Source: http://www.wvlegislature.gov/WVCODE/Code.cfm?chap=18B&art=2A
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 02:49:37+00:00

Document:
§18B-2A-1. Findings; composition of boards; terms and qualifications of members; vacancies; eligibility for reappointment.
§18B-2A-3. Oversight of governing boards; promulgation of rules; data collection and dissemination.
§18B-2A-4. Powers and duties of governing boards generally.
§18B-2A-5. Public school service program.
§18B-2A-6. University status for public baccalaureate institutions of higher education.
§18B-2A-7. Transfer of orders, resolutions, policies and rules, obligations, etc.; division of assets and liabilities; financial audits.
§18B-2A-7a. Transfer of orders, resolutions, policies and rules, obligations, etc.
§18B-2A-8. Additional powers and duties of governing boards.
(4) The diverse perspectives that arise from a membership that is balanced in terms of gender and varied in terms of race and ethnic heritage.
A board of governors is continued at each of the following institutions: Bluefield State College, Blue Ridge Community and Technical College, Bridgemont Community and Technical College, Concord University, Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College, Fairmont State University, Glenville State College, Kanawha Valley Community and Technical College, Mountwest Community and Technical College, Marshall University, New River Community and Technical College, Pierpont Community and Technical College, Shepherd University, Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College, West Liberty University, West Virginia Northern Community and Technical College, the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, West Virginia State University, West Virginia University and West Virginia University at Parkersburg.
(1) An appointment to fill a vacancy on the board or reappointment of a member who is eligible to serve an additional term is made in accordance with the provisions of this section.
(2) The Board of Governors for Marshall University consists of sixteen persons. The Board of Governors for West Virginia University consists of seventeen persons. The boards of governors of the other state institutions of higher education consist of twelve persons.
(C) A member from the institutional classified employees duly elected by the classified employees of the respective institution or, if the respective institution does not have classified employees, a member from the institutional nonclassified employees duly elected by the nonclassified employees of the respective institution.
(B) A full-time faculty member representing the extension service at the institution or a full-time faculty member representing the health sciences, selected by the faculty senate.
(6) For each board of governors of the other state institutions of higher education, nine lay members appointed by the Governor, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, pursuant to this section.
(A) Of the nine members appointed by the Governor, no more than five may be of the same political party. Of the thirteen members appointed by the Governor to the governing board of Marshall University, no more than eight may be of the same political party. Of the twelve members appointed by the Governor to the governing board of West Virginia University, no more than seven may be of the same political party.
(B) Of the nine members appointed by the Governor, at least five shall be residents of the state. Of the thirteen members appointed by the Governor to the governing board of Marshall University, at least eight shall be residents of the state. Of the twelve members appointed by the Governor to the governing board of West Virginia University, at least seven shall be residents of the state.
(D) The value of achieving balance in gender and diversity in the racial and ethnic characteristics of the lay membership of each board.
(1) The student member serves for a term of one year. Each term begins on July 1.
(2) The faculty member serves for a term of two years. Each term begins on July 1. Faculty members are eligible to succeed themselves for three additional terms, not to exceed a total of eight consecutive years.
(3) The member representing classified employees or, as appropriate, nonclassified employees serves for a term of two years. Each term begins on July 1. Members representing classified employees or, as appropriate, nonclassified employees are eligible to succeed themselves for three additional terms, not to exceed a total of eight consecutive years.
(4) The appointed lay citizen members serve terms of four years each and are eligible to succeed themselves for no more than one additional term, except that citizen members who are appointed to fill unexpired terms are eligible to succeed themselves for two full terms after completing an unexpired term.
(5) A vacancy in an unexpired term of a member shall be filled for the unexpired term within thirty days of the occurrence of the vacancy in the same manner as the original appointment or election. Except in the case of a vacancy, all elections are held and all appointments are made no later than June 30 preceding the commencement of the term. Each board of governors shall elect one of its appointed lay members to be chairperson in June of each year. A member may not serve as chairperson for more than four consecutive years.
(6) The appointed members of the boards of governors serve staggered terms of up to four years except that four of the initial appointments to the governing boards of community and technical colleges that became independent July 1, 2008, are for terms of two years and five of the initial appointments are for terms of four years.
(A) For a baccalaureate institution or university, a person is ineligible for appointment who is an officer, employee or member of any other board of governors within this state; an employee of any institution of higher education within this state; an officer or member of any political party executive committee; the holder of any other public office or public employment under the government of this state or any of its political subdivisions; an employee of any affiliated research corporation created pursuant to article twelve of this chapter; an employee of any affiliated foundation organized and operated in support of one or more state institutions of higher education; or a member of the council or commission: Provided, That if an appointee is an employee or board member of an out-of-state higher education institution, there is no apparent conflict of interest caused by the individual serving in both capacities. This subsection does not prevent the representative from the faculty, classified employees or, as appropriate, nonclassified employees, students or the superintendent of a county board of education from being members of the governing boards.
(B) For a community and technical college, a person is ineligible for appointment who is an officer, employee or member of any other board of governors within this state; a member of a board of visitors of any public institution of higher education; an employee of any institution of higher education within this state; an officer or member of any political party executive committee; the holder of any other public office, other than an elected county office, or public employment, other than employment by the county board of education, under the government of this state or any of its political subdivisions; an employee of any affiliated research corporation created pursuant to §18B-12-1 et seq. of this code; an employee of any affiliated foundation organized and operated in support of one or more state institutions of higher education; or a member of the council or commission: Provided, That if an appointee is an employee or board member of an out-of-state higher education institution, there is no apparent conflict of interest caused by the individual serving in both capacities. This subsection does not prevent the representative from the faculty, classified employees or, as appropriate, nonclassified employees or students from being members of the governing boards.
(2) Before exercising any authority or performing any duties as a member of a governing board, each member shall qualify as such by taking and subscribing to the oath of office prescribed by section five, article IV of the Constitution of West Virginia and the certificate thereof shall be filed with the Secretary of State.
(3) A member of a governing board appointed by the Governor may not be removed from office by the Governor except for official misconduct, incompetence, neglect of duty or gross immorality and then only in the manner prescribed by law for the removal of the state elective officers by the Governor.
(4) The members of the board of governors serve without compensation, but are reimbursed for all reasonable and necessary expenses actually incurred in the performance of official duties under this article upon presentation of an itemized sworn statement of expenses.
(5) The president of the institution shall make available resources of the institution for conducting the business of its board of governors. All expenses incurred by the board of governors and the institution under this section are paid from funds allocated to the institution for that purpose.
(a) The boards of Governors shall hold at least six meetings in every fiscal year, including an annual meeting each June for the purpose of electing officers.
Of the sixteen voting members of the boards of Governors of Marshall University and West Virginia University, nine shall constitute a quorum. Of the twelve voting members of the boards of Governors of the other state institutions of higher education, seven shall constitute a quorum. A majority vote of the quorum shall be necessary to pass upon matters before the institutional board of Governors.
(b) The boards of Governors may set aside time as they consider appropriate to afford administrators, faculty, students and classified staff an opportunity to discuss issues affecting these groups.
(a) The governing boards are subject to the oversight of the commission or the council, as appropriate, except that the authority of the commission relating to the exempted schools is limited to the specific authorities granted under this chapter.
(b) The Chancellor for Higher Education and the Chancellor for Community and Technical College Education, under the supervision of their respective boards, are responsible for the coordination of policies, purposes and rules of the governing boards except the exempted schools and shall provide for and facilitate sufficient interaction among the governing boards and between the governing boards and the State Board of Education to meet the goals and objectives provided in the compacts and in section one-a, article one and article one-d of this chapter.
(c) The governing boards and the State Board of Education shall provide all information requested by the commission and the council, whether the request is made separately or jointly, in an appropriate format and in a timely manner.
(d)(1) Each governing board shall cooperate with the West Virginia Network for Educational Telecomputing (WVNET) in designing appropriate interfaces with the databases of institutions under its jurisdiction and shall grant WVNET direct access to these databases.
(2) WVNET, on behalf of the commission or council or both, shall generate reports from the data accessed for the purposes set forth in section five, article one-a and sections eight and ten, article one-d of this chapter.
(3) All data accessed or received from an institution shall be treated in a manner consistent with the privacy protections outlined in section ten, article one-d of this chapter.
(b) Develop a master plan for the institution under its jurisdiction.
(1) The ultimate responsibility for developing and updating each master plan at the institution resides with the governing board, but the ultimate responsibility for approving the final version of each master plan, including periodic updates, resides with the commission or council, as appropriate: Provided, That commission approval is not required for master plans of exempted schools.
(C) Documentation showing how the governing board involved the commission or council, as appropriate, constituency groups, clientele of the institution and the general public in the development of all segments of the master plan.
(3) The plan shall be established for periods of not fewer than three nor more than five years and shall be revised periodically as necessary, including adding or deleting programs. The commission may review and comment upon the master plan of an exempted school. The commission may review, but may not approve or disapprove, additions or deletions of degree programs, except as expressly provided for in subdivision (39), subsection (a), section four of article one-b of this chapter.
(4) For the exempted schools, the master plan shall be updated at least bi-annually and include the steps taken to meet the legislatively established policies contained in article one-d of this chapter and reports on each of the data elements identified in article one-d of this chapter, including progress that the exempted schools are making relating to retention and graduation rates for resident students by organization and each college within the organization. The exempted schools shall provide copies of their respective master plan to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability and the commission.
(t) Delegate, with prescribed standards and limitations, the part of its power and control over the business affairs of the institution to the president in any case where it considers the delegation necessary and prudent in order to enable the institution to function in a proper and expeditious manner and to meet the requirements of its master plan and compact. If a governing board elects to delegate any of its power and control under this subsection, it shall enter the delegation in the minutes of the meeting when the decision was made and shall notify the commission or council, as appropriate. Any delegation of power and control may be rescinded by the appropriate governing board, the commission or council, as appropriate, at any time, in whole or in part, except that the commission may not revoke delegations of authority made by the governing board of the exempted schools.
(1) Not later than July 1, 2012, the Department of Administration shall make available to each governing board the option of using a standardized electronic system for these personnel transactions.
(aa) Contract and pay for disability insurance for a class or classes of employees at a state institution of higher education under its jurisdiction.
(bb) A governing board under the jurisdiction of the commission may contract and pay for any supplemental employee benefit, at the governing board’s discretion: Provided, That if such supplemental benefit program incurs institutional expense, then the board may not delegate the approval of such supplemental employee benefit program.
Each governing board shall establish and implement a policy through which college students obtain credit toward graduation for service performed in the public schools as tutors, student advisors and mentors to instill in public school students the benefits of postsecondary education attainment.
(a) The purpose of this section is to redesignate certain existing public baccalaureate institutions as universities and to provide a mechanism for other public baccalaureate institutions to become universities. The change in name is based on each institution's ability to meet minimum standards developed and adopted by the commission.
(2) On and after the effective date designated by the governing board, the baccalaureate institution shall be designated a university.
(c) Concord college, Fairmont state college, Shepherd college and West Virginia state college, having met the eligibility requirements established by the commission to attain university status, are hereby designated as universities on the effective date of this section.
(d) An institution may not request or seek additional state appropriations as a result of the redesignation provided for in this section. No consequences, including the need to meet future accreditation requirements in order to maintain university status, which arise as a result of designating an existing state college as a university, provide sufficient justification for an institution to request or in any way seek additional state funds.
(e) Notwithstanding any provision of this code to the contrary, Marshall university and West Virginia University are, and remain, the only research and doctoral degree-granting public institutions of higher education in this state.
(a) When a board of Governors is established for the Community and Technical College of Shepherd or New River Community and Technical College, all orders, resolutions, policies and rules adopted or promulgated by the community and technical college's sponsoring institution relating to the community and technical college or community and technical college education, or which the newly established board of Governors finds necessary for the exercise of its lawful powers and duties pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, shall continue in effect until rescinded, revised, altered or amended by the newly established board of Governors. Nothing in this section requires the initial rules or policies of the community and technical college to be promulgated again under the rule adopted by the council for community and technical college education pursuant to section six, article one of this chapter unless such rules or policies are rescinded, revised, altered or amended.
(b) Each valid agreement and obligation, undertaken or agreed to on behalf of either of the above community and technical colleges by its sponsoring institution before a board of Governors is established for the community and technical college is hereby transferred to the board of Governors of the community and technical college once established.
(c) The boards of Governors of each former sponsoring institution and community and technical college shall jointly agree on a division of all assets and liabilities between the sponsoring institution and the community and technical college. If the boards of Governors are unable to reach agreement concerning a division of assets and liabilities on or before May 1 following the date on which the board of Governors of the community and technical college is established, the boards of Governors shall submit a summary of issues in dispute to the Higher Education Policy Commission and the council for community and technical college education which shall jointly resolve all outstanding issues concerning the division of assets and liabilities.
(d) The division of all assets and liabilities between the former sponsoring institution and community and technical college shall be effective on July 1, following the date on which the board of Governors of the community and technical college is established.
(e) Any financial audit conducted for the period before the effective date of the division of assets and liabilities shall treat the community and technical college as an administratively linked institution.
(5) West Virginia University at Parkersburg.
(b) All orders, resolutions, policies and rules adopted or promulgated by a governing board of a former administratively linked community and technical college, regional campus, or division within an accredited institution on behalf of an institution named in subsection (a) of this section relating to the community and technical college or community and technical college education, or which the newly-established board of Governors finds necessary or expedient for the exercise of its lawful powers and duties pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, shall continue in effect until rescinded, revised, altered or amended by the newly-established board of Governors. Nothing in this section requires the initial rules or policies of a community and technical college to be promulgated again under the rule adopted by the council pursuant to section six, article one of this chapter unless such rules or policies are rescinded, revised, altered or amended.
(c) Each valid agreement and obligation, undertaken or agreed to by the former sponsoring institution or governing board of a division, regional campus or administratively-linked community and technical college before July 1, 2008, on behalf of a community and technical college named in subsection (a) of this section is hereby transferred to the board of Governors of that community and technical college.
(d) Each newly established board of Governors and each appropriate institution formerly sponsoring a community and technical college shall jointly agree on a division of all assets and liabilities. If the boards of Governors are unable to reach agreement concerning a division of assets and liabilities on or before December 1, 2008, the boards of Governors shall submit a summary of issues in dispute to the commission and the council which shall jointly resolve all outstanding issues concerning the division of assets and liabilities.
(e) For purposes of generating audited financial statements for inclusion in the higher education fund and state single audits, the division of all assets and liabilities shall be effective retroactively to July 1, 2008.
(A) The three-person panel is comprised of one person appointed by the chairperson of the commission, one person appointed by the chairperson of the council, and one person appointed jointly by the two chairpersons.
(B) The decision rendered by the three-person panel is binding on the governing boards, commission and council, and may not be challenged in the courts of this state.
(g) Each former sponsoring institution and community and technical college shall enter into a comprehensive agreement to address the division of assets and liabilities and the allocation of revenues and expenditures between former sponsoring institutions and newly independent community and technical colleges.
(1) For accounting purposes, the institution that assumes responsibility for any asset also shall assume responsibility for any associated liabilities.
(2) Although one institution may assume responsibility for an asset and associated liabilities for accounting purposes, both institutions shall agree on their respective responsibilities for reducing and ultimately eliminating the liability over time if the asset was originally acquired and/or is being used for the benefit of both institutions.
(A) Any agreement to allocate system and institution educational and general and auxiliary debt service payments shall be consistent with the provisions of all applicable bond covenants.
(B) Absent a controlling bond covenant or other agreement, debt service payments associated with bonded indebtedness presumptively shall be allocated based on the relative full-time equivalent student enrollment of the two institutions either as a whole or on the campus where the asset is located and may be adjusted annually to reflect enrollment changes at the two institutions.
(3) The institutions shall agree to allocate educational and general and auxiliary capital fees in excess of those needed to cover bonded indebtedness to ensure that assets of both institutions are maintained in proper repair and that the institutions assume responsibility for a reasonable share of the total costs of maintaining the facilities.
(4) The institutions shall develop a plan that ensures the financial stability of auxiliary enterprises, including, but not limited to, student housing, student centers, dining services, parking, and athletics through fiscal year 2012.
(A) If community and technical college students pay a mandatory athletics fee for the benefit of a former sponsoring institution, but receive no direct benefit from that fee, the community and technical college may phase out that fee over a five-year period.
(B) If certain community and technical college students were required to live in institution housing consistent with rules or policies in effect on the effective date of this section, the former sponsoring institution may continue to require these students to live in institution housing for at least one year.
(4) The adequacy of the transition plan.
(j) To the extent practicable, state financial systems shall be set up for higher education institutions which participate in shared services agreements to facilitate ease of processing while ensuring that data from the two institutions are readily segregable at the state level.
(5) Section six-a, article ten of this chapter.
(3) The commission and council shall report their findings together with a list of the governing boards they each have approved to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability by December 1, 2011.
(d) The commission and council have the power and the duty to monitor participation and provide technical assistance, as requested or required, to governing boards under their respective jurisdictions and to limit or rescind exercise of the powers, in whole or in part, granted by this section to a governing board if, in the sole determination of the commission or council, as appropriate, that action is warranted.

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