Legislators elect four to University of Minnesota Board of Regents

A vote by the Legislature Wednesday filled the University of Minnesota’s four vacant Board of Regents positions. 

The quartet appointed by the Legislature are:

• Steve Sviggum of Kenyon from the second congressional district;
• Darrin Rosha of Independence from the third congressional district;
• David McMillan of Duluth from the eighth congressional district; and
• Ken Powell of Golden Valley for the at-large seat.

Elected regents take office effective immediately. Members serve six-year terms.

McMillan and Rosha remain on the board while Sviggum returns. The House speaker from 1999-2006, he served on the board from 2011-12, but resigned due to conflicts of interest.

Powell, the CEO of General Mills, was nominated at the joint House-Senate convention and beat Tom Devine, who previously represented the second district and went through the regent vetting process, originally received the recommendation for the at-large seat. A handful of other nominees, including former governors Tim Pawlenty and Arne Carlson, got single-digit votes.

Nomination by a joint committee was first established in 2005. A candidate needs a majority vote of the 201-member Legislature to be elected to a seat. Legislators are not bound to vote for only the finalists presented.

WATCH Full video from Wednesday's Joint Session of the House and Senate

The 12-member Board of Regents is the university’s governing body. Among its duties is to clarify the university’s mission, approve programs necessary to fulfill that mission and monitor and evaluate the performance of the institution to fulfill its mission.

One-third of the board is elected by the Legislature in each odd-numbered year. One regent is nominated from each of Minnesota's eight congressional districts, and four from the state at large.