The UO Board of Trustees passed several key policies Thursday morning that will allow the university to borrow and spend money, set tuition and fees and focus on the strategic mission of the university while delegating some authority to the president and University Senate.
The board, meeting in the Global Scholars Hall, is holding its final full session before taking over governance of the university on July 1. Trustees first heard comments from the campus community, including leaders from the Officers of Administration Council, University Senate, Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation and ASUO.
Miriam Bolton, chair of the OA Council, welcomed the trustees. She urged the board have OAs at the table as the university moves forward with policy review and to engage all campus groups.
“We have been waiting a long time for a board dedicated to the mission and needs of the University of Oregon, and my colleagues and I are so glad you’re here,” Bolton said.
New ASUO president Beatriz Gutierrez also addressed the board, urging "as much student engagement as possible.” She promised close cooperation by student government, a remark that was welcomed by board members.
Delegation and Retention of Authority Policy
On the issue of delegation of authority, University Senate President Robert Kyr praised the board for its work to date.
“We are so impressed,” he said. “This is a huge task getting ready for July 1.” But Kyr asked the board to wait before voting on the delegation of authority policy to give the senate more time to review it.
The retention and delegation of authority policy allows the board to give some of the daily responsibilities of running the university to the president, senate, treasurer or other entities, allowing the board to focus on larger, more strategic issues.
The University Senate formed an ad hoc committee in March to review the delegation of authority policy, and that committee provided recommended revisions in May. The university general counsel incorporated board, senate and other campus community suggestions into the draft policy presented on Thursday.
Given the amount of time already spent reviewing and responding to the proposed policy, board members said they did not feel it necessary to delay further. But they stressed their willingness to return to the issue in the future if changes are needed.
“I feel like this document has gotten a good consideration,” board Chair Chuck Lillis said. “One of the powers we retained is we can change it. If we didn’t get something right, we can revise it as needed.”
The panel also passed two amendments, one to allow the board to received reports and recommendations from campus groups upon requests, the other to allow a board majority or the chair to request information from the president regarding certain employment and collective bargaining matters. However, trustees said they do not want to intervene, just be informed.
“We need to show a level of trust,” board member Rudy Chapa said. “The quicker we can get to the broader issues - where this place is going - the better.”
Treasury and Tuition and Fees Policies
The board also passed a tuition and fees policy and a treasury policy. Vice President for Finance and Administration Jamie Moffitt said creating a centralized treasury would create a more efficient system for spending and borrowing money, resulting in considerable savings.
“We will get a lot more flexibility and control, and our resources would be put to the best use for our students and our campus,” Moffitt said.
The board unanimously passed both the tuition and treasury policies.
Retirement Plans
Under the new governance system, the University of Oregon will be administering all seven public universities' retirement plans. The move is part of the shared services agreements among the institutions in which UO and Oregon State University are hosting services for the other smaller universities. VPFA Moffit explained that pooling their retirement plans allows all the Oregon public universities to get much better pricing. "Most people won't even know there has been a change behind the scenes," said Moffit.
While the shared retirement plan totals $1.1 billion, Moffit said there will be no additional liability on the UO board than there was on the OUS board. They will have the same liability insurance and the same best practices to ensure that the employees’ retirement plans are safe and run well.
The board passed the retirement policy unanimously. The story on day two of the Board of Trustees' June meeting is on AroundtheO here.
- By Jennifer Winters, Public Affairs Communications