The University of Illinois Board of Trustees has had a fair share of major decisions to make in recent years: tuition increases, pension deficits and — how could we forget — former President Michael Hogan’s and former Chief of staff Lisa Troyer’s resignations in 2012.

These decisions are by no means easy for the trustees, especially when their actions can have major implications for the state and taxpayers. 

Given that, these decisions would put some pressure on the governor of a state that was downgraded in January to the lowest credit ratings among the 50 states. If pressed hard enough, a governor could recommend trustees to the board to advance an agenda counter to the University’s mission — or, really, for any number of political agendas. 

The University of Illinois Alumni Foundation recognizes this issue, so two local state senators, Michael Frerichs, D-Champaign, and Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, backed legislation with the alumni association to change the way that trustees are selected for the board.

The legislation, which cleared a Senate committee last Tuesday, would allow the alumni association to select five of the nine appointed trustees, leaving the governor to choose four. Currently, the governor selects all nine of the trustees with consent from the Senate. The board is made up of 13 members: nine who are appointed for six year terms, the governor as an ex officio member and three student trustees who are elected for one year terms by popular referendum on their respective campuses.

Although Gov. Pat Quinn consults the alumni association and likely several other interested bodies and institutions, the bill would provide a safeguard for the University’s highest authority. Quinn recently appointed his friend and former U.S. attorney Patrick Fitzgerald to the board, and with his legal background and his prosecution of former Gov. Rod Blagovich, we believed he would be a stable addition.

While the appointment may have been a good one, there’s no telling that he or a future governor won’t pack the board with corrupt trustees.

Given this state’s and this University’s recent history, it wouldn’t be a stretch to expect that. 

Still, the bill could be improved, allowing more than just the alumni association and the governor a binding say in trustee appointment. The alumni association has the ability to represent a wide variety of interests across the state because they are in connection with a vast network of graduates from the University, many of whom reside here in Illinois.

With the bill as is, the only other interest group with a say-so in the composition of the board are students that are represented by the elected trustee — and even then, only one of the three trustees gets a legally binding vote. 

By expanding the number of groups who have a say in the selection, the board’s members would be more representative of the community it serves, better ensuring that the diverse interests across the state are brought to their discussions. Because of the state’s pension problems, which affect the faculty and staff at the University, some kind of faculty advisory board should be able to decide at least one of the trustees. 

The bill as is, however, will at least provide a more representative Board of Trustees for a University recovering in the wake of more scandals than we cared to have.