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Abstract
State higher education governing agencies are tasked with directing the public postsecondary education sector statewide. However, in light of policy changes in Wisconsin and controversial presidential hirings in Iowa and North Carolina, there have been increased concerns around the role politics plays in motivating the actions of these organizations. In particular, some question whether political appointments onto state agency boards serve as a means for state officials to extend traditional limits of their power and provide a channel to influence postsecondary education processes. This dissertation aims to help fill this research gap through a qualitative comparative case study of the governing agencies in Georgia, where University System of Georgia Regents are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate, and Nevada, where Nevada System of Higher Education Regents are publicly elected. Through the lens of principal-agent theory, this study examines how means of appointment potentially mediates board members role and use of research in the policy process around improving college completion. Findings from this dissertation indicate the role of regents in determining a states policy agenda and prescribing solutions may have been previously overstated. In particular, although regents are charged with governing the postsecondary sector and ensuring the system is providing adequate services to stakeholder groups, board members rely heavily on the system-level staff to guide the policy process. Following policy enactment, regents play a larger role in ensuring the system and institutions are held responsible for the established policies. Nevertheless, variation in appointment mechanism has influenced dynamics of each states board including: the individuals serving as board members, the sources of information considered in the decision-making process, and the involvement of the state government.By considering the means by which state board members are appointed, this study examines the potential effects of political officials extending their influence and oversight through appointment power. This analysis is important given the growing politicization of postsecondary education in the United States and concerns around how such political influence will negatively impact traditionally underserved populations. Furthermore, this dissertation makes a conceptual contribution by considering an under-utilized theory of the policy process.