Twenty-six past chairs of the board that oversees the IU Alumni Association signed a letter to Gov. Mike Braun and university president Pam Whitten asking to retain alumni voting for three IU trustee positions.
The letter, dated Tuesday, came after the Republican legislative majority quietly placed provisions in the budget bill to have the governor appoint all nine of IU's trustees. The provisions also gave the governor power to remove trustees at any time.
As of late Wednesday afternoon, Braun had not signed the budget bill.
Read more: Late addition to budget bill would give Gov. Braun full control of IU trustee seats
"It is our opinion that this short-sighted act, written in a cowardly way so as to prohibit public discussion, tells our alumni that their voices through the ballot box are less important than that of one person who will do the choosing in the future," the letter said. "Alumni elected by alumni would in effect be replaced by the highest bidders seeking to gain favor for appointment."
The letter noted that IU has about 800,000 living alumni, second-most among U.S. universities. It also said IU has had alumni participate in the trustee selection process since 1891.
"Governors may appoint trustees because of their political beliefs, but alumni do not," the letter said. "That seems a valuable balance to ensure no party nor system of conservative or liberal views governs for any reason other than what is best for students, faculty, and the university."
Top university leaders, including Whitten, have yet to say whether they opposed or supported the provisions.
Speaking with reporters Wednesday, Braun defended the changes by noting that a tiny percentage of alumni vote in trustee elections.
He then took a swipe at IU by mentioning Purdue's tuition.
"I wish it was paying more attention to what the other flagship university is doing, and that is giving Hoosiers real value by keeping tuition, room and board to where you can afford it," Braun said.
He added, "In terms of the education they're giving us for the cost, and those three trustees that were being (elected) by just a small percentage of alumni didn't make sense to me."
Braun said he planned to allow current trustees to finish their terms because they're "aren't far away from expiring."
Among, the current trustees elected by alumni, one finishes her term in June, another in 2026 and another in 2027.