Benton County Tea Party

The TN Board of Regents took shady politics to a new low with a backroom way for hiring Deputy Governor John Morgan as the system's new chancellor.

At a time when a more transparent government is crucial to our education system, the board, which oversees MTSU, undermined the public confidence by altering the rules - in an apparent attempt to make sure Morgan got the job.

Republican state Senators Bill Ketron of Murfreesboro and Jim Tracy of Shelbyville are critical of the manner in which Morgan was chosen - and rightly so - because it raises questions about leadership in Tennessee academia.

The Board of Regents eliminated its requirement that applicants hold a doctoral degree, allowing Morgan to apply for the position since he holds only a bachelor's degree from Austin Peay.

The board also voted to raise the chancellor's salary to $385K from $305K with the entire state of TN in the midst of a salary freeze. Morgan's salary as deputy governor is $180K.

Making the situation even worse, the board received 6 applications for the position but interviewed only Morgan, claiming the other 5 people were not qualified for the job. Morgan is to take the post in September.

Gov. Phil Bredesen is not suprisingly defending Morgan's appointment, calling the "brouhaha" an attempt by Republicans to win points in an election year. Still, this does not reflect the openness promised by Bredesen and sends him out at the end of the year with a black mark on his report card.

Benton County Tea Party