Is there a standard legal definition of what exactly a “board of trustees” is specifically in the context of higher education?
In other words, if I know that a certain group of people composes the “board of trustees” of a university, do I thereby know, with some basis in the law or strongly held convention, what powers are posessed by that group of people?
The simple answer is that they are basically like the board of directors for a corporation. Collectively they oversee management of the resources of the school, especially money and have responsibility for its use. In a time of crisis, the board of trustees can do things like oust the president of the school. They aren’t meant to control day to day operations but instead serve as an independent body that sees that the goals of the school charter are being followed. It doesn’t usually work out that way in practice because the management and the board are intertwined by relationships but that is the ideal.
Thanks for the information. Is there an answer to the question of who gets to place and remove people from the board? Or is that just going to differ from institution to institution?
It varies by state but here in NC the trustees for public universities are appointed by state politicians. Many of them are alums of the school and big donors to the school. They normally serve a term of 4 years and can be re-appointed for another term. In some states they are called the board of regents or board of governors. I think here in NC the trustees can be removed but in most cases if they are found to have broken laws or made bad decisions they step down on their own.
Notice how all but one went to UNC and the one that did not is a big donor. He also has not missed a UNC FB game in over 30 years.
Just to add to all this that sometimes there are two governing bodies, one devoted to academics and non-financial administration (i.e., “policy”), and the other concerned with money and physical (especially realty) property. In such a case the Board of Trustees are typically – I’d say universally – the latter.
My diploma from NC State says the trustees awarded me the degree based on the recommendation of the faculty. Other schools may have similar wording on their diplomas.
I can help here. “ask the member of a University Board of Trustees.”
In private (non profit) institutions, the Boards are generally self perpetuating. They fill vacancies on the board, and have the ultimate fiduciary responsibility for the institution. As has been mentioned, they have the power to hire and fire the President, but try to stay out of the day to day operations of the institution (or should, anyway). The powers and responsibilities are spelled out in the institution’s bylaws. These can vary, but from what I’ve seen, they don’t vary too much.
Hey Procrustus, could you PM me?
In Georgia we have a Board of Regents for the public colleges and unis.
Emory University is private, and has a Board of Trustees.
In Michigan, we vote (or, personally, don’t vote) in state-wide public elections for the Board of Regents for the University of Michigan, the Board of Trustees for Michigan State University, and the Board of Governors for Wayne State University. It has always amused me that they each have a different name.