Jeb Bush Meddling in Academia..................Florida college trustees mostly corporate
Few educators on new boards
BY HOLLY STEPP
hstepp@herald.com
When Gov. Jeb Bush selected 132 people to lead the state's 11 public universities, he didn't look in the ivy-covered halls of academe, or in community centers or charitable organizations.
Almost two-thirds of the new class of education leaders are much like Bush -- white Republican men from Florida's boardrooms and courtrooms, a Herald analysis shows.
Fewer than a dozen new trustees spent their careers in the classroom. And among those who did, most worked at the kindergarten to 12th-grade level.
``These trustees are a group of people who understand complex organizations and have shown that they can build and grow them,'' said Phil Handy, a Winter Park businessman who is chairman of the new Florida Board of Education.
The appointments reflect Bush's continuing effort to make the state's colleges and universities run more like Fortune 500 companies. University presidents are now referred to as CEOs -- chief executive officers -- with the trustees playing the board of directors role.
Many of the appointees have shown they can raise money. Some already are involved with their universities' fundraising foundations and have given millions themselves.
The trustees say their diverse backgrounds in business, law and other areas will be assets to their universities.
``I think we will all bring unique skills to the board,'' said Florida International University board member Albert Dotson, who is chairman and CEO of the Miami firm Puryear Inc.
``We bring a great deal of experience in a variety of areas, and that is helpful,'' added Tallahassee lawyer Steve Uhlfelder, a Florida State University trustee.
The boards of trustees take over from the now defunct Florida Board of Regents, which was abolished by legislative mandate.
Those functions include the hiring and firing of university presidents.
Some education experts worry that the corporate background of Bush's new trustees may overshadow the fundamental difference between higher education and business.
``There is nothing wrong with a business background among your trustees. In fact, it is fairly common,'' said Mary Burgan, general secretary of the American Association of University Professors. ``But your corporate-minded trustees must have a broad background that allows them to respect the complexities and natures of universities that make them nothing like business.''
The majority of Bush's 132 appointees share more than just a business or legal background:
More than two-thirds -- 90 -- are white. About 20 percent are black, and 10 percent are Hispanic. One trustee identified herself as Arab American, and apparently no Asian Americans were appointed to the boards.
Almost two-thirds -- 85 -- are men.
Only 14 of the trustees live outside Florida.
Of those who listed political affiliations on their applications, 63 percent (83) said they are Republicans, 19 percent (25) listed themselves as Democrats, and the remaining 18 percent listed themselves as independents (5) or gave no affiliation (19).
Many of the appointees have made contributions to Republican candidates and causes. About 25 percent gave directly to Bush's 1998 governor's race. He raised about $19,000 in individual contributions from newly named board members, according to state campaign finance records.
Armando Codina, an FIU trustee and Bush's former business partner, gave nearly $90,000 either directly or via his real estate company to GOP causes and candidates.
Other have been generous as well:
Jorge Dominicis, vice president of Florida Crystals Corp., has given more than $65,000 to both Republican and Democratic candidates in Florida and across the country. Florida Crystals gave more than $740,000 in last year's elections. Dominicis serves on Florida Atlantic University's board.
Chris Sullivan, founder of the Outback Steakhouse restaurant chain, has donated $160,000 to Republican political action committees and other groups since 1997. The company contributed $162,500 to the state Republican Party during the same period, and its political action committee has given nearly $1 million to candidates of both parties. Sullivan is a trustee of the University of South Florida.
Bush and Handy both say politics had no undue influence in the selections.
Bush and his advisors chose the trustees from a pool of several hundred people who were nominated or who applied for the unpaid posts.
Two notable exceptions to the corporate trend are the boards at Florida A&M University and New College, which was made an independent college this spring by the Legislature. New College used to be part of the University of South Florida.
FAMU's board includes Miami-Dade Community College North Campus President Castell Bryant and Virginia Education Secretary Wilber Bryant, as well as a doctor and a member of the clergy. New College's board has a similar mix of appointees.
The two boards also are the only ones with Democratic majorities.
At least two of Bush's boards have a majority that reflects the ethnic or racial makeup of their universities. Seven of the 13 members at FIU are Hispanic, and 10 FAMU trustees are black.
Higher-education experts say it will be important for Florida's new trustees to act independently of their political and corporate backgrounds.
``They will have to understand that universities don't operate strictly on mandates from the top down,'' said Burgan, of the professors' association. ``The best boards understand that the free flow of ideas and opinions is critical to universities and work to get input.''
Critics of the change worry that political pressure will hurt the boards most. Under the new university system, trustee terms last four years, which means a single governor could control the boards. The governor also has the power to remove trustees for cause.
``This is a great deal of power for one governor, any governor, to have over something as important as education,'' said Robin Gibson, a Lake Wales lawyer who is heading an effort to repeal the change.
The effort has been championed by U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla.
Gibson's political action committee, the Education Excellence Initiative, is seeking a referendum next fall on the state higher education system. The group proposes a new governing board that would set statewide higher education policy and allow the trustees to handle local issues, such as new degree programs and construction projects.
Other groups share Gibson's concerns. The Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges recently decried external influences on university boards.
``Any board captured by narrow interests loses credibility in the local community, the state and even the nation,'' said Robert Novak, executive director of the association's Center for Public Higher Education Trusteeship and Governance.
``The best boards understand they have to act as buffer as well as bridge between the external and universities communities,'' Novak said.
``That means considering all sides and then being willing to step back and make the decision in the best interest of the university and its students.''
Herald staff writers Tim Henderson and Tina Cummings contributed to this report. |
