Borsig’s exit worsens College Board’s position
It goes from bad to worse for the College Board.
Jim Borsig’s decision that he’d rather be president of the Mississippi University for Women, instead of the state’s higher education commissioner, robs the board of a stabilizing figure.
And some stability, in the wake of the board’s refusal to renew Dan Jones’ contract as chancellor of the University of Mississippi, is what the governing body for Mississippi’s eight public universities needs most.
It seems likely that some lawmakers will try to radically restructure the 12-member board in 2016 in reaction to the Jones mess. At first glance, there seems to be a good chance that those who back a restructuring plan could have the chance of reaching the two-thirds supermajority needed to send an amendment to the state Constitution to voters. That’s especially true for any plan creating individual boards for each university. Supporters of the state’s three historically black public universities, as well as backers of the University of Southern Mississippi, have long chafed at what they see as the dominance of the current board by supporters of Ole Miss and Mississippi State University. If Ole Miss forces also now want their own board, that could be a winning combination in the Legislature.
Clarion Ledger
4/12/15
Magnolia Tribune
