The University Board of Regents will soon revise and reorganize its bylaws after 30 years of making isolated changes without a formal, in-depth clerical review.
Roberta Palmer, secretary for the University, said the revision will update, clarify and look for duplications in the bylaws. The regents' bylaws outline the University's administrative structure and give rules for governance.
"Over the years, you add things that become outdated, outvoted," Palmer said. "On occasion, it's just good to review things. With the new president coming in, it just seemed like a good idea."
Palmer, Executive Director for Human Resources Jackie McClain, and interim General Counsel Elizabeth Barry, make up the working committee that will oversee the revision process.
Palmer said the committee will not make any major changes in the bylaws.
"It's more a type of housekeeping rather than substantive changes," Palmer said.
Palmer cited the inclusion of the new Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs position and the re-definition of some of the University's institutes and clinics as items that will be looked at during the revision.
Regent Olivia Maynard (D-Goodrich) said she doesn't expect that the revisions will lead to any major changes in the bylaws.
"Periodically, you just need to look at the bylaws to make sure that they really allow you to operate effectively," Maynard said.
Palmer sent a memo to the University's deans and faculty members asking for their input on the revision effort.
Physiology Prof. Louis D'Alecy, chair of the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs, said SACUA plans to give its input to the regents.
In addition to examining the language associated with the more academic aspects of the bylaws and the description of the professoriate, D'Alecy said he hopes the project will look at tenure issues and the role of the Board in Control of Intercollegiate Athletics.
"(We) hope to keep the discussion open long enough that there can be some substantive discussion on this," D'Alecy said.
D'Alecy said SACUA is discussing the possible addition of an orderly procedure for filing grievances.
"We're hoping that something like that might be brought to the attention of the group revising (the bylaws)," D'Alecy said.
In accordance with the official procedure for changing the bylaws, the suggested changes will go through various phases of approval before being presented to the Board of Regents for final approval. For example, changes affecting the faculty will be presented to SACUA before they are voted on by the regents.
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