[Vision2020] Duane Nellis named 17th University of Idaho president

[Kenneth Marcy]

On Wednesday 22 April 2009 14:32:24 Sam Scripter wrote:
> Kenneth Marcy wrote:
> > Here is the announcement press release:
> > http://www.today.uidaho.edu/DetailsPrint.aspx?id=4892
> >
> > 	Board Names Duane Nellis as 17th President of the University of Idaho
> >
> > April 22, 2009
> >
> > Moscow, Idaho -- *_The Idaho State Board of Education_* announced today
> > that Dr. Duane Nellis has accepted the position of President of the
> > University of Idaho.
>
> The bolding, underscoring, and enlarging of the text, above, are by me.
>
> The University of Idaho is an entity defined in the Constitution of the
> State of Idaho, and is governed by the University of Idaho Board of Regents.
>
> Can someone tell me why, and the legal implications thereof, the
> official news release of the hiring of the 17th President stated that the   
> Idaho _State Board of Education_ rather the _Board of Regents_
> announced . . .

The first person who comes to mind is the media contact named at the bottom of 
the press release. He may have been the person who wrote the press release.

Media Contact: Mark Browning, (208) 332-1591, State Board of Education, 
mark.browning at osbe.idaho.gov

> Yes, I know . . . The two boards comprise the same individual members.
> The Minutes of their "joint" meetings always state they are the joint       
> minutes and the minutes name each board.

The two boards have the same personnel as a cost-saving, administrative 
convenience that also probably has the benefit of minimizing the likelihood 
of two boards with different personnel fighting over issues between them.

> Is UI's specialness being slighted here???  Or is the State Board of
> Education empowered to hire UI's President and the UI Board of Regent not   
> empowered???

The constitutionally correct answer is that the Board of Regents are 
empowered, and the State Board of Education, though an interested party, is 
not empowered to make or announce University appointments or policies. 
Whether the State Board of Education sees the matter as I have just written 
may be another matter.

Someone should ask Mr. Browning to clarify the content of the press release, 
and whether the SBoE position is at any variance with the constitutionally 
correct answer on the matter. This may be just a case of a less than 
optimally worded press release, or it may be a case of the members of the 
Boards not being precise enough about which hat they're wearing when. In 
either case, some clarification and greater care going forward are needed.


Ken


> Sam Scripter
> Moscow