The board of trustees is the University of Wyoming’s governing body, which means it plays a big role in overseeing operations and making decisions about the future of the school, influencing its students, staff and faculty.
The trustees have a variety of duties. Board president Dave True said that the primary duty of the trustees is overseeing the employment of the UW president and internal auditor. However, that is only a small piece of their overall responsibilities.
“Each trustee has its fiduciary responsibilities to oversee the policies for the University going forward,” said True. “Honestly, that’s sort of the essence of it.”
For each of the 12 appointed members, there is some leeway to how this is approached based on how each trustee interprets these responsibilities and duties.
Members of the board are appointed by the governor of Wyoming, currently Mark Gordon. In addition to the 12 voting appointees, the board includes five non-voting ex officio members who oversee the meetings and provide input during open discussions.
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.
The voting trustees do not have to have a specific occupation to be a part of the board. The requirements are simply to be a Wyoming resident, and that no more than two-thirds of the 12 trustees are of the same party as the governor.
In addition to appointment of the president and internal auditor and policies, the trustees also oversee the budget for the University as well as its land, buildings and assets.
Before each meeting, administrators including the president create an agenda of items necessary to address and discuss and provide it to the four officers of the board. These officers work with the administration to decide what items should stay on the final agenda.
The trustees have regular meetings throughout the year. They meet in person in odd numbered months, through a conference call in even numbered months and other times whenever a special meeting is called.
In the open discussions at meetings, ex officio members are encouraged and welcome to provide comments and inputs to the discussions, True said. The president of staff senate and the faculty senate are also allowed to participate in these discussions, but the 12 trustees are the only members allowed to vote.
While the Trustees seem to have some leeway into how they interpret their decisions, all members have the same duties and responsibilities they follow. The officers for the board have their specific duties as well, one including that of looking over the agenda.
Those interested in more information from the trustees can contact them at trustees@uwyo.eduor 307-766-4121.
