Borsig Was Stabilizing Force at IHL

By Jeff Amy/Associated Press

JACKSON – It goes from bad to worse for the College Board.

Jim Borsig’s decision that he’d rather be president of the Mississippi University for Women, instead of the state’s higher education commissioner, robs the board of a stabilizing figure.

And some stability, in the wake of the board’s refusal to renew Dan Jones’ contract as chancellor of the University of Mississippi, is what the governing body for Mississippi’s eight public universities needs most.

It seems likely that some lawmakers will try to radically restructure the 12-member board in 2016 in reaction to the Jones mess. At first glance, there seems to be a good chance that those who back a restructuring plan could have the chance of reaching the two-thirds supermajority needed to send an amendment to the state Constitution to voters. That’s especially true for any plan creating individual boards for each university. Supporters of the state’s three historically black public universities, as well as backers of the University of Southern Mississippi, have long chafed at what they see as the dominance of the current board by supporters of Ole Miss and Mississippi State University. If Ole Miss forces also now want their own board, that could be a winning combination in the Legislature.

Such a plan could give Gov. Phil Bryant dozens of new appointments to individual boards. That’s an enticing way for the Republican governor to reward supporters of his long career after what will likely be his final election to state office.

Borsig was well-positioned to dampen efforts to undercut the current board’s authority. Before becoming president of MUW in 2012, he’d worked as an associate commissioner on the College Board’s staff, and was in charge of relations with the Legislature and governor. Unlike anyone the board could hire from the outside, he had a set of pre-existing relationships with elected officials to allow him to immediately be an effective advocate for the board. And it didn’t hurt that he’d previously worked at USM and MSU.

He also has a reputation as an honest broker. Many observers note he’s an Eagle Scout, saying he lives up to the accompanying standard of trustworthiness. It’s only that reputation that keeps people from dismissing out-of-hand Borsig’s explanation that his return to Columbus has nothing to do with the Jones fiasco. Certainly, it couldn’t have been pleasant for Borsig to be the public defender cutting ties with Jones when that decision was made not by him, but by the board and outgoing Commissioner Hank Bounds. Borsig handled the abortive negotiations between the board and Jones, but it’s not clear whether board members gave him much room for maneuver.

At first glance, there aren’t any potential in-state successors that were as obvious as Borsig. The board last year hired Glenn Boyce, the former president of Holmes Community College, as associate commissioner for academic affairs, but Boyce has had little time in university system after a career spent at community colleges and K-12 schools. The board could try to bring Alfred Rankins, another former associate commissioner, back from Alcorn State University. But with the future of the board in question, he might join Borsig in finding it more attractive to remain a university president. The possibility of a radical shrinking of the powers of the board and commissioner will be a disadvantage for anyone considering the job in the next year.

With a full set of state elections to come before the Legislature returns for the 2016 session, the current pressure on the College Board could dissipate. But whatever happens, defenders of the current structure would be better positioned with Borsig in charge.