Nebraska’s Attorney General has accused University of Nebraska officials for violating the open meetings laws when searching for a new president.

Watchdog.org reports:

AG: University of Nebraska violated open meetings law in presidential search

LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson says University of Nebraska officials broke state law during their search for a new president by holding numerous improper private meetings.

Nebraska Watchdog filed a complaint in late March alleging NU violated the state Open Meetings Act by holding a series of private meetings to recruit and then shortlist four final candidates. NU set up two committees, which spent 15 hours in closed session. Aside from approving minutes, the advisory committee didn’t take a single public action and the selection committee took two public actions: approving its principles and unanimously approving four finalists.

The months-long search culminated in a November 2014, 90-minute closed session of its presidential search committee, after which it met in open session for a brief discussion and unanimously approved four finalists.

NU, which hired outside attorneys to ensure it complied with state laws during the search, argued that given the economic impact it has on the state, selection of the best president through a confidential screening process was crucial to the university and public interest. In its letter to the attorney general, the university noted that the Omaha World-Herald wrote in January that NU followed the “letter and spirit of the law” during the selection process.