JQP: G-O-N-E

[GeauxSioux]

[url=http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm?id=201536&section=Columnists&columnist=Matt%20Von%20Pinnon]NDSU, UND rivalry at heart of today

[Sioux-cia]

Sooooo, Potts wasn't re-nominated because UND and NDSU are rivals?

[GeauxSioux]

Coup means a shift in power in higher ed

Tuesday’s coup against the president of the North Dakota Board of Higher Education shouldn’t have been a surprise.

The selection committee itself signaled its intention when it asked for more names from which to choose.

During the legislative session, lawmakers showed their unhappiness about the board in a number of ways. There was even an attempt in the state Senate to reject members that the committee had cleared and the governor had appointed.

Paulsen was president of the board, and he was seen as central to the firing of Chancellor Robert Potts. This was not his only transgression, however. Last year, he broke precedent and won re-election as president — by calling the election before new members had been seated. And he named himself to the committee searching for a new UND president. These actions were interpreted as signs of a lust for power.

And people wonder why the presidential search committee went with the high threshold to bring a candidate before the SBoHE???

For the higher education system, therefore, the coup probably means a weaker board and a stronger chancellor, which suggests a more unified system of higher education. It also means a different level of legislative involvement.

In short, the balance has shifted. Time will tell what that might mean.