Public institutions of higher education; governing boards; membership appointment, terms, and composition; duties relating to shared governance; requirements; work group. Revises the membership requirements for the governing board of each public institution of higher education by (i) increasing from four years to six years the term of each member of the governing board of each public institution of higher education; (ii) clarifying matters relating to the confirmation process of gubernatorial appointees; and (iii) providing for (a) the expiration, upon the effective date of the bill, of the unexpired term of any person serving as a member of a governing board of a public institution of higher education prior to the effective date of the bill and (b) the gubernatorial appointment of new members to the governing board of each public institution of higher education. The bill also requires the governing board of each public institution of higher education to appoint to the governing board (a) one faculty representative as a voting member, selected from a list of individuals nominated by the institution's faculty senate or its equivalent; (b) one staff representative as a voting member, selected from a list of individuals nominated by the institution's staff senate or its equivalent; and (c) one student representative as voting member, selected from a list of individuals nominated by such institution's student government or an equivalent organization or body. The bill also requires the governing board of each public institution of higher education to adopt policies defining and implementing shared governance among the components of the institution's organizational structure. Finally, the bill directs the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to convene a work group for the purpose of developing model shared governance policies, in accordance with the provisions of the bill, and to make such model shared governance policies available to the governing board of each public institution of higher education by January 1, 2027.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 23.1-1300, 23.1-1303, 23.1-2303