Minneapolis ? A collection of media groups sued the University of Minnesota Board of Regents, accusing it of violating the state’s open meeting law in the process of appointing a president.

Robert Bruininks, who had been interim president of the school, was announced Thursday as the only finalist and was officially appointed Friday.

Board chairwoman Maureen Reed said last week interviews with finalists would be private because candidates said they would withdraw their names if they were made public.

The parent companies of the St. Paul Pioneer Press and the Minneapolis Star Tribune, along with the Minnesota Daily student newspaper, the Rochester Post-Bulletin and the Minnesota Joint Media Committee, claim the board violated the state’s open meeting law.

“They made a strong statement that adherence to the open meeting law was voluntary on their part,” said Eric Jorstad, an attorney for the media outlets.

Mark Rotenberg, an attorney for the university, said the regents did not disobey the law.

“The search process, as a whole, was not closed to the public,” Rotenberg said Friday. “A small portion … was confidential, and I think most folks will understand why.”