By Alabama Public Radio
Montgomery, AL – State Senator Gerald Dial is going to rework a proposal that would give the governor authority to fire the trustees of public universities placed on academic probation. The Senate Constitution and Elections Committee delayed action on the bill, saying it needs more work. Dial says he got the idea after the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools placed Auburn University and the University of West Alabama on probation. SACS cited the schools' trustee boards as problems. But the legislation's opponents say it gives too much power to the governor, who would be able to arbitrarily choose which trustees to remove.