Money, not experience, matters to be a regent

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The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers might have been a cool TV show,
but it’s a far cry from higher education. That’s why
it’s so disappointing that Gov. Gray Davis would appoint the
show’s producer, entertainment industry billionaire Haim
Saban, to the University of California Board of Regents.

Saban’s addition to the board continues the long history
of private, wealthy professionals with no ties to education or
academia serving on the most crucial and decisive body of the
university. Shouldn’t someone on the board have experience in
the classroom or in administration? You’d think the answer
would be yes. But apparently, the answer is framed in dollar signs.
Saban has contributed almost $400,000 to Davis since 1998. It is
unsettling to know that the future of the university lies in the
hands of political favors. And while it is not imperative for all
members of the board to have backgrounds in education, at least a
significant number of them should. Currently, the only voting
regent with direct ties to the UC is Tracy Davis, the student
regent; Chand Viswanathan and Gayle Binion serve as faculty
representatives, but they can’t vote on policy proposals.

The California constitution clearly states that the Board of
Regents should make an effort to represent the state’s
population ““ every Californian is not a wealthy businessman.
Davis has yet to appoint two more regents; he needs to make it a
priority to appoint someone with a strong background in education
and a person who can relate to middle- to lower-income families,
not cartoon superheros.

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