Bylaws of the Board of Regents

Board of Regents Bylaws PDF

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BL01. Name, Authority, and Seal. 

A. Name.

The official name of the Board of Regents will be the Board of Regents of the University of Alaska. In these bylaws, the term “board” means the Board of Regents of the University of Alaska.

B. Constitutional Authority.

  1. The University of Ƶis established by the Constitution of the State of Alaska, Article VII, Section 2, which provides:  

    The University of Ƶis hereby established as the state university and constituted a body corporate. It shall have title to all real and personal property now or hereafter set aside for or conveyed to it. Its property shall be administered and disposed of according to law.

  2. The Board of Regents and its authority over the University of Ƶis established by the Constitution of the State of Alaska, Article VII, Section 3, which provides:

    The University of Ƶshall be governed by a board of regents. The regents shall be appointed by the governor, subject to confirmation by a majority of the members of the legislature in joint session. The board shall, in accordance with law, formulate policy and appoint the president of the university. He shall be the executive officer of the board.

C. Statutory Authority.

Statutory provisions related to the authority of the Board of Regents over the University of Ƶare contained in AS 14.40.

D. Corporate Seal. 

 Corporate Seal

The corporate seal of the University of Ƶwill contain an inner circle and an outer circle. The outer circle will contain the name "University of Alaska" and the inner circle will contain the words "corporate seal," and the year "1917" signifying the founding of the University of Alaska.

(09-27-12)

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BL02. Appointment, Term of Office, Compensation and Orientation.

 A. Appointment of Regents

Regents will be selected, appointed, and will hold office in the manner provided by law. For purposes of determining the qualifications for office of the student regent appointed pursuant to AS 14.40.150(b), "full-time student" as used in AS 14.40.130(e) means a student enrolled in at least 12 units, or 9 units if admitted as a graduate student. Unless otherwise disqualified for academic or disciplinary reasons, a person who has met the standard of "full-time student" ceases to be a student only upon failing to enroll as a full-time student at the university by the end of the last applicable late registration deadline for two consecutive semesters. For purposes of the preceding sentence, "semester" includes the fall, spring, or summer semester, summer session, or summer term.

B. Term of Office 

The term of office for a regent other than the student regent appointed pursuant to AS 14.40.150(b) is eight years as provided by AS 14.40.140. The term of office begins on the first Monday in February of the year in which the appointment is made. The term of office for the student regent appointed pursuant to AS 14.40.150(b) is two years and begins on June 1 of the year in which the appointment is made as provided by AS 14.40.150(b). Regents serve for the length of their term, until resignation, or until a replacement has been named by the governor.

C. Compensation

Regents receive no compensation for their service. Regents will receive per diem and reimbursement for travel expenses for attendance at board meetings or for other university purposes approved by the board chair.

D. Orientation

Each regent will be informed of the powers and responsibilities of members of the board by the board chair and the university president within a reasonable time following the regent's appointment.

(09-27-12)

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BL03. Duties of the Board of Regents.

The board will be responsible for the governance of the university as provided by the Constitution of the State of Ƶand the laws enacted pursuant thereto.  The board shall annually review the performance of the board and set annual goals.  A failure to perform an annual review is an internal matter and does not affect the validity of any action.

The board will govern the Ƶ and its constituent institutions consistent with the System’s status as a constitutional corporation and a single legal entity. The board will serve as the governing body for each accredited institution and the system as a whole. Each member of the board will uphold their constitutional and fiduciary duty to act prudently, in accordance with law, and in the best interests of the Ƶ. The board, pursuant to the constitution and law, will formulate policy and appoint a president, who will serve as the executive officer of the board. The board will accomplish its oversight responsibilities primarily through the president, who serves as the board’s surrogate across the system. The board will reserve authority to itself, establish the scope of authority of the president and other officers, and provide direction through its bylaws and policy, as well as direction of the full board, acting as a committee of the whole. Consistent with law and board policy, the board will reserve to itself authority in areas including: appointment of officers and reporting relationships with the internal auditor, chief finance officer, and general counsel; collective bargaining agreements; structure of academic units; salary structures and employee benefits; budget, debt, finance, tuition, real property, capital planning, philanthropy/development, athletics, and degree programs; fiduciary responsibilities for certain funds, endowments, and trusts; and initiation, augmentation, reduction, or discontinuation of teaching, research, and service programs. The board will delegate its authority as prudent, necessary, and consistent with law, with the board and its members ultimately retaining legal responsibility for compliance with law, governance, and fiscal stability of the University System. Delegations of board authority will be consistent with the delegee’s level of responsibility in the organization, reflect the integrated nature of the institutions and the system, and ensure continued board oversight.                                                                                                                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             (09-10-20)

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BL04. Officers.

The officers of the board will be chair, vice chair, secretary, and treasurer. The board may establish or abolish from time to time such offices and positions as may be appropriate to perform the functions of the board. 

(02-07-07)

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BL05. Officer Election, Term of Office, Removal from Office, and Vacancies.

 A. Election.

At the annual meeting of the board, the officers of the board will be elected by a simple majority vote. Voting may be by secret ballot. Nominations will be taken from the floor.

B. Term of Office. 

The officers of the board will serve a 1-year term of office or until a successor is elected. A regent may not hold office as chair for more than three full consecutive terms.

C. Removal from Office.

An officer of the board may be removed from the office by a simple majority vote of the whole board at any regular or special meeting.

D. Vacancies.

Upon completion of service of a regent holding office, the office becomes vacant. A vacancy created by death, resignation, expiration of the term of appointment or otherwise may be filled at the same meeting, or the next regular or special meeting of the board. A person elected to fill a vacancy serves the remainder of the term of the office vacated.

(02-07-07)

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BL06. Duties and Powers of Board Officers.

A. Chair. 

The board chair will preside at all meetings of the board; will establish and eliminate committees of the board as appropriate; will appoint the chairs and members of all committees of the board unless otherwise specified in these bylaws; will assign individual regents to external boards and commissions; and will perform such other duties as may be provided by these bylaws or by law. All decisions of the chair are subject to the will of the board. The chair will be entitled to vote in all matters.

B. Vice Chair.

The vice chair will, in the case of the vacancy, absence, incapacity, or resignation of the chair, perform the duties of the chair until the chair returns or is replaced in the manner provided by these bylaws.

C. Secretary.

The secretary will cause to be kept minutes of the meetings of the board; and the serving of all notices required by these bylaws after consultation with the board chair and the university president; will attend to such correspondence as may be assigned; and will perform all duties incidental to the office of secretary.

D. Treasurer.

The treasurer will cause the funds and securities of the university to be deposited in the name of the university in such bank and investment accounts in accordance with policies approved by the board. The treasurer will cause to be paid out money under the direction of the board, and exhibit the records at any time to any person authorized to inspect the same.

E. Secretary or Treasurer Pro Tem.

In the absence of the secretary or treasurer, the chair may appoint a regent to serve as secretary pro tem or treasurer pro tem who will have all authority of the secretary or treasurer. The appointments may be terminated by a majority vote of the board.

F. Delegation of Powers.  

In case of the absence of any officer of the board, or for any other reason that the board may deem sufficient, the board, by majority vote, may delegate the powers or duties of such officer to any member of the board.

(11-09-17)

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BL07. Committees of the Board of Regents.

A. Scope.

The committees of the board will study problems in the areas assigned to them and advise the board as to appropriate policy changes and action. Each committee will keep informed with respect to the manner in which the policies of the board are being administered in its assigned area. Unless otherwise specifically directed by action of the board, all committees will be advisory to the board. Committees will be established and eliminated by the board chair. Decisions of committees may be overruled by action of the board.

B. Composition.

Unless committee composition is otherwise provided by these bylaws, committees will consist of not less than three, nor more than five regents appointed by the chair with the chair serving as an ex-officio member of each committee.

C. Committee Chair.