The Board of Regents for Higher Education used a procedural move to add a second order of business to its meeting this afternoon: appointing an interim successor to President Robert A. Kennedy, who resigned this morning.
The board, which already had scheduled a 2:30 meeting for this afternoon to accept Kennedy’s resignation, technically posted a notice of a second gathering, to be held at 2:35 p.m., to select a successor. Both meetings will be held in the board’s offices at 61 Woodland St. in Hartford.
State Freedom of Information law includes a provision that allows public agencies to meet and act on agendas posted with less than the normal 24 hours advance notice provided they cite “emergency” conditions. Those agencies still must post the minutes of that meeting within 72 hours after the meeting has been held.
The second-highest administrator in the Board of Regents system is Executive Vice President Michael Meotti. But Meotti also is embroiled in controversy.
Kennedy resigned amid criticism for “mistakenly” and illegally authorizing 21 executive pay raises. Meotti received one of those pay raises, a nearly $49,000 increase. He declined the increase Tuesday, one day after it had been reported in The Mirror.