Public-College Boards and State Politics

Our interactive maps show which party controls the majority of appointments to colleges’ governing boards in each state — and where the money goes.

For more information about political boards, read The Chronicle’s full investigation and takeaways.

Majority Rules

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

Board members who have not been confirmed or who were appointed through a multi-step political process that was controlled by two different parties are not represented in the tally of Democratic or Republican appointees.

Mapping Donations

The Chronicle identified $19.7 million that politically appointed flagship-university governing-board members made to campaigns or political causes within the states in which they serve. This map shows the ratio of donations, which exclude federal contributions, to Democrats or Republicans. In many but not all states, money largely flows from board members to the party that controls appointments.

Who’s in Control?

More than 400 board members governing public flagship universities assume their roles through a multistep political process, which requires the involvement of at least two chambers of government. This table illustrates the political-party control of those chambers for each board member’s appointment and confirmation. It also indicates the percentage of each board appointed through a process controlled by a single political party. Click the states for more information on board membership and current state government control. (States designated N/A do not go through a multistep political process, though they may go through a one-step political process.)

Methodology:
The Chronicle identified members of governing boards of public flagship universities as of July 1, 2020. If a flagship was governed 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 multistep political-appointment process, identifying which members were appointed and confirmed by governors and legislative majorities of the same political party. (In a single case, New Hampshire, political-party control of an executive council, not a legislative body, was analyzed, as in that state these elected officials confirm appointments).

Appointment and confirmation dates were drawn from legislative records, gubernatorial proclamations, and, in some cases, news reports. This information was cross-referenced with political-party control information compiled by Ballotpedia, a nonprofit, nonpartisan website.

Excluded from this analysis were board members who fill seats specifically designated for students, faculty, 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 their positions through any political appointment or confirmation process and, with Ballotpedia, determined party control of that process. Using donation records held by FollowTheMoney, The Chronicle identified these board members’ contributions to campaigns or political causes within the states in which they serve, excluding federal contributions.