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I asked House higher-education chairman Gene Pelowski (DFL-Winona) to comment on the 

statements that former Republican governor Arne Carlson has made

Carlson essentially says that the legislature needs to choose better regents, who are responsible for the tuition and debt levels at the U. He says they need to be chosen more on the basis of competence than skill.

Pelowski told me he generally agrees with Carlson, and that he equates the Board of Regents with the House of Lords, "where you get a title, a robe, and a nice place to meet."

He says the regents "weren't in charge when they needed to be in charge" in matters such as tuition. Instead, he says, they've delegated the responsibility to U officials such as the president, and did not override him when it counted.

Pelowski has complained in previous years that U officials haven't fought hard for their institution during proposed budget cuts. He says that's his main peeve with the regents:

I'll be calling some regents to get some reaction. I hope to have more by tomorrow. Earlier this morning, regent Richard Beeson commented on former governor Carlson's opinion piece:

Education News

On Campus Blog

Alex Friedrich

Author

I asked House higher-education chairman Gene Pelowski (DFL-Winona) to comment on the statements that former Republican governor Arne Carlson has made about the University of Minnesota Board of Regents. Carlson essentially says that the legislature needs to choose better regents, who are responsible for the tuition and debt levels at the U. He says they…

Why the House chairman says regents are a House of Lords

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