become an increasingly important topic in higher education over the next several years. In several southern states, lawmakers have been accused of tampering or influencing presidential searches, such as the appointment of John Thrasher as Florida State University president, and working to close smaller public institutions, as was the case with North Carolina’s controversial SB 873.
Presidents and chancellors will have to incorporate legislative engagement as a major part of their leadership agenda going forward in order to prepare for the speed and intensity by which change in state politics can impact public institutions for years to come.
The more allies that a president can make in legislature, the fewer battles they will need to fight against opposing political interests involving their school.