University Governance. Blueprint for Reform

Public university governing boards exist to serve the people of their states. It should, therefore, be easy for the public to know what governing bodies are doing. University governance, however, isn't always as transparent as it should be. Often, the public is given little advance notice of when and where meetings will be held and what issues will be discussed. One of the silver linings of the pandemic was an increase in governance transparency. Governing boards began live-streaming meetings that hadn't previously been available for remote viewing. Many meetings, including committee and subcommittee meetings, became publicly available via live stream. Some schools even recorded and posted those meetings for later public viewing online. This was a positive step in transparency because, aside from a global pandemic, members of the public do not always have the ability to physically attend meetings in person. Another positive practice adopted during the pandemic was the policy of conducting votes by roll call. Taking votes by roll call, and later recording those votes in the meeting minutes, ensures accuracy. Unfortunately, as universities transitioned back to meeting in person, some of the gains in transparency have been abandoned. Those practices should be restored and made permanent board policy, along with additional transparency measures.