Standard 6.B.1 - Governing Board
The Montana University System is governed by the Board of Regents (BOR). The responsibility for administrative oversight lies with the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education (OCHE). The BOR consists of seven members, including the Governor and Superintendent of Public Instruction, who serve in an ex-officio capacity. All geographic regions of Montana are represented on the Board. One regent is a student within the Montana University System. The Montana Board of Regents is appointed by the governor according to BOR by-laws:
ARTICLE III. Membership
The board consists of seven members appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate. Not more than four may be from one congressional district and not more than four may be affiliated with the same political party. One of the members of the board shall be a student appointed by the governor who is registered full-time at a unit of higher education under jurisdiction of the board. The length of the term of the student member shall be not less than one year and not more than four years. The student membership shall not be subject to the congressional district nor the political party constraint mentioned above. Appointed members’ terms are seven years. Vacancies shall be filled for the remainder of the unfilled term.
Evidence: 6.4 BOR Policy and Procedures Manual (§201.7) (http://mus.edu/ borpol/default.asp)
Standard 6.B.2 - Governing Board Policies and Procedures
The Montana BOR acts as a committee of the whole. The BOR meetings are open to the public, and as such are subject to public scrutiny. University faculty, staff and students have multiple opportunities each year to engage Regents in conversation and participate in those meetings. Such public forums make inappropriate proceedings difficult, if not impossible. Evidence: 6.4 BOR Policy and Procedures Manual (http://mus.edu/borpol/default.asp)
Standard 6.B.3 - Code of Ethics
The Department of Administration, State Personnel Division, publishes Code of Ethics Standards of Conduct for State Employees. This publication pertains to all Montana state employees. The Montana Board of Regents reviewed Policy 770 — Conflicts of Interest and approved revisions in May 2007. Under the new policy, all Montana University System employees will receive conflict-of-interest training and sign a form indicating their understanding and compliance with the policy. Initial training began in Summer 2008. Annually, MUS employees complete a report of service on off-campus boards and any compensation earned.
Evidence: 6.4 BOR Policy and Procedures Manual (http://mus.edu/borpol/ default.asp)
Standard 6.B.4 - Governing Board Leadership
The BOR selects the Commissioner of Higher Education through a search committee process. The Commissioner’s performance is evaluated annually with compensation increments linked to performance. During his/her term, the Commissioner can be terminated with adequate cause.
Evidence: 6.4 BOR Policy and Procedures Manual (http://mus.edu/borpol/ default.asp)
Standard 6.B.5 - Governing Board Program Review
All major academic program changes, including degrees, certificates and diplomas, are routed through OCHE. The Commissioner formulates a recommendation to the BOR for final approval. BOR approval is also required for substantive changes in institutional mission, policies and programs.
Academic degree programs are reviewed by each department every year as part of the CQI Annual Report process and by the BOR every seven years. The Commissioner coordinates such reviews and reports findings to the BOR. The Policy and Procedures Manual provides protection to students whose programs are terminated. Should a program be terminated for insufficient enrollment or for any other reason, provisions are made to ensure that students who are enrolled majors in that program can complete them. A “Program Moratorium” may be imposed so that the program remains in the catalog, but the institution suspends admission to the program; in some cases a program may be withdrawn so that it is not mentioned in the catalog, and advisors work with current students to enable them to complete the course of study they began.
Evidence: 6.4 BOR Policy and Procedures Manual (http://mus.edu/borpol/ default.asp)
Standard 6.B.6 - Governing Board meetings
The Montana BOR meets bimonthly throughout the year. The meetings have a scheduled rotation throughout the state so that over a two-year period, the BOR meets on each of the MUS campuses. This process insures accessibility to the BOR by administration, faculty, staff and students of the various campuses. It also facilitates BOR performance, effectiveness and efficiency.
Evidence: 6.4 BOR Policy and Procedures Manual (http://mus.edu/borpol/
default.asp)
Standard 6.B.7 - Governing Board Resource Allocation
The BOR attempts to view each campus of the MUS according to its approved mission and value to the constituencies served. Although there appear to be many state campuses serving a small state population, each campus was established and grew for specified purposes. The BOR is currently attempting to limit redundancy of programs throughout the state system and is reviewing the cost/benefits of maintaining several small campuses. Issues being weighed include the size of the state, value of a campus to the local economy and access to higher education for placebound individuals. The BOR tends to be narrow in its perception of the importance of research to all of higher education and is restrictive in its willingness to allocate resources for research to other than the two designated research universities in the system — MSU and U of M.
Evidence: 6.4 BOR Policy and Procedures Manual (http://mus.edu/borpol/
default.asp)
Standard 6.B.8 - Governing Board Budget Policies
Each unit in the MUS is responsible for balancing its own budget. Budgets for the two sides of the system are approved first through MSU/U of M, by OCHE and finally by the BOR.
Evidence: 6.4 BOR Policy and Procedures Manual (http://mus.edu/borpol/
default.asp)
Standard 6.B.9 - Governing Board and Accreditation
The BOR is informed of the accreditation process. The self-study document is submitted to the Commissioner, along with all accreditation reports. The Commissioner is also notified of all site visits by accreditation agencies. A report to the BOR on the self-study document and subsequent findings is prepared by the Commissioner.
Evidence: 6.4 BOR Policy and Procedures Manual http://mus.edu/borpol/ default.asp
