Governor proposes
regent appointment
Payne says Allen’s
actions ‘straw that
broke camel’s back’
By Brian Sharp
Senior Reporter
Sen. Ardyce Bohlke said Wednes
day that past actions by NU regents
hadn’t prompted her to draft a bill
granting Gov. Ben Nelson the power
to appoint them.
Nelson said the proposal “was not
related to any one incident.”
But some regents are pointing the
finger at one man — Regent Robert
Allen.
Regent John Payne of Kearney
said Allen’s request of NU President
Dennis Smith to fire University of
Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Gra
ham Spanier was “the straw that broke
the camel’s back.”
The idea of appointed regents is
nothing new. It came up as recently
as last session, Bohlke said, but it’s
never had enough support.
Allen’s boisterous criticism of
Spanier has turned the tide, Payne
said.
Bohlke, of Hastings, said the pro
posal would allow the governor to
appoint all eight regents from across
the state, along with an “at large”
regent. Student regents would be un
affected.
If passed, the change wouldn’t go
into effect until 1998, Bohlke said, so
current regents would serve their full
terms.
Payne said that when Nelson called
him before Christmas to tell him of
the proposal, the governor said it was
not a reflection on him “or most of
the regents.”
At a Wednesday press conference,
Nelson said the change would pro
vide more legislative and executive
authority.
For the bill to become a constitu
tional amendment, Bohlke said it
would have to pass the education
committee, three votes of the Legis
lature and the Nebraska voters.
Regent Chairman Charles Wilson
of Lincoln said Nelson would have
the hardest time gamering support
when it came to the voters.
Bohlke said only Nebraska, New
York, Michigan, Nevada and Colo
rado elect university governing
boards.
The board also is criticized for its
1989 firing of NU President Ronald
Roskens, Wilson said. Regents never
gave areason, a mistake Wilson called
“unacceptable.”
Wilson also cited Allen as the
focus in the upcoming debate. Ac
tions by the controversial regent, both
past and present, have soured some
people’s view of the board, Wilson
said.
“Whenever there’s a lot of criti
cism in the air, then people look at
things and say, ‘Gee, well maybe we
should change that,’” Wilson said.
That assessment holds true for Sen.
DiAnna Schimek of Lincoln.
Schimek said she had been op
posed to taking away any voter’s
rights, but now she’s wavering and
could be persuaded.
“It just seems as if there’s constant
chaos (with the board),” she said,
calling Allen’s recent criticism of
Spanier “unconscionable.”
The man standing near the center
of the issue, Allen, said Wednesday
he would favor an appointed board.
In fact, he said, Nelson could start
tomorrow.
Allen saidhe was frustrated with a
board that couldn’t seem to focus on
students and education.
With all that’s happened, Payne
said he was sure there would be more
support for the proposal. Either way,
Payne said it didn’t make much dif
ference to him what the decision was.
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