On Monday, former Minnesota House Speaker Sviggum said he planned to remain on the University of Minnesota's Board of Regents while he worked as the Minnesota Senate communications director.

Tuesday, Board of Regents Chair Linda Cohen released a statement raising some doubts about those dual roles.

She said: "The University's Charter, later codified in the Minnesota Constitution, created the Board of Regents to be an independent, non-partisan governing body that acts strictly in the best interest of the University of Minnesota. The Board has a long history of performing its role with integrity to uphold this principle, and we will continue to do so. Although the Board's Code of Ethics does not anticipate this exact circumstance, it is the Board's duty to evaluate whether Regent Sviggum's new employment at the Legislature could present a conflict of interest with his obligations as a Regent. The Board will carefully consider this situation under the terms of its Code of Ethics and determine what steps are necessary to take in the best interest of the Board and the University."

Senate Minority Leader Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, said Monday that Sviggum's new job at the Senate was, if not a conflict, seemed "inappropriate."

Sviggum, a Republican who served in the Minnesota House for 29 years, has had a controversy-ridden ride as a regent.

Democrats criticized his selection early last year, questioning whether the process was transparent and whether he could become a good advocate for the university. But Republicans, who control the Legislature, overwhelmingly supported him.

Once he got the job, a panel decided last spring that Sviggum could not keep a position as a legislative fellow at the University's Humphrey School and be on the board of regents, the University's governing board. Sviggum picked the board spot and left the Humphrey School job.