Panel to recommend resignation of some TSU regents

More news from TSU: The AP is reporting that the 11-member panel charged with finding a way to fix the university's finances won't recommend putting a state-appointed conservator in place to manage the university's finances, but will recommend that some members of the Board of Regents resign immediately. The information comes from a draft report the panel prepared; its final report was due Thursday, but the panel asked for and received a 10-day extension.

Information on the draft report came from state Rep. Garnet Coleman (D-Houston), who has met with members of the panel. Coleman said the report doesn't specify how many or which regents should resign: "The discussion with the panel members was that clearly there needed to be some change at the top ... there are members of the board that were not committed to the university with their time or energy and that those members should resign." Though Coleman didn't name any names, KTRK reports that one of the regents who could be out is Belinda Griffin, who was recently elected chairwoman of the board. (You may remember Griffin: She's the regent who started the ball rolling with former TSU President Priscilla Slade when she visited Chez Slade, complimented the president's furniture and found out Slade had paid for it using university money.) Another regent, Harry Johnson, has already offered to step down, according to the Chronicle.

As far as a state conservator who would step into manage TSU's troubled finances, looks like there won't be one anytime soon: Coleman said the draft report doesn't call for one, and he and state Sen. Rodney Ellis have strongly opposed putting one in place. However, the panel is expected to call for stronger accountability, including regular progress reports from university leaders — and the Chron reports that state Higher Education Commissioner Raymund Paredes said outside financial help still isn't out of the question for the university. More to come, we're sure.