BILL AS INTRODUCED S.136
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S.136 1
Introduced by Senator Perchlik 2
Referred to Committee on 3
Date: 4
Subject: Education; postsecondary education; Vermont State Colleges 5
Corporation; University of Vermont; board of trustees; shared 6
governance 7
Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to add two 8
faculty or staff trustees to the boards of trustees of both the Vermont State 9
Colleges Corporation and the University of Vermont and State Agricultural 10
College. 11
An act relating to the governance of the Vermont State Colleges and the 12
University of Vermont and State Agricultural College 13
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 14
* * * Vermont State Colleges Corporation; Board of Trustees * * * 15
Sec. 1. 16 V.S.A. § 2172 is amended to read: 16
§ 2172. TRUSTEES; APPOINTMENT; VACANCIES 17
(a) The Corporation shall be governed by a board of 15 17 trustees who 18
shall be appointed or elected as follows: 19 BILL AS INTRODUCED S.136
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(1) Biennially, the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, 1
shall appoint trustees to serve for four-year terms expiring March 1 of the year 2
of the biennial session. Five trustees may be in office at one time under this 3
subdivision. In the event of any vacancy occurring between biennial sessions 4
in an office under this subdivision, the Governor, pursuant to 3 V.S.A. § 257, 5
shall fill the vacancy, and the term of a person so appointed shall expire on 6
March 1 in the year of the next following biennial session. 7
(2)(A) One trustee Two trustees shall be a student trustee trustees: 8
(i) who is a are matriculated student students at an educational 9
institution operated by the Vermont State Colleges Corporation; 10
(ii) who is are pursuing a degree program; and 11
(iii) who has have reached the age of majority. 12
(B) The student trustee trustees shall serve a one-year term terms 13
expiring on June 1. The student trustee trustees shall be appointed, and a 14
vacancy may be filled, from among those eligible students applying for the 15
position by the decision of those members of the steering committee of the 16
Vermont State Colleges Student Association who have been elected at large to 17
that committee by the students at their respective colleges. No student trustee 18
may serve more than two consecutive terms. 19
(3) Four trustees shall be legislative trustees who are members of the 20
General Assembly at the time of their election. Legislative trustees shall serve 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED S.136
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four-year terms expiring on March 1 of the second year of the biennial session, 1
and they shall be elected by joint assembly of the Legislature. Vacancies for 2
any cause shall be filled by the General Assembly at its earliest opportunity, 3
and the term of a person so appointed shall expire on March 1 of the next even 4
numbered year. 5
(4) Four trustees shall be elected by the Board of Trustees to four-year 6
terms expiring on March 1. Vacancies for any cause shall be filled by the 7
remaining members of the Board of Trustees, and the term of the person so 8
appointed shall expire on the next following March 1. 9
(5) One trustee shall be faculty or staff employed by the Vermont State 10
Colleges Corporation and elected by the faculty and staff to a four-year term 11
expiring on August 1. The faculty assembly or assemblies shall oversee all 12
trustee elections under this subdivision, which shall be open to all faculty and 13
staff. Vacancies for any cause shall be filled through an election, and the term 14
of the person so appointed shall expire on the next following August 1. 15
(b) Appointments by the Governor and, elections by the General Assembly, 16
and student appointments shall be made with consideration of the geographic 17
distribution of members to prevent an unfair focus on any single college or 18
campus. 19
(c) No trustee shall be a member of the Board of Trustees of the University 20
of Vermont. 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED S.136
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(d)(1) The Board of Trustees, after notice and a hearing, may remove a 1
trustee for incompetency, failure to discharge duties, malfeasance, illegal acts, 2
or other cases inimical to the welfare of the Corporation. 3
(2) Gubernatorial-appointed trustees shall serve at the pleasure of the 4
Governor pursuant to 3 V.S.A. § 2004. 5
(3) In the event of a vacancy occurring under this subsection, the 6
Governor or the Board appointing or electing authority of the vacant position, 7
as applicable, shall fill the vacancy pursuant to subsection (a) of this section. 8
Sec. 2. 16 V.S.A. § 2173 is amended to read: 9
§ 2173. BOARD OF TRUSTEES; ORGANIZATION 10
In addition to the 14 16 elected and appointed trustees, the Board of 11
Trustees shall include as a member the Governor of Vermont. A majority of 12
the trustees shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. 13
Biennially, the Board shall elect one of its voting members to serve as its chair. 14
Sec. 3. TRANSITION 15
(a) On or before August 1, 2025, the new faculty or staff member of the 16
Board of Trustees of the Vermont State Colleges Corporation shall be elected 17
under Sec. 1 of this act. 18
(b) On or before September 15, 2025, the new student member shall be 19
appointed under Sec. 1 of this act. The new student trustee shall serve a partial 20
term, commencing on September 15, 2025 and ending on March 1, 2026. 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED S.136
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* * * University of Vermont and State Agricultural College; Board of 1
Trustees * * * 2
Sec. 4. 16 App. V.S.A. chapter 1, § 1-2 is amended to read: 3
§ 1-2. BOARD OF TRUSTEES; MEMBERSHIP ,; TERMS OF SERVICE; 4
PRESIDING CHAIR 5
The Board of Trustees of the University of Vermont and State Agricultural 6
College shall be composed of 25 27 members, whose term of office shall be six 7
years, except as to those who are members ex officio and to those who are 8
student members. Three members shall be appointed by the Governor with the 9
consent of the Senate. During the legislative session of 1955, the Governor 10
shall appoint one member for a term of two years, one member for a term of 11
four years, and one member for a term of six years, and it shall be the duty of 12
the Governor during the session of the Legislature prior to expiration of the 13
term of office of any of the members to appoint for the term of six years a 14
successor to the member whose term is expiring. The terms of office of the 15
Trustees trustees shall expire on the last day of February in the respective years 16
of expiration, and the terms of office of their successors shall thereafter begin 17
on March 1 and expire on the last day of February. 18
Nine members shall be those who have been heretofore elected by the 19
Legislature as members of the Board of Trustees of the University of Vermont 20
and State Agricultural College, and whose terms have not expired, and their 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED S.136
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successors, and it shall be the duty of the Legislature at its session during 1
which the terms of office of any class of the members expire to elect three 2
successor members for terms of six years. The terms shall commence on 3
March 1 in the year of election. The nine Trustees trustees and their successors 4
shall also constitute the Board of Trustees of the Vermont Agricultural 5
College. 6
Nine Ten members shall be those who have been heretofore elected on 7
behalf of the University of Vermont as members of the Board of Trustees of 8
the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College and whose terms 9
have not expired, and their successors, and it shall be the duty of said nine 10
Trustees ten trustees to elect successors to fill vacancies occurring among their 11
number upon expiration of the terms of office of any of them or otherwise. 12
The nine Trustees ten trustees and their successors shall also constitute the 13
Board of Trustees of the University of Vermont. 14
Two members shall be students enrolled at the University of Vermont and 15
State Agricultural College. Their terms of office shall be two years. Prior to 16
February 1, 1978, the Associated Directors for the Appointment of the 17
University of Vermont and State Agricultural College Student Trustees, 18
Incorporated shall select and appoint one student for a term of one year and 19
one student for a term of two years, both of whom shall be enrolled as full-time 20
undergraduate or full-time graduate students. Annually thereafter, the 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED S.136
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Directors shall meet to select and appoint one student trustee for a term of two 1
years in accordance with the provisions of this section. The Directors shall fill 2
any vacancy occurring among the student trustee members upon the expiration 3
of the term of office of any of them or otherwise. A student shall be eligible to 4
serve as a Trustee trustee, provided the student is a full-time undergraduate or 5
full-time graduate student matriculating in accordance with the degree 6
qualifications and requirements established by the University of Vermont and 7
State Agricultural College and if the student remains in that status throughout 8
the length of the term of office. The term of office of a Student Trustee student 9
trustee shall begin on March 1 following the date of appointment, and the term 10
of office shall end the last day of February in the year of expiration. Any 11
student elected hereunder shall have reached the age of 18 years of age. 12
One member shall be faculty or staff employed by the University of 13
Vermont and State Agricultural College and elected by the faculty and staff to 14
a six-year term expiring on August 1. The Faculty Senate shall oversee all 15
trustee elections under this subdivision, which shall be open to all faculty and 16
staff. Vacancies for any cause shall be filled through an election, and the term 17
of the person so elected shall expire on the next following August 1. 18
All Trustees trustees so appointed and elected as hereinbefore provided, 19
shall, together with his or her Excellency, the Governor of the State, and the 20
President, who shall be, ex officio, a member, constitute an entire Board of 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED S.136
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Trustees of the corporation known as the University of Vermont and State 1
Agricultural College, who shall have the entire management and control of its 2
property and affairs, and in all things relating thereto, except in the elections to 3
fill vacancies, as aforesaid, shall act together jointly, as one entire Board of 4
Trustees;, provided, that all future elections or appointments to the Board of 5
Trustees shall be made with special reference to preventing any religious 6
denominational preponderance in the Board. The Board shall annually, at its 7
first regular meeting after the election of new trustees, elect one of its members 8
to serve as Chair. 9
Sec. 5. TRANSITION 10
On or before August 1, 2025, new members of the Board of Trustees of the 11
University of Vermont and State Agricultural College shall be appointed or 12
elected under Sec. 4 of this act. 13
* * * Effective Date * * * 14
Sec. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE 15
This act shall take effect on July 1, 2025. 16