Measure seeks to remove politics from Board of Regents

A bill to make the State Board of Regents a nonpartisan body sailed through the House Education Subcommittee on Monday, but higher education officials are not convinced the change is needed.

The 18 members of the Board of Regents, which oversees all 10 of the state's colleges and universities, are nominated by the governor and no more than eight of them can be from one political party.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jeff Alexander, R-Provo, requires those nominations to be made on a nonpartisan basis.

"There is not a great reason for partisanship on this so I think it's appropriate to just go ahead and remove it," Rep. Stephen Urquhart, R-St. George, said.

But Democrat Meghan Holbrook told committee members as a partisan appointee she was against the measure and that the regents have always benefited from diversity.

The Board of Regents has not taken a position on the legislation, board Chairman Nolan Karras said.

"The Utah State Board of Regents deals with issues in a nonpartisan manner and has been working well under its current structure," he said.