Eastern Michigan University is set to receive two new members on the Board of Regents after the terms of current Regents Gary Hawks and Phil Incarnati expired Dec. 31.
Governor Rick Snyder will fill the seats with appointments at a time to be determined, and the state Senate will approve it.
When interviewed, some students were not aware of exactly what the Regents are responsible for.
“I know they sign off on and approve a lot of important things, but besides that, what do they actually do?” junior Paige Webster said.
The Board of Regents acts as the governing body of the university and the board is comprised of eight regents. Each regent serves an eight-year term after being appointed by the governor.
According to the Board’s policy manual, the board has the power to supervise the institution and the control and direction of all expenditures from the institution’s funds.
The manual also states the board has the power to “fix” tuition and other fees and charges, appoint or remove personnel, and determine compensation to be paid for services and property.
One of the biggest responsibilities of the Regents is the ability to appoint a president. Under the constitution of the state of Michigan, the board is allowed to elect a president “as often as necessary.”
According to Article II, section 2.03, the Regents serve without compensation and receive “necessary expenses” they might incur during the performance of the duties of their office.
Phillip Incarnati was appointed to the board by the former Governor John Engler in Febuary 1992. Incarnati filled the seat left vacant by John Burton.
He was reappointed in 1994 and that term was scheduled to end in December 2002, but he was reappointed again by Engler for another term, which ended in December 2010.
Incarnati, an EMU alumnus, obtained a bachelor of business administration degree in 1976 and a master’s of business administration in 1982. He served as chair of the Board from 1995 to 2005.
Gary Hawks was appointed by Governor Granholm in January 2007 to replace Sharon Rothwell after she resigned. Hawks held various positions at EMU before being named to the board including director of personnel, executive director of university relations, vice president of university relations and secretary to the Board of Regents.
Hawks obtained a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Michigan State University and a master’s degree in higher education from EMU.
