Skip to content
UW Policy Directory

Article IV—Committees of the Board

Table of Contents

    d

1.  Standing Committees

The standing committees set forth below are established to facilitate the business of the Board of Regents and the University. The chair, vice chair, and members of each standing committee shall be recommended by the Governance Committee and approved by the Board. Interim committee assignments of newly appointed regents shall be made by the Chair of the Board pending Governance Committee and Board approval. Each standing committee shall consist of at least four members with at least three voting members. All committee chairs, vice chairs, and a majority of each committee shall be Board members. Neither the faculty regent nor the student regent is eligible for election to be chair or vice chair of any committee.

The Student Regent may serve on the Academic and Student Affairs Committee but may not participate or vote on matters relating to the hiring, discipline, tenure, or compensation of faculty members and personnel. The Faculty Regent may serve on the Academic and Student Affairs Committee but may not participate or vote on matters relating to the hiring, discipline, tenure, or compensation of specific faculty members. They will be invited to participate in planning the agendas of the Academic and Student Affairs Committee.

Any subject not assigned to a standing committee shall be retained for consideration by the Board itself. Such retained subjects specifically include selection and evaluation of the University President, establishment of operating and capital budgets, requests for appropriation of state funds, and institutional risk management.

Any matter that would typically fall within the responsibility of one standing committee may be directed by the chair of that committee or the Chair of the Board to any other standing or special committee or the Board itself for consideration.

All matters considered by the standing committees requiring action shall be referred to the Board for action except where such authority has been expressly delegated to a committee. Action taken by a committee under such delegated authority shall be promptly reported to the Board.

A majority of the committee’s voting members shall constitute a quorum.

Minutes of all standing committee meetings shall be taken, submitted to the Board, kept by the Secretary, and be open to public inspection following approval, in the office of the Secretary during regular University business hours and shall also be posted on a web page accessible to the public via a link on the Board’s internet homepage.

A. Governance Committee

The purpose of the Governance Committee is to ensure the integrity of the Board and enhance Board performance. The committee is responsible for:

  1. Establishing and maintaining standards of Board conduct;
  2. Identifying the expertise and experience needed by the Board and, as appropriate, communicating this to the Governor;
  3. Recommending a slate of officers for Board approval;
  4. Recommending for Board approval individual members to act as the Board’s representatives on outside boards and committees;
  5. Ensuring that Board members have adequate orientation and ongoing education;
  6. Assessing the performance of the Board and Board members;
  7. Monitoring the activities of governance shared with the faculty;
  8. Monitoring compliance with the conflict of interest policy;
  9. Periodically reviewing and ensuring compliance with these Bylaws and other Board policies; and
  10. Carrying out the statutory functions of an executive committee.

The Governance Committee shall include and be chaired by the Chair of the Board.

B. Academic and Student Affairs Committee

The purpose of the Academic and Student Affairs committee is to oversee educational quality and the quality of the academic experience of students and student life at the University. The committee is responsible for monitoring:

  1. Learning goals and outcomes;
  2. Program quality, institutional and program accreditation, and program review;
  3. Access and affordability of educational programs;
  4. Student admission, retention, graduation (including the awarding of degrees), and job placement;
  5. Public service programs;
  6. Matters relating to faculty status, responsibilities, appointment, tenure, retention, promotion, and discipline;
  7. Academic planning;
  8. The structure of the academic programs;
  9. University research;
  10. Distance learning and continuing education;
  11. The use of education technology; and
  12. Other matters relating to the general welfare of students, including housing and food services, student fees, health services and health insurance, safety, extracurricular activities, sports programs, and policies governing student conduct and discipline and student organizations.

C. Finance and Asset Management Committee

The purpose of the Finance and Asset Management Committee is to oversee the financial, capital, and other assets of the University. The committee is responsible for monitoring:

  1. The University’s financial health, including that of auxiliary activities such as medicine, athletics, and housing and food services;
  2. Planning, development, maintenance, safety, and protection of all real property and physical assets of the University, including all campuses and stations and the facilities, buildings, and infrastructure thereon;
  3. Investment of funds under the University’s control;
  4. Policies, practices, plans, and reports for compliance with legal and regulatory requirements;
  5. Audit policies, practices, plans, and reports;
  6. The fundraising efforts of the University, including gifts, grants, bequests, and trusts received by the University;
  7. The University’s intellectual properties and technology transfer activities;
  8. The long term financing of capital projects and any other borrowings which may be required by the University;
  9. Planning and maintenance of information systems;
  10. Compensation and benefits of faculty and staff, including collective bargaining policy and agreements; and
  11. Major acquisitions of equipment, goods and services, and the rental or leasing of facilities.

2.  Special Committees

Special committees may be established by the Board on the recommendation of the Governance Committee and given such powers and duties as the Board may determine. The chair, vice chair, and members of each special committee shall be recommended by the Governance Committee and approved by the Board. All matters considered by a special committee requiring action shall be referred to the Board for action except where such authority has been expressly delegated to a committee.

3.  Notice of Meetings of Standing and Special Committees

Meetings of committees of the Board shall be held at such times and places as may be fixed by each committee or its chair. The Secretary of the Board shall give each member of the committee notice of committee meetings in sufficient time and manner to allow attendance at the meetings. Notice of meetings of any committee of the Board at which an action is taken on behalf of the Board pursuant to delegated authority shall be given, when required, in accordance with the applicable law of the state of Washington governing such meetings. The proposed agenda and available pertinent material delivered to the members of a Standing Committee in advance of the date of a meeting of such committee shall also be posted (with the exception of any materials that are exempt from public disclosure under Washington law) on a web page accessible to the public via a link on the Board’s internet home page on the same day they are delivered to the members of the committee.

4.  Communications to and Appearance Before Standing Committees

Any person who wishes to bring a matter to the attention of a Standing Committee may do so by submitting such communication in writing to the Secretary of the Board of Regents for distribution in accordance with the direction of the committee chair.

The committee chair is authorized to determine whether any public comments will be permitted at a meeting of a Standing Committee and may place reasonable limits on the length of such comments.

5.  Advisory Committees and Boards

Advisory committees and boards may be established by the Board on the recommendation of the Governance Committee to provide the University with expert advice on such subjects as the Board may specify. The chair, vice chair, and members of each advisory committee or board shall be recommended by the Governance Committee and approved by the Board. Every advisory committee or board shall include at least one member of the Board, except for the Advisory Committee on Socially Responsible Investing. An advisory committee or board shall have no delegated authority to act for the Board but shall simply offer its advice to the Board or to such standing or special committee as the Board determines.

BR, October 18, 1985; December 13, 1985; March 15, 1991; October 27, 1995; October 17, 1997; July 17, 1998; January 21, 2000; February 21, 2003; October 14, 2004; March 17, 2005; February 18, 2010; November 14, 2013 [Effective January 1, 2014]; May 14, 2015; May 12, 2016; May 11, 2017; RC, September 20, 2017; July 12, 2018; September 13, 2018; September 8, 2022.