BILL AS INTRODUCED H.198
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VT LEG #379084 v.2
H.198 1
Introduced by Representatives Minier of South Burlington, Berbeco of 2
Winooski, Carris-Duncan of Whitingham, Casey of Montpelier, 3
Cina of Burlington, Greer of Bennington, Harple of Glover, 4
Headrick of Burlington, Howard of Rutland City, Kleppner of 5
Burlington, Logan of Burlington, McCann of Montpelier, 6
McGill of Bridport, Morrissey of Bennington, Nugent of South 7
Burlington, Rachelson of Burlington, Satcowitz of Randolph, 8
Sweeney of Shelburne, Tomlinson of Winooski, and Winter of 9
Ludlow 10
Referred to Committee on 11
Date: 12
Subject: Education; University of Vermont; Board of Trustees 13
Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to add one 14
voting faculty member and one staff member to the Board of Trustees of the 15
University of Vermont and State Agricultural College. It also adds a 16
requirement that one of the two student trustees shall be an undergraduate 17
student and one shall be a graduate student. 18
An act relating to the reconstitution of the University of Vermont Board of 19
Trustees 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.198
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VT LEG #379084 v.2
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 1
Sec. 1. 16 App. V.S.A. § 1-2 is amended to read: 2
§ 1-2. BOARD OF TRUSTEES; MEMBERSHIP, TERMS OF SERVICE; 3
PRESIDING CHAIR 4
The Board of Trustees of the University of Vermont and State Agricultural 5
College shall be composed of 25 27 members, whose term of office shall be six 6
years, except as to those who are members ex officio and to those who are 7
faculty and student members. Three members shall be appointed by the 8
Governor with the consent of the Senate. During the legislative session of 9
1955, the Governor shall appoint one member for a term of two years, one 10
member for a term of four years, and one member for a term of six years and it 11
shall be the duty of the Governor during the session of the Legislature prior to 12
expiration of the term of office of any of the members to appoint for the term 13
of six years a successor to the member whose term is expiring. The terms of 14
office of the Trustees trustees shall expire on the last day of February in the 15
respective years of expiration, and the terms of office of their successors shall 16
thereafter begin on March 1 and expire on the last day of February. 17
Nine members shall be those who have been heretofore elected by the 18
Legislature as members of the Board of Trustees of the University of Vermont 19
and State Agricultural College, and whose terms have not expired, and their 20
successors, and it shall be the duty of the Legislature at its session during 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.198
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VT LEG #379084 v.2
which the terms of office of any class of the members expire to elect three 1
successor members for terms of six years. The terms shall commence on 2
March 1 in the year of election. The nine Trustees trustees and their successors 3
shall also constitute the Board of Trustees of the Vermont Agricultural 4
College. 5
Nine members shall be those who have been heretofore elected on behalf of 6
the University of Vermont as members of the Board of Trustees of the 7
University of Vermont and State Agricultural College and whose terms have 8
not expired, and their successors, and it shall be the duty of said nine Trustees 9
trustees to elect successors to fill vacancies occurring among their number 10
upon expiration of the terms of office of any of them or otherwise. The nine 11
Trustees trustees and their successors shall also constitute the Board of 12
Trustees of the University of Vermont. 13
One member shall be a member of the University of Vermont and State 14
Agricultural College faculty, elected by the faculty in an election conducted by 15
the Faculty Senate, to serve a four-year term commencing on March 1 in the 16
year of election. The faculty member shall have full voting rights. A vacancy 17
for any cause shall be filled by a vote of the faculty and the term of the person 18
so appointed to fill the vacancy shall expire on the next following last day of 19
February. 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.198
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One member shall be a member of the University of Vermont and State 1
Agricultural College staff, appointed through a process ensuring broad 2
representation and alignment with the governance standards set for faculty 3
appointees. 4
Two members shall be students enrolled at the University of Vermont and 5
State Agricultural College. One student member shall be a full-time 6
undergraduate student and one student member shall be a full-time graduate 7
student. Their terms of office shall be two years. Prior to February 1, 1978, 8
the Associated Directors for the Appointment of the University of Vermont 9
and State Agricultural College Student Trustees, Incorporated shall select and 10
appoint one student for a term of one year and one student for a term of two 11
years, both of whom shall be enrolled as full-time undergraduate or full-time 12
graduate students. Annually thereafter, the Directors shall meet to select and 13
appoint one student trustee for a term of two years in accordance with the 14
provisions of this section. The Directors shall fill any vacancy occurring 15
among the student trustee members upon the expiration of the term of office of 16
any of them or otherwise. A student shall be eligible to serve as a Trustee 17
trustee, provided the student is a full-time undergraduate or full-time graduate 18
student matriculating in accordance with the degree qualifications and 19
requirements established by the University of Vermont and State Agricultural 20
College and if the student remains in that status throughout the length of the 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.198
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term of office. The term of office of a Student Trustee student trustee shall 1
begin on March 1 following the date of appointment, and the term of office 2
shall end the last day of February in the year of expiration. Any student 3
elected hereunder shall have reached the age of 18 years of age. 4
All Trustees trustees so appointed and elected as hereinbefore provided, 5
shall, together with his or her Excellency, the Governor of the State, and the 6
President, who shall be, ex officio, a member, constitute an entire Board of 7
Trustees of the corporation known as the University of Vermont and State 8
Agricultural College, who shall have the entire management and control of its 9
property and affairs, and in all things relating thereto, except in the elections to 10
fill vacancies, as aforesaid, shall act together jointly, as one entire Board of 11
Trustees;, provided, that all future elections or appointments to the Board of 12
Trustees shall be made with special reference to preventing any religious 13
denominational preponderance in the Board. The Board shall annually, at its 14
first regular meeting after the election of new trustees, elect one of its members 15
to serve as Chair. 16
Sec. 2. TRANSITION 17
(a) On or before July 31, 2025, new faculty and staff members of the Board 18
of Trustees of the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College shall 19
be elected or appointed, as applicable, under Sec. 1 of this act. 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED H.198
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(b) The first year of service of these new members shall be a partial year 1
commencing on August 1, 2025 and ending on the last day of February 2026. 2
The remaining three years of each member’s term shall each be a full year. 3
Sec. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE 4
This act shall take effect on July 1, 2025. 5