Core Component 2.C

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DRAFT

2.C The governing board of the institution is sufficiently autonomous to make decisions in the best interest of the institution and to assure its integrity.

  1. The governing board’s deliberations reflect priorities to preserve and enhance the institution.
  2. The governing board reviews and considers the reasonable and relevant interests of the institution’s internal and external constituencies during its decision-making deliberations.
  3. The governing board preserves its independence from undue influence on the part of donors, elected officials, ownership interests or other external parties when such influence would not be in the best interest of the institution.
  4. The governing board delegates day-to-day management of the institution to the administration and expects the faculty to oversee academic matters.

Argument

2.C.1. The Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees (BOT) was created by the Illinois General Assembly for the purpose of operating, maintaining, and controlling SIU. The board is composed of seven members appointed by the Governor and approved by the Illinois Senate for six-year terms, and student members selected by the student bodies of SIUC and SIUE for one year terms. This vetting and selection assures that the board preserves its independence from undue influence on the part of donors, elected officials, ownership interests, or other external parties when such influence would not be in the best interest of the SIU System or campuses.

The Board Legislation presented in 2.A provides the framework to assure that the BOT is sufficiently autonomous, and that it reviews and considers the reasonable and relevant interests of the institution’s internal and external constituencies during its decision-making deliberations.

The BOT vision is posted on the board's website. The board posts the dates, agendas, minutes, and audio of meetings. The agenda documents the priorities of the board and provides time for public comments and questions. Standing committees include Academic Matters, Architecture and Design, and Finance and Audit. The State requires trustee members to complete leadership training (110 ILCS 205/13). Topics include:

  • public university and labor law
  • contract law ethics
  • sexual violence on campus
  • financial oversight and accountability
  • audits
  • fiduciary responsibilities

The Strategic Improvement Plan, a comprehensive planning document adopted by the BOT for the SIU system in 2017, is one component of a larger planning process that also includes special purpose projects and foundational improvement. The plan identifies the system values of:

  • embracing diversity
  • distributed leadership and governance
  • ethical action and integrity
  • organizational accountability through transparency

In January 2019, the HLC formally notified SIUC to submit an embedded Interim Report in Core Component 2.C as it relates to control and oversight of the SIU School of Medicine. This section serves as the required report.

The following timeline documents key points that led to this decision, and evidence of a resolution. The issues stemmed from a BOT action on December 10, 2015. The BOT changed the reporting line of the Provost and Dean of the Medical School from the SIUC Chancellor to the SIU President. On March 23, 2016, the BOT approved the changes in the Board Legislation (Statues, Bylaws, and Policies) to reflect the change in reporting lines. On August 2018, the HLC requested a written report on the University's governance and administrative structures as it relates to the School of Medicine in order to demonstrate that the University maintains sufficient administrative oversight. The primary documents provided in the report were relevant BOT minutes and a 2015 white paper submitted to the Board by SIU President Randy Dunn.  

Prior to the change in reporting lines, the School of Medicine met the definition of a branch campus with reporting lines to an accredited campus (HLC Policy INST.B.10.02). The change in reporting lines to the system meant that the School of Medicine was not reporting to an accredited campus, which violated the policy. The actions changing reporting lines were reversed in February 2019. All relevant changes to the Board Legislation were also reversed in the subsequent board meeting, March 2019. The current organizational chart for SIUC validates this change.

The responsibility and autonomy of the board to review and provide oversight of the president was demonstrated by the termination of President Randy Dunn reported in the BOT minutes on July 2018. The board’s deliberations on this matter reflected priorities to preserve and enhance the institution. The strategic plan, vision, and mission of the board view the system as a whole. Numerous news sources reported on the crisis faced by the system regarding the President's actions that led to his termination (e.g. Chronicle of Higher Ed, US News and World Report, Inside Higher Ed). In general, they point to his lack of support for the system as a whole and questionable emails. An OEIG report determined that Dunn improperly negotiated hiring of a senior administrator and staff members, and that a board member did not sufficiently perform their duties as board chair. The trustee subsequently stepped down as chair, and was not reappointed by the governor.  

2.C.2. The BOT maintains minutes of all public meetings available on a website. The BOT considers the interests of internal and external constituencies. The internal constituencies of each campus in the system are included in public meetings. BOT policies are developed with input from internal and external constituencies.  

2.C.3. The BOT members have a fiduciary responsibility to the SIU system and each member of the Board of Trustees is a steward of public trust with a legal obligation to comply with relevant laws and regulations, and an ethical obligation to uphold the highest ethical standards in the conduct of and discharge of University business, academic, and service affairs. All members comply with the conflict of interest requirements that are a component of Board of Trustees policy.

2.C.4. The BOT appoints a President, who is the chief executive and administrative authority of the SIU system. The SIUC chancellor is selected by the BOT upon recommendation of the President. As the chief operating officers of SIUC, the Chancellor reports to the President. Whereas the BOT offer guidelines for academic planning, faculty maintain oversight of academic programs.

Faculty oversight of the curriculum is ensured by multiple levels of faculty review. Within colleges, schools, and departments, the review of curriculum is dictated by an operating paper that defines the roles of faculty and faculty committees in the process. The University Core Curriculum (UCC) is overseen and governed by the SIUC University Core Curriculum Office. The Director of the UCC is a faculty member. All modifications or changes to the UCC are reviewed by two faculty advisory committees; the Core Curriculum Executive Council (CCEC) and the Core Curriculum Advisory Representatives (CCAR). SOM curriculum and faculty affairs are overseen by a Faculty Council, which is the faculty constituency group of the SOM. Recommended curricular changes approved by the Faculty Council are then reviewed by the SOM Executive Council.  

Two internal SIUC constituency groups, the Faculty Senate, and the Graduate Council provide faculty oversight of academic programs. New or modified programs approved by academic units, the UCC Office, or the SOM Executive Council are reviewed by one or both of these constituency groups. Faculty from the SOM are involved in both groups. Program mergers and the renaming of colleges are also reviewed. Subsequent approvals involves the provost, chancellor, president, and the IBHE.

The membership of the Faculty Senate represents each academic unit and includes tenure/tenure track and non-tenure track faculty. The SIUC Faculty Senate operating paper mandates four standing committees; 

  • Budget Committee
  • Governance Committee
  • Faculty Status and Welfare Committee
  • Undergraduate Educational Policy Committee

All review and modification of educational programs and policies which affect academic programs are reviewed by the Educational Policy Committee prior to consideration by the full Faculty Senate.

The Graduate Council establishes policy for the Graduate School and has a membership representing graduate faculty and graduate students. The Graduate Council operating paper established four standing committees:

  • Research Committee
  • Educational Policies Committee
  • New Programs Committee
  • Program Review Committee

The rights and responsibly of faculty in maintaining academic programs is also detailed in the SIUC Employee Handbook, the SIUC Faculty Association (FA) contract, and the Non-Tenure Track Faculty Association (NTTFA) agreement.

Sources