Dive Brief:
- The Lexington Herald-Leader reports on a request from Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear to the state's Supreme Court to rule on Governor Matt Bevin's removal of the University of Louisville board, a decision he contends violates executive privilege and puts the university in danger of accreditation loss.
- Beshear has won his case twice in Circuit Court since Bevin replaced the board with a smaller appointed group of school leaders following a contentious presidential removal in June.
- Bevin has one month to appeal the motion for Supreme Court intervention.
Dive Insight:
State officials have maintained that the governor's efforts have been within accreditation guidelines and that its status is not in jeopardy, a claim that would be hard to legitimize from the Southern Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Colleges. Therefore, it is important that just as presidents keep board members informed and educated on the potential harm of decisions, board members offer the same courtesy to elected officials, in order to preserve penalties in finance and public relations.
Similar actions could be taken by other governors in Southern states, seeking to integrate a political agenda within a more welcoming board, but it's up to campuses to identify the politics behind the appointments, and to vigorously defend the institution against this kind of legislative takeover of the higher education enterprise.