The Board delegates the conduct of administration and management to the President. It entrusts the conduct of teaching and research through the President to the faculty It recognizes that the faculty has primary responsibility in matters of student recruitment and retention, academic standards, the fundamental areas of curriculum and the necessary policies and procedures for its conduct, subject matter and methods of instruction, instructional materials, methods of research and general requirements for degrees. The Board further recognizes the appropriate role of faculty in recommending to the President faculty appointments, reappointments, promotion, tenure and salary incrementation. It encourages significant student and staff participation in decision-making processes which affect these groups when such participation can be effective.
The Board, Administration, Academic Senate, Administrative/Professional Council, Civil Service Council, Student Government Association and other representative bodies, carry out their respective responsibilities and advisory duties not as isolated entities, but as major and primary constituents of a total University organization and structure that remains mutually interdependent, and which must be supportive of the purposes, functions and obligations of the University.
In order to promote shared participation in responsible and wise decision-making and to ensure channels of communication, the University shall provide for elected representative campus organizations, the structures of which shall be determined by the constituencies they represent, approved by the President and set forth in the University's Constitution. These organizations shall serve as the primary organizations for consultation at the institutional level. The Board shall consult with these organizations regarding the selection of the University President. (revised: February 1998: Resolution No. 1998.02/42)
The Academic Senate, as established in the University Constitution, shall serve as the primary body for consultation regarding the establishment of academic guidelines and academic procedures of the University. In the event of serious disagreement between the President and a majority of the members comprising the Academic Senate, the Senate, through established Board procedures, shall have an opportunity, through a spokesperson, to explain its views before the Board at the time the President brings the matter to the Board.
The Board expects members of the University community to develop for Board approval a University Constitution which will embody the principles and philosophies on which representative advice concerning the academic activities and programs of the University shall be provided to the decision-making processes of the University and which will be in concert with the goals, objectives and operating processes of the Board of Trustees.
To facilitate communication between the Board and the various campus constituencies, the University shall establish a Campus Communication Committee (CCC) of 8 members; 3 from the Academic Senate, 2 each from the Administrative /Professional Council and Civil Service Council, and 1 representative of the Student Government Association. The Campus Communication Committee shall provide a written report to the President's office two working days prior to the Board meeting for distribution at the Board meeting and shall present the report during the Board meeting in behalf of its constituencies. The Chairperson of the Board or the President of the University may request a meeting with the CCC at any time. The existence of the CCC does not preclude other members of the university community from addressing the Board in accordance with published Board procedures.
The President shall serve as the official medium of communication between the Board of Trustees and the Academic Senate, Administrative/Professional Council, Civil Service Council, Student Government Association, and other representative bodies, officers, individual members of the faculty and staff, and students. In this connection it shall be the President's responsibility to transmit to the Board all formal communications from these bodies and individuals along with the viewpoints of the body submitting a communication, including any minority opinions, and the President's own recommendations for action.
adopted: 05/09/1997
