In 1817, two years before the founding of the University of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson worried about how much public financial support his public university would receive upon its inception.  He wrote, in a letter to his friend George Ticknor, the following:

"My hopes are kept in check by the ordinary character of our state legislatures, the members of which do not generally possess information enough to perceive the important truths, that knowledge is power, that knowledge is safety, and that knowledge is happiness."

When I see this, Sen. Gordon of Okolona (wrote recent letter in support of Shelby) comes into my mind.  The quote applies even more to state higher ed boards.  Jefferson was talking directly about Roy Klumb and Carl Nicholson, only 200 years before the fact.