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Board Inclusion Shared Governance. Board Governance Strong Committees Tom Susman West Virginia State University Board of Governors Chair. This is more what you'd call " guidelines " than actual rules. Types of Boards. President/Chair decides all No real input from the Board
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Board Inclusion Shared Governance Board GovernanceStrong CommitteesTom Susman West Virginia State University Board of Governors Chair
This is more what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules. .
Types of Boards • President/Chair decides all • No real input from the Board • Everything goes to full Board • All day meetings nothing gets accomplished • Strong Committee process • Delegation and participation
Issues for Boards • Varied backgrounds • Limited availability • How to accomplish everything you set out to do? • Keep Board members involved • Shared governance (Sounds great, how does it function?)
Chair Must Realize • Only one vote • Facilitator/Conduit for Board • Facilitator/Conduit for President and administration • Facilitator/Conduit for the HEPC or state government • Conduit for faculty/students/staff and alumni (Select situations) • Point-person in time of crisis • You are the Chair, not the President. You and the Board hired a President to run the institution. • In times of crisis, your role will become more pronounced.
Committee Structure • Must rely on your Committee Chairs and members • Must appoint people who can get the specific job done because of background and desire • Must delegate tasks to Chairs and Committees (You must resist the urge to decide for the Committees.) • Insist that the President and VPs work with Committee Chairs to set agendas, bring issues to the Committee, and provide responses • Well defined roles and agendas
Committee Tasks Examples • Academic Policies - studies Compact issues (If needed, they can hold special meetings.) • Audit - all things audit • Just like the Legislature, you should respect the Committee process. • Acts as a training ground for Committee members • Shared responsibility/limits dominating personalities
CommitteeBenefits • Gives time to examine and fine-tune issues • Travel expense policy • Presidential review • Members and constituent groups have more input. • Provides oversight, but not intrusive - if role is defined • Audit reviews audits formal and internal • Board establishes process. • Members of the Board do not perform the audit themselves. • If there are issues, the Committee can bring them to the Board.
Shared Governance • Committee process, if done correctly, provides Board members with the feeling that they are included in process. • When members are involved, they are less likely to act alone. They will use the established process. • Administration understands they must work with the Board through Committees and that becomes part of the presidential expectations. This provides a process for oversight.
Inclusion • Committee time allows input from: • Board members • Students, faculty, and staff • Other stakeholders • Administration • Allows Board members to be subject matter experts • There is not enough time, if issue development is done just in Board meetings.
Other Items • Any question asked by a Board member between meetings is generally shared with all board members. • Personnel and legal issues may be not shared. • Our Board frowns on members trying to run the institution as an individual. • Our authority is only as a Board in total, not as independent members. • Understand members are volunteers
Final Thoughts • Process must be flexible. • Good discussion and debate are always welcome. • Do not beat a dead horse. • If an issue is not ready for prime time, send it back to Committee. • If something comes up during a Board meeting that needs further study, refer it to Committee. • Vote it up or vote it down; do not let a small minority delay the process.