A proposed constitutional amendment would take from Michigan voters one of their most important powers over public higher education: the right to elect the governing boards of the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Wayne State University.This is not reform. It is a transfer of power from the public to the political class.At a moment when confidence in major institutions is already under strain, Michigan should not concentrate more authority in the hands of insiders, bureaucrats and Lansing power brokers. Today, these board members are elected statewide. The people decide. That is not an accident of history; it is an expression of democratic principle rooted in the Michigan Constitution itself. These universities do not belong to politicians or favored interests. They belong to the people of Michigan.Michigan is one of the few states in the nation where citizens directly elect the governing boards of major public universities. That system reflects a fundamental belief that higher education should remain accountable to the public, not insulated from it. Public universities receive public funding, shape public policy and educate future generations. The people deserve a direct voice in their governance.
If elections are replaced with appointments, voters lose their voice and political favoritism inevitably takes its place. We know how appointment systems too often work: they reward the well-connected, the well-funded and the politically useful. Influence follows money, access follows allegiance and public accountability gives way to private advantage. That is not accountability. That is patronage dressed up as reform.An appointed board would not be more independent; it would be more manageable. It would be shaped by those with political leverage and therefore less likely to confront institutional failures, ask difficult questions, or insist on accountability when it matters most.That is precisely why elected boards matter.
Strong governing boards are not designed to preserve comfort; they are designed to provide oversight. Split votes are not signs of dysfunction but evidence of independent judgment. Debate is not disorder. Dissent is not disloyalty. Open disagreement, hard questions, and the willingness to challenge leadership are not weaknesses in public governance — they are its safeguards.It is also wrong to suggest that a university board member’s highest loyalty is to the institution itself. A governing board is not a public relations arm, and its duty is not to protect a brand from scrutiny. Its duty is to the people who elected it. When loyalty to the institution eclipses loyalty to truth and accountability, public trust erodes — and the consequences can be devastating.Michigan has already witnessed the consequences of protecting institutional reputation at the expense of doing what is right. The MSU/Larry Nassar scandal remains a painful example of leadership failure and the human cost of accountability deferred. Under an elected system, voters retained the power to respond — to demand change and elect new leadership to help restore public trust. That is how democracy is supposed to work.The framers of Michigan’s Constitution understood that concentrated political power over public universities is dangerous. That is why they placed these governing boards before the voters. This proposal moves Michigan away from that constitutional safeguard and toward a system controlled by political insiders rather than the public.Michigan’s universities belong to the people — not to governors, donors, political insiders, or bureaucratic interests. If we value transparency, accountability and genuine public oversight, then the answer is not fewer elections. The answer is more public participation, more scrutiny and more democracy.Michigan voters should reject any attempt to strip them of this constitutional right.
Michael Busuito, M.D., F.A.C.S., and Sunny Reddy are members of the Wayne State University Board of Governors. Michael Balow is a trustee on the Michigan State University Board of Regents.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan’s voters should choose university board members | Opinion
Reporting by Michael Busuito, Sunny Reddy and Mike Balow, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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