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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 997
January Session, 2021
LCO No. 4340
Referred to Committee on HIGHER EDUCATION AND
EMPLOYMENT ADVANCEMENT
Introduced by:
(HED)
AN ACT CONCERNING AN EXPANSION OF THE ME MBERSHIP OF
THE BOARD OF TRUSTEE S OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CONNEC TICUT
AND THE VOTING RIGHTS OF THE FACULTY MEM BERS OF THE
BOARD OF REGENTS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 10a-103 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2021): 2
(a) There shall continue to be a Board of Trustees [for] of The 3
University of Connecticut to consist of [twenty-one] twenty-three 4
persons, twelve to be appointed by the Governor, who shall reflect the 5
state's geographic, racial and ethnic diversity; two to be elected by the 6
university alumni; two to be elected by the students enrolled at the 7
institutions under the jurisdiction of said board; two to be elected by the 8
University Senate of said university; and five members ex officio. 9
(b) On or before July 1, 1983, the Governor shall appoint [members] 10
trustees to the board as follows: Four [members] trustees for a term of 11
two years from said date; four [members] trustees for a term of four 12 Raised Bill No. 997
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years from said date; and four [members] trustees for a term of six years 13
from said date. Thereafter, the Governor shall appoint trustees of said 14
university to succeed those appointees whose terms expire, and each 15
trustee so appointed shall hold office for a period of six years from the 16
first day of July in the year of his or her appointment, provided two of 17
the trustees appointed for terms commencing July 1, 1995, and their 18
successors shall be alumni of the university, one of the trustees 19
appointed for a term commencing July 1, 1997, and his or her successors 20
shall be such alumni and one of the members appointed for a term 21
commencing July 1, 1999, and his or her successors shall be such alumni. 22
(c) The Commissioner of Agriculture, the Commissioner of 23
Education, the Commissioner of Economic and Community 24
Development and the chairperson of The University of Connecticut 25
Health Center Board of Directors shall be, ex officio, members of the 26
board of trustees. The Governor shall be, ex officio, president of said 27
board. 28
(d) The graduates of all of the schools and colleges of said university 29
shall, prior to September first in the odd-numbered years, elect one 30
trustee, who shall be a graduate of the institution and who shall hold 31
office for four years from the first day of September succeeding his or 32
her election. Not less than two or more than four nominations for each 33
such election shall be made by the alumni association of said university, 34
provided no person who has served as an alumni trustee for the two full 35
consecutive terms immediately prior to the term for which such election 36
is to be held shall be nominated for any such election. Such election shall 37
be conducted by mail prior to September first under the supervision of 38
a canvassing board consisting of three members, one appointed by the 39
board of trustees, one by the board of directors of the alumni association 40
of the university and one by the president of the university. No ballot in 41
such election shall be opened until the date by which ballots must be 42
returned to the canvassing board. In such election, all graduates shall be 43
entitled to vote by signed ballots which have been circulated to them by 44
mail and which shall be returned by mail. Vacancies occurring by death 45
or resignation of either of such alumni trustees shall be filled for the 46 Raised Bill No. 997
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unexpired portion of the term by special election, if such unexpired term 47
is for more than eighteen months. When the unexpired term is eighteen 48
months or less, such vacancy shall be filled by appointment by the board 49
of directors of said alumni association. 50
(e) On or before November 1, 1975, the students of The University of 51
Connecticut shall, in such manner as the board of trustees of said 52
university shall determine, elect two trustees, each of whom shall be 53
enrolled as a full-time student of said university at the time of his or her 54
election. One such [member] trustee shall be elected for a term of one 55
year from November 1, 1975, and one for a term of two years from said 56
date. Prior to July first, annually, such students shall, in accordance with 57
this section and in such manner as the board shall determine, elect one 58
[member] trustee of [said] the board, who shall be so enrolled at said 59
university at the time of his or her election and who shall serve for a 60
term of two years from July first in the year of his or her election. The 61
student [member] trustee elected to fill the term expiring on June 30, 62
2003, and such elected [member's] trustee's successors, shall be enrolled 63
as a full-time undergraduate student at a school or college of the 64
university and shall be elected by the undergraduate students of the 65
schools and colleges of the university. The student [member] trustee 66
elected to fill the term expiring on June 30, 2004, and such elected 67
[member's] trustee's successors, shall be enrolled as a full-time student 68
in the School of Law, the School of Medicine, the School of Dentistry, 69
the School of Social Work, or as a graduate student of a school or college 70
of the university, and shall be elected by the students of the School of 71
Law, the School of Medicine, the School of Dentistry, the School of Social 72
Work and the graduate students of the schools and colleges of the 73
university. Any student [member] trustee elected after July 1, 2013, shall 74
be enrolled as a full-time student at the time of his or her election and 75
for the duration of his or her term of service. Any vacancies in the 76
elected membership of said board shall, except as otherwise provided 77
in this section, be filled by special election for the balance of the 78
unexpired term. 79
(f) On or before November 1, 2021, the members of the University 80 Raised Bill No. 997
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Senate of The University of Connecticut shall, in such manner as the 81
Board of Trustees of The University of Connecticut shall determine, elect 82
two trustees from among the elected and voting members of the 83
University Senate, one of whom shall be employed as a full-time faculty 84
member of said university for the duration of such trustee's term on the 85
board. One such member shall be elected for a term expiring on June 30, 86
2022, and one for a term expiring on June 30, 2023. On or before July 1, 87
2022, and annually thereafter, in accordance with this subsection and in 88
such manner as the board shall determine, the University Senate shall 89
elect, from among its elected and voting members, one trustee of the 90
board who is employed by said university for the duration of such 91
trustee's term on the board and who shall serve for a term of two years 92
from July first in the year of such trustee's election. The trustee elected 93
to fill the term expiring on June 30, 2022, and such elected trustee's 94
successors, shall be employed as a full-time faculty member of said 95
university for the duration of such trustee's term on the board. Any 96
vacancies in the trustee positions elected pursuant to this subsection, 97
shall be filled by a special election for the balance of the unexpired term. 98
No trustee elected to the board pursuant to this subsection may (1) 99
attend or participate in a meeting of the board held in executive session 100
concerning personnel matters, or (2) vote on matters relating to 101
collective bargaining negotiations or agreements. 102
Sec. 2. Subsection (a) of section 10a-1a of the general statutes is 103
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 104
2021): 105
(a) There shall be a Board of Regents for Higher Education who shall 106
serve as the governing body for the regional community-technical 107
college system, the Connecticut State University System and Charter 108
Oak State College. The board shall consist of twenty-one members who 109
shall be distinguished leaders of the community in Connecticut. The 110
board shall reflect the state's geographic, racial and ethnic diversity. The 111
voting members shall not be employed by or be a member of a board of 112
trustees for any independent institution of higher education in this state 113
or the Board of Trustees for The University of Connecticut nor shall they 114 Raised Bill No. 997
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be public officials or state employees, as such terms are defined in 115
section 1-79, during their term of membership on the Board of Regents 116
for Higher Education. The Governor shall appoint nine members to the 117
board as follows: Three members for a term of two years; three members 118
for a term of four years; and three members for a term of six years. 119
Thereafter, the Governor shall appoint members of the board to succeed 120
such appointees whose terms expire and each member so appointed 121
shall hold office for a period of six years from the first day of July in the 122
year of his or her appointment. Four members of the board shall be 123
appointed as follows: One appointment by the president pro tempore of 124
the Senate, who shall be an alumnus of the regional community-125
technical college system, for a term of four years; one appointment by 126
the minority leader of the Senate, who shall be a specialist in the 127
education of children in grades kindergarten to twelve, inclusive, for a 128
term of three years; one appointment by the speaker of the House of 129
Representatives, who shall be an alumnus of the Connecticut State 130
University System, for a term of four years; and one appointment by the 131
minority leader of the House of Representatives, who shall be an 132
alumnus of Charter Oak State College, for a term of three years. 133
Thereafter, such members of the General Assembly shall appoint 134
members of the board to succeed such appointees whose terms expire 135
and each member so appointed shall hold office for a period of four 136
years from the first day of July in the year of his or her appointment. The 137
chairperson and vice-chairperson of the student advisory committee 138
created under section 10a-3 shall serve as members of the board. The 139
chairperson and vice-chairperson of the faculty advisory committee 140
created under section 10a-3a shall serve as ex-officio [, nonvoting] 141
members of the board, [for a term of two years and, in their respective 142
roles as chairperson and vice-chairperson, may be invited to any 143
executive session, as defined in section 1-200, of the board by the 144
chairperson of the board] provided no such member of the board may 145
(1) attend or participate in a meeting of the board held in executive 146
session concerning personnel matters, or (2) vote on matters relating to 147
collective bargaining negotiations or agreements. The Commissioners of 148
Education, Economic and Community Development and Public Health 149 Raised Bill No. 997
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and the Labor Commissioner shall serve as ex-officio, nonvoting 150
members of the board. 151
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2021 10a-103
Sec. 2 July 1, 2021 10a-1a(a)
Statement of Purpose:
To (1) add two members of The University of Connecticut's University
Senate to the Board of Trustees of The University of Connecticut, and (2)
allow faculty members of the Board of Regents for Higher Education to
be voting members.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]