Governing Boards of Public Colleges and State Policy

Our interactive maps show which party controls the majority of college board appointments in each state – and where the money is going.

For more information on policy advice, read The Chronicle’s full survey and take out.

Majority rules

Many board members of flagship public universities go through a political appointment process, either by direct appointment by governors or with the approval of lawmakers. Looking at all of the board members who go through any type of political nomination process, this map shows which party controls the majority of those board nominations in each state. (For example, North Carolina is red because even though it has a Democratic governor, its board members are fully appointed by the Republican-dominated Senate and House.)

Board members who have not been confirmed or who have been appointed through a multistep political process controlled by two different parties are not represented in the tally of nominees by Democrats or Democrats. republicans.

Donation mapping

The Chronicle identified $ 19.7 million that politically appointed flagship university board members contributed to political campaigns or causes in the states in which they serve. This map shows the donation ratio, which excludes Federal, Democrats, or Republicans contributions. In many states, but not all, much of the money goes from board members to the party that controls the nominations.

Who controls?

More than 400 board members of flagship public universities assume their roles through a multi-stage political process, which requires the participation of at least two chambers of government. This table illustrates the control exercised by political parties over these chambers for the appointment and confirmation of each member of the council. It also shows the percentage of each council appointed through a process controlled by a single political party. Click on the states for more information on board members and current state government control. (States designated not applicable do not go through a multi-step political process, although they may go through a single-step political process.)

Methodology:
The Chronicle Identified members of the governing boards of public flagship universities as of July 1, 2020. If a flagship was headed by an institution-level board and a system-level board, the system-level board was selected.

The Chronicle analyzed 411 board members who underwent a multi-stage political nomination process, identifying which members were appointed and confirmed by governors and legislative majorities of the same political party. (In only one case, New Hampshire, was political party control of an executive council, not a legislative body, analyzed, because in that state these elected officials confirm appointments).

The appointment and confirmation dates were taken from legislative records, governors’ proclamations and, in some cases, news reports. This information was cross-checked with political party monitoring information compiled by Ballotpedia, a non-profit, non-partisan website.

Excluded from this analysis are members of the board of directors who occupy seats specifically reserved for students, professors and staff members; alumni leaders; business leaders; and government officials, including governors and agency commissioners.

In a separate analysis, The Chronicle reviewed 535 flagship university board members who took office through any political nomination or confirmation process and, with Ballotpedia, determined party control over that process. Using donation records held by FollowTheMoney, The Chronicle identified the contributions of these board members to campaigns or political causes in the states in which they serve, excluding federal contributions.