Legislature(2021 - 2022)DAVIS 106
04/26/2021 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
Note: the audio ![]()
and video ![]()
recordings are distinct records and are obtained from different sources. As such there may be key differences between the two. The audio recordings are captured by our records offices as the official record of the meeting and will have more accurate timestamps. Use the icons to switch between them.
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB164 | |
| HB21 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 164 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 21 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HB 21-ADD FACULTY MEMBER UNIV BOARD OF REGENTS
9:28:50 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND announced that the final order of business
would be HOUSE BILL NO. 21, "An Act relating to the Board of
Regents of the University of Alaska."
9:29:31 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ADAM WOOL, Alaska State Legislature, as prime
sponsor, presented HB 21, which he said would add another
position to the University of Alaska (UA) Board of Regents for a
tenured faculty member, which would carry a two-year term. He
said the term would be identical in length to that of a student
regent, and that the additional member would provide both parity
and fairness. He characterized the proposed legislation as a
move that would give the faculty a voice on the Board of
Regents. With regards to possible conflicts of interest, such
as salary decisions, he pointed out that members may recuse
themselves. He said conflicts of interest affecting a faculty
member on the board could be handled the same way they've been
handled for the student regents since 1976.
9:32:36 AM
ASHLEY CARRICK, Staff, Representative Adam Wool, Alaska State
Legislature, on behalf of Representative Wool, prime sponsor of
HB 21, presented a PowerPoint titled "HB 21: UIVERSITY OF
ALASKA FACULTY REGENT." She presented slide 2, "UNIVERSITY OF
ALASKA BOARD OF REGENTS MEMBERSHIP," which read as follows
[original punctuation provided]:
?10 Regents serve 8-year terms
?1 Student regent:
? Serves a 2-year term
? Has full board powers
? Must have 2.5 cumulative GPA
? 2 students are elected by their campus and then
a nominee is selected by the Governor
?Current Role of Faculty with the BOR:
? Faculty Alliance makes a report at each BOR
meeting
? Speaking rights
MS. CARRICK presented slide 3, "STATE BY STATE COMPARISON,"
which read as follows [original punctuation provided]:
?16 state Universities have a student regent
?6 state Universities have a faculty regent
?4 state Universities have both a faculty and student
regent
?15% of private institutions also have a faculty
regent
MS. CARRICK noted that when student or faculty regents are
mentioned, the reference is specific to boards that include such
regents as full voting members who also participate in executive
session and travel with the board. She then presented slide 4,
"EXAMPLES: OREGON AND PENNSYLVANIA," which read as follows
[original punctuation provided]:
Oregon State University and University of Oregon:
Trustees Board has 15 members, including 11 at-large
members, 1 faculty member, 1 student member, and 1
staff member all appointed by the Governor.
Pennsylvania State University:
Trustee Board has 38 Members, including 6 at-large
members, 9 alumni-elected members, and 6 agriculture
members. In addition, the Board elects 6 members- one
of which is a faculty member.
MS. CARRICK presented slide 5, "EXAMPLES: FLORIDA, KENTUCKY, AND
TENNESSEE," which read as follows [original punctuation
provided]:
State University system of Florida:
17 members total including 14 at-large members
appointed by the Governor, the Chair of the Advisory
Council of Faculty Senates, the Commissioner of
Education, and the Chair of the Florida Student
Association
Kentucky State University:
11 voting members, including 8 at-large members, 1
faculty and 1 staff regent elected by their respective
governing councils, and 1 student regent.
Tennessee University System:
18 members total, including 12 at-large members, 1
faculty member, 1 student, and 4 exofficio members.
9:37:27 AM
MS. CARRICK presented slide 6, "HB 21: HOW IT WORKS," which read
as follows [original punctuation provided]:
? Increases the number of Regents from 11 to 12
? 2 nominees from the Faculty Senate of each of the
three main campuses are put forward
? Governor selects one appointee
? Faculty must be tenured
? Serves a 2-year term
? Has the full powers of a regent for voting, travel,
and entering executive session
? Majority vote needed for a motion of the Board to
carry
MS. CARRICK presented slide 7, "BENEFITS OF A FACULTY REGENT,"
which read as follows [original punctuation provided]:
? More than a "seat at the table"
? Faculty can enter executive session, travel for
Board meetings, and can vote
? Improves the ability for faculty to provide
stakeholder interest
? Held to a standard of professionalism- they can
recuse themselves from a conflicted vote
? Ensures that faculty, like students, are given a
voting interest in University affairs
9:40:21 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ZULKOSKY asked how tie votes would be negotiated,
since there would be an even number of board members.
REPRESENTATIVE WOOL replied that previous iterations of HB 21
had the university president as the tie-breaker; however, he
said, there was some resistance to that idea. Since a majority
of votes would be needed for a measure to pass, he said, a tie
vote would mean the measure failed to pass.
9:41:35 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND opened public testimony on HB 21.
9:41:53 AM
HEATHER BATCHELDER, Chair, Faculty Alliance, University of
Alaska, testified in support of HB 21. She said Faculty
Alliance feels that having the faculty voice be an active part
of UA Board of Regents' discussions would be beneficial, and she
expressed that the addition of a faculty member would be well-
received by the accrediting agency, Northwest Commission on
Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). She noted concerns from
legislators regarding adding a faculty position to the board,
and she said faculty members are committed to collaboration.
Regarding conflict of interest issues, she said the faculty
members would recuse themselves, if necessary. Regarding voting
to defund programs, she said the essence of programs are the
students and faculty creating the mutual cycle of teaching and
learning through interactive experiences, and programs are often
studied and restructured. Educators abide by a strict code of
professional conduct, she said, and would abide by all policies
governing the Board of Regents. She said HB 21 has been
deliberated within the Faculty Senates at each campus, and they
all firmly support the proposed legislation.
9:44:58 AM
SEAN BLEDSOE, Student, University of Alaska Fairbanks, testified
in support of HB 21. He expressed the need for a faculty voice
on the Board of Regents, and stated that he is concerned about
the loss of tenured faculty and their replacement with adjunct
professors.
9:46:31 AM
NALINAKSHA BHATTACHARYYA, Faculty, University of Alaska
Anchorage, testified in support of HB 21. He discussed
educators' deep respect for knowledge, and said that by
excluding tenured faculty from the Board of Regents, the members
are getting every perspective except for that of an academic.
He said the business of a university is threefold: production
of knowledge (research), distribution of knowledge (teaching),
and service. He expressed that it is always faculty "on the
chopping block" when considering budget issues, and he noted
that only 20 percent of the budget goes to faculty. He said the
Board of Regents would benefit from having a faculty member.
9:50:42 AM
JULIE MAIER, PhD, President, Faculty Senate, University of
Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), testified in support of HB 21. She
informed the committee that the UAF Faculty Senate passed a
resolution fully supporting HB 21, stating that faculty and
students are the "core" of the university, so having a faculty
member on the Board of Regents is imperative. She said the lack
of a faculty voice and perspective on the Board of Regents has
been damaging to the university, resulting in ill-informed
decisions, particularly in recent years. The current structure
of the board, she said, allows a single faculty member seven
minutes at the beginning of the meeting to present a report; no
faculty member is allowed to speak again unless questioned.
When the board is presented with questionable information and
faulty data, she said, the faculty member is not allowed to
speak; when discussing dismantling a crucial program, she said,
no academic experts are allowed to speak. She characterized
these exclusions as a "huge disconnect" from the reality of a
university, and she said they damage the ability of a university
to lead the way into the future. A board in any other industry,
she said, would have members who are full-time professionals in
that industry, which ensures a deep and thorough understanding
of the matter overseen by the board.
9:54:06 AM
MARIA WILLIAMS, Faculty, University of Alaska Anchorage,
testified in support of HB 21. She said she has been teaching
at University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) for 10 years, and that
most of her family has attended the university. She
characterized the Board of Regents as "fastidious" about
conflicts of interest. She said faculty comprises approximately
18 percent of the budget, including salaries and benefits, and
she expressed agreement with Dr. Maier's assessment that the
Board of Regents has made damaging decisions due to its
disconnect from the faculty and curriculum.
9:56:51 AM
SANDRA WILDFEUER, President-Elect, Faculty Senate, University of
Alaska Fairbanks, testified in support of HB 21. She expressed
having observed many occasions on which a faculty position on
the Board of Regents would have been beneficial.
9:58:50 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND, after ascertaining there was no one else who
wished to testify, closed public testimony on HB 21.
9:59:10 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY asked whether any current Board of Regents
members have expressed an opinion on the proposed legislation.
REPRESENTATIVE WOOL stated that no current regents have
expressed an opinion. He said the issue of exclusion of a
faculty member on the Board of Regents has been in discussion
for some time, and that the issue of the possibility of a
conflict of interest has arisen many times. He said, "I just
said, 'I don't really think this conflict of interest thing
really holds water. You have a student on there. If you didn't
have a student on there, then you could maybe legitimately say
... but why do you bring a student regent on? Because you want
the student's perspective.'" He said the university is filled
with students with the goal of education and graduation, so it's
important to have the voice of a student on the board; however,
he said, faculty is needed to educate and graduate students, so
you need that voice as well. He pointed out that any hospital
board is not only accountants and business owners; there will
always be doctors on the board.
10:02:22 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND announced that HB 21 was held over.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB 21 Backup Faculty Alliance Support Letter.pdf |
HEDC 4/26/2021 8:00:00 AM |
HB 21 |
| HB 21 Backup Intro Presentation.pdf |
HEDC 4/26/2021 8:00:00 AM |
HB 21 |
| HB 21 Committee Packet 4.26.2021.pdf |
HEDC 4/26/2021 8:00:00 AM |
HB 21 |
| HB 21 Bill.PDF |
HEDC 4/26/2021 8:00:00 AM |
HB 21 |
| HB 21 Sectional.pdf |
HEDC 4/26/2021 8:00:00 AM |
HB 21 |
| HB 21 Sponsor.pdf |
HEDC 4/26/2021 8:00:00 AM |
HB 21 |
| CS for HB 164 Sectional Analysis for Sections 14 and 35 4.23.2021.pdf |
HEDC 4/26/2021 8:00:00 AM |
HB 164 |
| CS for HB 164 Version I Sectional Analysis 4.23.2021.pdf |
HEDC 4/26/2021 8:00:00 AM |
HB 164 |
| HB 164 Supporting Document - Educational Opportunity Timeline for the past 25 years 4.23.2021.pdf |
HEDC 4/26/2021 8:00:00 AM |
HB 164 |
| HB 164 Supporting Document Nome Public Schools Pre-K Information 4.23.2021.pdf |
HEDC 4/26/2021 8:00:00 AM |
HB 164 |
| HB 21 FN UA.SS 4.26.2021.pdf |
HEDC 4/26/2021 8:00:00 AM |
HB 21 |