The University of Minnesota's governing board will evaluate whether it is a conflict of interest for one of its members to also be spokesman for the Minnesota Senate Republicans.
Steve Sviggum, who was elected to the Board of Regents last year, will be the Republican caucus' new executive assistant and communications chief, the party announced Monday.
In a statement Tuesday, Linda Cohen, chair of the Board of Regents, pointed out that the university's charter requires the board to be "an independent, non-partisan governing body that acts strictly in the best interest of the University of Minnesota."
"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 statement said. "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."
Sviggum has faced a similar situation before. Last year, the board launched a conflict-of-interest inquiry into Sviggum's roles as a regent and a paid fellow at the university's Humphrey School of Public Affairs. In April, he resigned from the Humphrey School.
A University of Minnesota spokeswoman declined to comment Tuesday on whether the board's evaluation would take the same form as the previous one. During that inquiry, a three-regent committee reviewed Sviggum's two posts against board policies. The group recommended that he give up one of the positions.
For the record, here is Cohen's full statement:
