Why did I resign from the Board of Regents in February 2009? Thanks for asking. I’m happy to respond.
In short, I resigned because I was afraid the opponents of Utah Valley University (“UVU”) on the Board of Regents would have stopped the search process for a new President if I did not resign, and UVU’s future would have been harmed because they would have been stuck with an interim President for several years or more. Also, Governor Huntsman was no longer willing to support me, even though he had initially encouraged me to “shake things up” on the Board of Regents.
However, after I resigned, Governor Huntsman sent me a very kind note of thanks for my service on the Board of Regents (copy of this note included in comments below), and the Board of Regents even sent me a kind letter thanking me for my service and the “fresh perspective” I brought to the challenges facing higher education (copy of this letter included in the comments below). The letter also confirmed that I did not do anything wrong while serving. Lt. Gov. Herbert also sent me a kind email, which I have included below.
That’s it. But if you’re still interested, please read the complete explanation below.
The Board of Regents in Utah consists of 15 voting members, all appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the State Senate to six year terms. I was appointed by Governor Huntsman to the Board of Regents in June 2008, and confirmed by the State Senate shortly thereafter.
The job of the Board of Regents is to serve as an advocate for Utah's ten universities and colleges before the Utah State Legislature, and oversee resource allocation and manage the appointment of Presidents at these universities and colleges as well. The budget for higher education in Utah is approximately $1.2 billion, which is approximately 10% of Utah’s entire budget.
In May 2008 the son of Senator Harry Reid, Josh Reid, resigned from the Board of Regents with three years of his six years remaining. The Governor at the time, Jon Huntsman Jr., had previously appointed me to the State Charter School Board, and I thought he would re-appoint me to the State Charter School Board for another term. However, the Governor decided he wanted me to serve on the Board of Regents. I would have preferred to stay on the Charter School Board but when the Governor asks you to serve, you don’t say no. The Governor subsequently told me that we needed some “new blood” on the Board of Regents and he expected me to “shake things up” as well.
After about a month on the Board of Regents, I quickly realized that most of the Regents view their job as preserving the status quo in higher education in every area, but especially with regards to the University of Utah and Utah State at the top of the pecking order. In order to avoid any conflict and preserve the pecking order, the budget they recommend to the State Legislature every year generally consists of the same percentage increase (or decrease) in funds for every university and college, even if that institution is growing much faster than their increase in funds, like UVU or Dixie College.
As anyone who knows me can appreciate, I am an independent thinker. I warmly welcome any information or advice, but I will reach my own conclusions. I quickly realized the “system” was unfair to both UVU and Dixie, because they were growing much faster than everyone else, and did not hesitate to point out the fact that UVU was receiving approximately 40% less funding per student than Southern Utah University, and 20% less funding per student than Weber State. So I proposed we change to a system where the funding follows the student. We could require some level of admissions standards at all of our universities and colleges, and also create a separate research budget for University of Utah and Utah State (which they deserve, since they are research institutions). My proposal was strongly rejected, and I was actually told in private that my fellow Regents viewed me as being too “pro-UVU” for making such a proposal.
Things continued to get worse because many of the Regents do not tolerate dissent. I voted against approving a master’s degree for SUU because I believed it was a “diploma mill” degree that lacked the high standards needed of a master’s degree. I lost 14-1. That was the only “nay” vote I saw in my entire 9 months on the Board of Regents. I was also controversial because I asked in private if we should stop accepting gifts from the Universities and Colleges that we oversee, or at least disclose all the gifts we were receiving.
In short, it was safe to say I was the least popular Regent on the Board of Regents after only 6 months because I was unwilling to accept the status quo, and would continually point out that Utah had the fewest taxpayers supporting the most students, so it was essential that we learned how to do more with less.
I was also assigned to the UVU Presidential Search Committee by the Regents. It was my favorite task on the Board of Regents, and I spent over 50 hours a month for more than 4 months trying to recruit candidates to apply, and then discuss the issues related to UVU with all of them in private. One of the strongest candidates was Dr. Ned Hill, who had been Dean of BYU’s Business School. His wife also ran for the State Legislature that year as a Democrat, and during her campaign she did not hesitate to question the ethics of the State Legislators in Utah County. When I called and spoke with Dr. Hill after the election was over, I pointed out to him that most of the job as President of UVU would be fighting to obtain equitable funding from the Legislature, and that it would be difficult without a close working relationship with State Legislators in Utah County that his wife had just recently strongly criticized. I suggested, and made clear it was only a suggestion, that if he could talk to some of the State Legislators in Utah County, share his vision for UVU with them, and learn how to work with them, that it would resolve one of the concerns I had with his candidacy. I made clear it was not a requirement for him to do so, and that I was speaking only for myself. Dr. Hill is very bright, and realized quickly he would need to have a working relationship with the State Legislators in Utah County if he were going to be a successful President of UVU. I offered to put him in touch with some of the Utah County Legislators, and he welcomed the opportunity to talk with them.
I heard nothing further until early January 2009, when I learned Dr. Hill had decided to withdraw from consideration for President of UVU. I was disappointed, but did not know why. I subsequently learned Dr. Hill had spoken with a Legislator, had realized being President of UVU was a highly political job, and he wasn’t interested in the politics given the many other amazing opportunities he could pursue. After I spoke with him, and even after he dropped out, several other Regents spoke directly with Dr. Hill, and made it clear to him that he was a very strong candidate regardless of his relationship with the Legislators. But Dr. Hill did not want to pursue his candidacy for President of UVU any further. Dr. Hill said that neither my call, nor his call with the Legislator was “threatening” and both of us were only trying to be helpful.
Then, in late January 2009, someone involved with the Board of Regents or the Search Committee (not myself or Dr. Hill) told Paul Rolly who writes a political gossip column for the Salt Lake Tribune that Dr. Hill had dropped out of the race after being required to “make nice” with Utah County Legislators. The story quickly developed a life of its own. As a member of the Search Committee I was not allowed to talk with the press at the time, but told everything I knew to the Board of Regents when they became concerned about the attention in the press.
The Board of Regents then concluded I should resign, or things were going to get out of control. I told them I was happy to resign if the Governor wanted me to do so, since it was clear I was not making any headway on the Board. Subsequently they went to Governor Huntsman and asked for my resignation. Governor Huntsman never allowed me to tell my side of the story, and simply told me to resign, with the promise that no one had any concerns about what I had done and nothing inappropriate would be said about me if I resigned. I was only too happy to resign at that point.
However, only two days after I resigned, the Board of Regents leaked details of my resignation to someone who then leaked it to Paul Rolly at the Salt Lake Tribune. The Board of Regents apologized to me profusely over this, but it didn’t matter, as I was then hammered in the press, with allegations I was required to resign because I had broken some law or rule, even though I had not broken any law or rule, and the Board of Regents later confirmed that in their letter to me. Strangely, the press never even called me to ask my side of the story. However, even if they had called, I couldn’t have said anything because the UVU presidential search process was ongoing.
So, that’s the story. If anyone with firsthand knowledge has a different version, I’d encourage them to call me to discuss.
This story is worth sharing because I believe it says a lot about me. I do not hesitate to fight for what I believe is right, and I’m not afraid to be controversial. I enter public service to serve the public, and not to feel important or receive undeserved praise. I’m honest, maybe even to a fault, and believe there are many things much more important than myself – and the future of UVU is definitely one of those things. Looking back at everything that happened, I wouldn't do anything differently. I continue to believe the future of UVU is far more important than a few harsh words about me in the press, or my ongoing service on the Board of Regents.
Thanks for taking the time to hear my side of the story. Don't hesitate to call or email me if you would like to discuss further.
P.S. Here is the email I received from then Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert after I resigned from the Board of Regents:
"Gary R. Herbert February 27, 2009 at 1:31pm
Sometime things don't go the way we plan them--and the old adage "no good turn goes unpunished" comes to mind. I appreciate all of your service over the years. Don't let this last experience get your down. You are a good man with a great family. And I am glad to call you a friend! GH"
