NASHVILLE - Critics are hoping to amend Gov. Bill Haslam's proposed overhaul of the University of Tennessee's governance system this week when the measure comes before the state Senate Education Committee.
Sen. Joey Hensley, R-Hohenwald, said he hopes to persuade fellow members on the panel Wednesday to alter two provisions to the Republican governor's bill, which seeks to shrink the current 26-member UT system board of trustees.
The governor's UT FOCUS Act would reduce the board to 11 members while creating non-binding advisory committees at each of UT's four campuses, including the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
A physician and UT Medical School graduate, Hensley acknowledged, "the governor's pretty adamant about not changing [the bill]. He doesn't want to."
The governor is the board's chairman. As governor, Haslam holds appointment power and at this point has named most current trustees. Despite that, Haslam maintains the board has not adequately tackled the system's challenges and he argues a number of trustees aren't involved enough in system affairs.
So he wants to shrink the board, eliminating requirements that a trustee be named to represent each of the state's nine congressional districts, as well as a trustee who lives in the county of each campus.
Haslam's UT IMPROVE Act also eliminates a voting faculty position and a voting student trustee. And it removes the governor himself as an ex officio member, as well as two of his cabinet members and the executive director of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
Hensley has two amendments. One eliminates the proposed advisory committees for each campus, which some critics fear could encourage the eventual breakup of the UT system itself. The other requires each county with a university have someone from the community named as a trustee.
"I don't really see the need to set up the advisory committees," Hensley said of the panels, which would work with chancellors in areas from budgets to increases in student tuition and fees.
Campus chancellors can already create advisory committees on their own, Hensley said, adding, "I don't think it's necessary. All the schools already have chancellors and people helping with the budget."
Regarding the issue of who serves on the actual UT system board, Hensley said that without at least one trustee from each of the four UT campuses, "some counties and I agree that [the new board] may be overshadowed by Knoxville."
UT-Knoxville is the largest campus and Knoxville is where the board of trustees usually meet.
Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga, said he likes the idea of winnowing down the size of the UT system board.
"You need to decide if you want a board that governs or a board that's representative," said Garden- hire, an Education Committee vice chairman.
The senator said he doesn't believe the law should specifically require a trustee from each county with a university. Gardenhire thinks Haslam, who leaves office next year, would be "wise" enough not to "go against" the community on appointments.
As for each campus having an advisory board, the senator said he thinks that's a "good idea."
Current UT system President Joe DiPietro, who is expected to leave office next year, backs Haslam's overall plan.
Haslam orginally had a requirement that two trustees come from each of the state's grand divisions of East, Middle and West Tennessee.
But in order to get the bill moving in the House, the governor had to agree to naming someone who had graduated from each of the four campuses, although that doesn't necessarily mean they would actually reside in the county.
UTC now has one member representing Hamilton County, John Foy, a graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law and retired vice chairman of the board of directors and treasurer of Chattanooga-based CBL & Associates Properties.
Vicky Gregg, retired CEO of Chattanooga- based BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, is a trustee representing the state's 3rd Congressional District, which includes Hamilton County.
Earlier this month, Haslam's bill scraped through the Senate Government Operations Committee with only a neutral recommendation. Evidently, there were enough members who dislike the proposal to slap it with a negative recommendation. But Chairman Mike Bell, R-Riceville, prevailed upon colleagues to at least stay neutral if they couldn't bring themselves to give it a thumbs up.
Dr. Ron Kirkland, a physician, president of the national UT Alumni Association and critic of some aspects of Haslam's bill, is backing Hensley's amendments requiring that a trustee be appointed from each of the four counties with a campus and scratching the campus advisory panels.
"Give us something that works," Kirkland said.
If the amendments fail, Kirkland said, he and others would like Senate Education Committee members to send the bill off for summer study, effectively killing the legislation for the year.
Contact Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com or 615-255-0550. Follow him on Twitter @AndySher1.