The members of the New England Board of Higher Education shall be appointed as follows: (1) The Governor shall appoint two members, who shall be the Commissioner of Education and the Chief Workforce Officer, or their designees; (2) the president pro tempore of the Senate shall appoint three members who are residents of the state, one of whom shall be a member of the Senate and, upon the recommendation of the president of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, one of whom shall represent the Connecticut State University System and one of whom shall represent the regional community-technical college system; and (3) the speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint three members who are residents of the state, one of whom shall be a member of the House of Representatives, one of whom shall represent The University of Connecticut based on the recommendation of the president of said university and one of whom shall represent the independent institutions of higher education in the state. The two persons appointed by the Governor shall be appointed for a term of four years from October twenty-fourth in the year of their appointment, except that in 1969 the Governor shall appoint one member for a term of six years from October 24, 1969. Persons first appointed by the president pro tempore and the speaker shall serve until February 1, 1971, and persons appointed as their successors shall serve for terms of two years each commencing as of the first day of February in the year of their appointment. Persons appointed as of July 1, 2021, may continue to serve the remainder of their terms. Vacancies shall be filled for the remainder of unexpired terms in the same manner as original appointments are made.