Shelton Wants Non-OSU Regent
State Rep. Mike Shelton today said the next member of the A&M Board of Regents must not be Oklahoma State University graduate and he called on Governor Brad Henry to name a non-OSU regent to replace Burns Hargis, vice chairman of the Bank of Oklahoma, who has resigned as a regent.
When Henry selects a replacement, he should choose someone representing one of the other colleges in Oklahoma, Shelton said: "The Regents should do what's best for all Oklahoma colleges and universities, but with every member of the board having OSU ties, there is a real problem," said Shelton, D-Oklahoma City. "Many of the decisions approved by the board have blatantly favored OSU to the detriment of other schools. Governor Henry can begin now to reverse this trend by appointing a new Regent who responds to the needs of the other colleges under the A&M umbrella."
The A&M Board of Regents has oversight of Connors State College of Agriculture and Applied Science, Langston University, Northeastern Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College, Oklahoma Panhandle State University, as well as Oklahoma State University. Langston and Panhandle State are the only two four-year colleges on that list, and Shelton said the next member of the A&M Board of Regents should come from one of those schools.
Shelton has already asked for a legal opinion from the attorney general to determine if two individuals serving on the Board of Regents have a conflict of interest. At the time, both Fred Harlan and Jay Helm served on the OSU-Tulsa Board of Trustees and as members of the Board of Regents for the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges (OSU/A&M), the governing body of OSU-Tulsa. Harlan resigned after Shelton aired his criticism.
"The makeup of the A&M Board of Regents is clearly biased toward promoting Oklahoma State University and its branch campuses, despite the fact that the board is the governing body for several other colleges,including Langston," Shelton said. "Can students or faculty at Langston University or Panhandle State really expect fairness and objectivity in the A&M Regents' decision making? I don't see how that is possible."
All nine members of the A&M Board of Regents are graduates of Oklahoma State University. Because the board members are OSU affiliated, Shelton said the group's decisions have been biased.
"The Regents' vision has largely been the vision of OSU. For the most part, other schools have been ignored," Shelton said. "Langston has been one of only two land-grant colleges in Oklahoma for over 110 years, yet few of its alumni have been named to any major higher education governing board. It's time that Langston or Panhandle State has a representative on the Board of Regents to ensure the group's decisions are good for the whole state, not just one school."
When Henry selects a replacement, he should choose someone representing one of the other colleges in Oklahoma, Shelton said: "The Regents should do what's best for all Oklahoma colleges and universities, but with every member of the board having OSU ties, there is a real problem," said Shelton, D-Oklahoma City. "Many of the decisions approved by the board have blatantly favored OSU to the detriment of other schools. Governor Henry can begin now to reverse this trend by appointing a new Regent who responds to the needs of the other colleges under the A&M umbrella."
The A&M Board of Regents has oversight of Connors State College of Agriculture and Applied Science, Langston University, Northeastern Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College, Oklahoma Panhandle State University, as well as Oklahoma State University. Langston and Panhandle State are the only two four-year colleges on that list, and Shelton said the next member of the A&M Board of Regents should come from one of those schools.
Shelton has already asked for a legal opinion from the attorney general to determine if two individuals serving on the Board of Regents have a conflict of interest. At the time, both Fred Harlan and Jay Helm served on the OSU-Tulsa Board of Trustees and as members of the Board of Regents for the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges (OSU/A&M), the governing body of OSU-Tulsa. Harlan resigned after Shelton aired his criticism.
"The makeup of the A&M Board of Regents is clearly biased toward promoting Oklahoma State University and its branch campuses, despite the fact that the board is the governing body for several other colleges,including Langston," Shelton said. "Can students or faculty at Langston University or Panhandle State really expect fairness and objectivity in the A&M Regents' decision making? I don't see how that is possible."
All nine members of the A&M Board of Regents are graduates of Oklahoma State University. Because the board members are OSU affiliated, Shelton said the group's decisions have been biased.
"The Regents' vision has largely been the vision of OSU. For the most part, other schools have been ignored," Shelton said. "Langston has been one of only two land-grant colleges in Oklahoma for over 110 years, yet few of its alumni have been named to any major higher education governing board. It's time that Langston or Panhandle State has a representative on the Board of Regents to ensure the group's decisions are good for the whole state, not just one school."
Labels: Mike Shelton
posted by Mike McCarville @ 5:06 PM
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