Indiana University confirmed that the trustee alumni election process would be eliminated if Gov. Mike Braun signs the Indiana state budget bill.
That budget passed both chambers April 25, and is still awaiting Braun’s signature. It would grant Braun the power to select all nine of IU’s trustees, eliminating the three alumni-elected positions. He has until May 6 to sign the bill.
A university release said the changes to the Board of Trustees and the shift to all nine positions being chosen by the governor “eliminates the three IU alumni trustee positions and IU alumni election process.”
The budget also requires that at least five members of the board must be alumni and at least five must be Indiana residents. The student trustee will now serve for one year instead of two — they would be the only trustees permitted to be IU employees.
The bill only targets IU’s board of trustees, and does not require the trustees of Purdue University, Ball State University or Indiana State University to change their procedure of nominating alumni to their governing boards.
The last-minute addition to the state budget prompted outrage from Democratic politicians in the legislature.
“We didn’t think we needed to hear from the public, or heaven forbid, some faculty members?” said State Rep. Matt Pierce, who represents Bloomington, during the House session at the State House on April 24.
The budget created a three-year term limit for the board. At any time, the governor can remove and replace the current alumni-elected trustees.
The budget bill authorizes the state’s spending plan for the next two years. Mike Lancioni, a candidate for this year’s trustee election, said that could cause further confusion.
“If it goes through, then we change all of our processes for a bill that only lasts for two years, but the positions are elected on three-year cycles, so what's going to happen at the end of two years if this goes forward?” Lancioni said.
Lancioni said he has not heard any further information from the university about the status of the trustee election.
