With a number of budget bills and contentious policy issues yet to be resolved by DFL and Republican lawmakers at the Minnesota Capitol, one GOP legislator is sounding the alarm about another unfinished piece of business they hope to tackle in a special session.
Every odd-numbered year, the Minnesota Legislature must elect four members of the University of Minnesota’s Board of Regents. Each regent serves for a six-year term on the 12-member governing body. However, state legislators failed to hold a joint convention of the House and Senate to elect four new regents before the session ended on May 19.
On the last day of session, Rep. Kristin Robbins, R-Maple Grove, called on her Democratic colleagues to agree to hold a joint convention of the House and Senate during an eventual special session so they can elect four new members to the Board of Regents.
The fourth-term legislator said Republicans have been ready and waiting for several weeks to hold a joint convention to elect four new regents, but Democrats have been dragging their feet on the issue.
Governor Walz making unilateral appointments to the Board of Regents?
If legislative leaders do not agree to hold the joint convention during the upcoming special session, the power to choose regents will fall to Gov. Tim Walz who would able to unilaterally make those appointments.
“We [as legislators] need to do our constitutional responsibilities and not cede our power to the governor,” Robbins said in a video statement. “The governor should not be making the regent appointments; it’s our job. So, we are standing firm on that, and I hope we can get agreement on that.”
Robbins recently told Alpha News she is not sure why DFL leaders are holding back on what should be a straight forward agreement to make the joint convention part of the special session.
At least one current member of the university’s Board of Regents is also puzzled by the situation.
“Not sure what the hold-up is, but ending session without a joint convention will be incredibly disappointing,” said James Farnsworth, who was elected to the board in 2021. “Having served on the [Board of Regents] for the past 4 yrs, agreeing there’s needed overall process improvement, legislative appointment is the more accountable route.”
As part of the selection process, a joint committee of House and Senate Higher Education Committee voted on a slate of finalists candidates in March. While that list has significant influence, the legislature can vote on whoever it wants. Traditionally, the joint convention to elect new members to the Board of Regents takes place in the closing weeks of session.
Meanwhile, Walz has been quiet on possibility of a joint convention.
No comment from Walz or his communications staff
Alpha News reached out to Gov. Tim Walz’s office this week asking the governor if he wants to see legislative leaders from both sides of the aisle hold a convention to elect regents during the special session, or if he prefers to unilaterally appoint them himself.
The governor’s communications staff did not return those requests for comment. The DFL co-chair of the House Higher Education Committee, Rep. Dan Wolgamott, DFL-St. Cloud, also did not return a media inquiry for this story.
The Board of Regents includes one regent from each of Minnesota’s eight congressional districts and four at-large seats. They serve staggered terms without pay.
In 2023, a joint convention of the legislature elected four new regents when Democrats had control of both the House and Senate. This session, the DFL has a one-seat majority in the Senate while the House is evenly split 67-67. As a result, the GOP legislators have more influence on electing new regents this year.
“We’ve had the entire session to get this done,” said Robbins. “Democrats were 23 days late to the start of session….and we still did our job [on the joint committee] in March and we were ready for a joint convention then.”
Governor Walz recently made headlines for the comments he made during his speech to U of M law school graduates earlier this month.
Gov. Tim Walz tells U of M law school grads that President Donald Trump is "a tyrant abusing power to persecute scapegoats and enemies." pic.twitter.com/hiUDoWjGZh
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) May 18, 2025
Hank Long
Hank Long is a journalism and communications professional whose writing career includes coverage of the Minnesota legislature, city and county governments and the commercial real estate industry. Hank received his undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota, where he studied journalism, and his law degree at the University of St. Thomas. The Minnesota native lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and four children. His dream is to be around when the Vikings win the Super Bowl.
