Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee
JOINT FAVORABLE REPORT
Bill No.: SB-824
AN ACT REQUIRING TRAINING FOR THE MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNING
Title: BOARDS OF THE INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE STATE.
Vote Date: 3/18/2021
Vote Action: Joint Favorable Substitute
PH Date: 3/9/2021
File No.:
Disclaimer: The following JOINT FAVORABLE Report is prepared for the benefit of the
members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and
explanation and does not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber
thereof for any purpose.
SPONSORS OF BILL:
The Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee
REASONS FOR BILL:
To require institutions of higher education to implement training for governing boards, change
budgeting rules for Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU), and require
legislative approval for the merger or closing of CSCUs.
SUBSTITUTE LANGUAGE:
Secs. 1 & 2: for private and public institutions, requires training only for new board
members, not all; training must occur once within first year of service, rather than
every four years
Sec. 3-5: incorporates all of HB 5545, An Act Concerning the Budget of the
Connecticut State Colleges and Universities
Sec. 6: incorporates all of HB 6403, An Act Requiring Legislative Approval for the
Merger or Closing of Institutions within the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities
RESPONSE FROM ADMINISTRATION/AGENCY:
Dr. Alice Pritchard, Chief of Staff, Chief Operating Officer, and Board Secretary,
Connecticut State Colleges & Universities (CSCU):
Dr. Pritchard explains what the bill does and what subjects the existing orientation process
covers. She says, " While the instruction and training requirements called for in this bill align
with the topics Regents currently focus on as a collective, we would like to work with our
colleagues at the University of Connecticut to craft language that can maintain the flexibility
needed to determine what trainings should be offered, to whom and when."
University of Connecticut (UCONN):
UCONN explains the responsibilities of its Board of Trustees, as well as their typical
orientation process. They say, "we are already providing our governing board with the
necessary background and support needed to carry out their fiduciary and other
responsibilities."
NATURE AND SOURCES OF SUPPORT:
Maureen Chalmers, President, Congress of Connecticut Community Colleges (4Cs):
Submitted written testimony in support. "This is a best practice for an organization to train its
new leaders, so we support this bill, as we have done in the past."
Nikki McGary, PhD:
Submitted written testimony in support. Prof. McGary says this bill promotes accountability for
the Board of Regents.
Colena Sesanker, PhD, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Gateway CC:
Submitted written testimony in support. Prof. Sesanker says that the assumption of expertise
is implicit in higher education. Overwhelmingly, she says, our college and university experts
have found "the projects of the BOR-- the most recent and most destructive of which is the
Students First Consolidationto be ill-conceived and poorly led." The plan is a non-sensical
"investment in the reduction of quality" and "a departure from our mission" to aid students and
our communities. This investment was never explicitly approved, she says, as costs have
been obscured while immediate savings were promised; until the 2021 SF Finance report
forced a concession that savings would not appear until 2023. The accreditor NECHE also
questions the plan, she says, citing its August 2020 response. The flexibility that has been
granted to this system, could have been a benefit, but it has been abused, and any savings
claimed are through attrition alone.
NATURE AND SOURCES OF OPPOSITION:
Jennifer Widness, President Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges (CCIC):
Submitted written testimony in opposition. CCIC appreciates the intent of the bill as well as
the modifications that have been made, "however, some of our member institutions strongly
oppose this bill and view it is as a complete overreach and unnecessary." Ms. Widness
explains that all private, non-profit colleges in the state are accredited and regularly
reevaluated by NECHE, and this process includes of governing boards. She says, "No other
state in the country mandates training for board members of private colleges in this manner,
other than Massachusetts," and Wisconsin has a statute against state intrusion. CCIC values
the Committee's consistent support but is concerned about insulating institutional governance
from political influence.
Reported by: Jeremy Salyer Date: 03/26/2021
Page 2 of 2 SB-824


Statutes affected:
HED Joint Favorable Substitute:
File No. 280: