Governor-Appointed Trustees Only After Lawmakers' Decision

The state budget bill, passed by legislators Thursday night, gives Governor Mike Braun full control over the Indiana University Board of Trustees. A last-minute addition to the bill would allow Braun to appoint all nine members of the board, instead of the current system where three members are appointed by the IU Alumni Association and six by the governor.

IU law professor Steve Sanders, who has been associated with the university for 45 years, believes that this move is a result of the president's request. "Of course, this is bad government practice. It's like back to the bad old smoke-filled room days where there was no transparency," Sanders said.

State Representative Matt Pierce pointed out that Purdue alumni get to choose their own representatives, and questioned why IU is being treated differently. "Purdue alumni get to decide for themselves how they select them, so why are we having some changes there?" Pierce asked.

Representative Jeff Thompson responded that IU is an outlier because it's the only university that requires an election for its board of trustees. However, Pierce countered that Purdue also has an election-like process for selecting its representatives.

Sanders believes that President Pamela Whitten is behind this move, stating that she has never liked the idea of the alumni association having control over three of the board's seats and has been vocal about her opposition to some university decisions. "My theory is that they got their marching orders from the president and so it was best for everybody concerned that this be done at the last minute, under cover of night, so that the university wouldn't have to answer awkward questions, wouldn't have to go on the record," Sanders said.

If Braun appoints trustees who are ideologically aligned with him, Sanders warns that it could lead to a crisis of academic freedom. On the other hand, if the appointed trustees act independently from the president and hold her accountable, that could be a positive development.

IU has not responded to I-Team 8's request for comment on Friday.