Board of Visitors Policy: 1102

Communications With the Board of Visitors

Date of Current Revision or Creation: December 10, 2021
Approved: June 25, 1972; Revised February 11, 1983; Revised September 16, 1983; Revised June 20, 1990; Revised April 11, 2003; Reviewed and Approved with No Changes December 10, 2021
Schedule Review Date: December 2026

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1. It is the policy of the Board of Visitors that there shall be useful exchange of information between the Board and the various university constituencies. The Board believes that it is important to have opportunities to hear from the many constituencies involved and interested in the work of the institution.

   1. Communication with the students and faculty is particularly important. The Board shall invite formal student and faculty input and engage in informal conversations concerning issues before the Board when appropriate.

   2. The Board may meet with any other university constituencies. The Board shall determine the nature, scope, and scheduling of such meetings.

2. The purpose of this policy is to enable the Board to make informed judgments in taking actions that affect the governance of the university. To that end, the president, as chief executive officer, is charged with the responsibility of maintaining communication between the Board and the various university constituencies, including faculty, staff, students, alumni, and members of the communities served by the university, as appropriate.

3. The president also is expected to inform the Board in an accurate and timely fashion of the views of various university constituen­cies and to apprise and educate the Board concerning significant issues, opportunities, achievements, and concerns that have or will confront the university and those constituencies. To aid in that process and in addition to authorized representatives selected by the Board (see section 1104), the president is encouraged to invite, from time to time when relevant and appropriate, other informed faculty, staff, students, alumni, benefactors, friends, and interested parties to present views to the Board or its committees when recognized by the Rector or Committee Chair.

4. Members of any university constituency who desire to make their views known to the Board on a particular issue should request the president to present those views to the Board, or request the president to provide them with the opportunity to do so in person at a future meeting of the Board or one of its committees. It is within the discretion of the president to determine the most appropriate way for those views to be communicated to the Board.

5. In order to ensure that the Board is conversant with the wide variety of issues, opportunities, achievements, and concerns that exist in the university community, the president is encouraged to provide the Board with broadest possible exposure to University life. In addition to the foregoing, this may be accomplished by presentations by members of the university community at the meetings of the Board or its committees, and on-site meetings or informational sessions held in a variety of university facilities and locations, both on and off the main campus.

6. This section shall not be interpreted to discourage the free discussion by University and Foundation personnel, faculty, alumni, and students regarding public or personal matters with Board of Visitors members. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the gathering or attendance of two or more Board members with members of the University community at any place or function where no part of the purpose of such gathering or attendance is the discussion of public business, and such gathering or attendance was not called or prearranged with any purpose of discussing or transacting any public business.