This year Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon appointed Cody attorney Brad Bonner to the University of Wyoming’s Board of Trustees.
Gordon reappointed several members of the board, each of whom can serve a maximum of two six-year terms.
Bonner said in a release that he was “thrilled and humbled” at the appointment. “I’ve had a lifelong love affair with the University of Wyoming,” he said. “UW is a world-class institution, and one of the best things about it is that it remains affordable for students. I’m eager to help UW continue to grow and innovate.”
The Board of Trustees consists of 12 voting members and five non-voting, or ex officio, members. The five ex officio member seats are for the governor, UW president, Associated Students of the University of Wyoming president, superintendent of public instruction and executive director of the Wyoming Community College Commision.
Board of Trustees President Dave True said that the main qualifications for being a trustees are quite simple: appointees must be a resident of Wyoming, and while the political party of the appointee does not matter, no more than two-thirds of the 12 Trustees be of the same party as the governor.
Trustees also do not need to have a specific occupation. Current board members hail from a range of industries, from flight instructors to attorneys like Bonner.
The two-step selection process for appointing members to the board starts with the current governor of Wyoming appointing a resident of Wyoming, True said. The board must include a trustee from each of the seven state judicial districts, each containing several counties, to assure fair representation throughout the state.
The governor can appoint the remaining five “at large” members from any district or county, though there can not be more than one trustee from a given county serving on the board at the same time.
After the governor has appointed an individual he or she sees fit, the appointment is handed over to the State Legislature Senate, which reviews the appointment and then either accepts or rejects it. If the senate rejects the appointment, the governor must select another appointee.
The appointment of members is typically done in March during odd numbered years, for example the year 2015, 2017 and 2019.
Trustees have multiple responsibilities once becoming a member of the board, chiefly to adopt and approve of policies for the University and oversee these policies. More information about the specific responsibilities of the Trustees as well as the current members and scheduled meetings is available at UWyo.edu/trustees/index.html.
