Washington State University

Board of Regents

Bylaws

Article II: Meetings of the Board

Large
Medium
Small
Regular Meetings

Regular meetings of the Board shall be held pursuant to a schedule adopted yearly by resolution of the Board. There shall be no fewer than six (6) meetings scheduled on a yearly basis. Regular meetings include Board of Regents retreats scheduled in accordance with the regular meeting process. The Secretary of the Board, with the concurrence of the Chair of the Board, may cancel or change the date of any regular meeting. All such regular meetings will be conducted in conformance with the laws of the state of Washington governing such meetings.

Special Meetings

The Secretary or the Chair of the Board, or a majority of the members of the Board of Regents, may call a special meeting at any time. Not less than twenty-four (24) hours before any special meeting, the Secretary of the Board shall have notified each member of the Board by written notice of the time, location, and the business to be transacted at the meeting. Such notice shall be distributed and posted, and such meeting shall be conducted in accordance with the laws of the state of Washington governing such meetings.

Committee Meetings

Meetings of Board committees, as provided for in these Bylaws and in Board Policies, may be held before regular or special meetings, or at such time and such place as the Committee Chairperson may direct from time to time. All committee meetings shall be held in conformance with the laws of the state of Washington governing such meetings.

Notice and Agenda for Regular Meetings

Not less than seven (7) calendar days before any regular meeting, the Secretary of the Board shall transmit a meeting agenda to each member of the Board.

Addenda to the Agenda of Board Meetings

Those University officials who are authorized to bring agenda items to the Board may propose addenda to a regular meeting agenda in exceptional circumstances, such as when prompt Board attention is required and the need to place the matter on the agenda was unforeseen, with the concurrence of the Secretary of the Board. Items added to the agenda by University officials must be submitted to the Board not less than twenty-four (24) hours prior to a regular meeting. Material must be submitted through the Secretary of the Board and must be in accordance with guidelines and procedures established for the submittal of items for the agenda. 

The Board may add items to the agenda of a regular meeting, and take final action upon such additions, at any time prior to the conclusion of the meeting.

The Board may add items to the agenda of a special meeting at any time prior to the conclusion of the meeting, except that final disposition may not be taken on any matter added to the agenda unless timely notice to the addition has been given as required by law.

Quorum

Six (6) Regents shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at all regular and special meetings. A majority of the Regents present must approve all items requiring action by the Board.

Minutes

The Secretary of the Board shall keep the minutes of all regular and special meetings of the Board. Such minutes shall be distributed with the agenda in preparation for the subsequent meeting and, following approval shall be open to public inspection in the Office of the President during regular University business hours and shall also be posted on the University’s Board of Regents web page.

Public Meetings

Regular and special meetings of the Board and Committees shall be open to the public in conformance with the laws of the state of Washington governing such meetings.

Executive Sessions

During any regular or special meeting of the Board, the Board may hold an executive (closed) session to discuss matters as permitted by applicable laws of the state of Washington.

Communications to the Board

Any person who wishes to bring a matter to the attention of the Board may do so by submitting written communication to the Board at the following address: c/o Office of the President, Washington State University, P.O. Box 641048, Pullman, Washington 99164-1048.

Appearance Before the Board

The meetings of the Board are intended for presentation of agenda items by the Regents, President, Provost and Executive Vice President, Vice Presidents, Chancellors, other University officials as requested by the President, and the Senior Assistant Attorney General for discussion and action by members of the Board. Appearance via videoconferencing, telephone, or other electronic method is acceptable, rather than appearing in person; however, in-person presentations are strongly encouraged. Additionally, time shall be provided for public comment at each Board meeting.

  1. Request to Provide Public Comment. Individuals who wish to provide public comment during a meeting of the Board must provide their name and any relevant title(s) or affiliation(s) on the sign-up sheet. The request should also set out clearly the topic to be presented.
  2. Time Allocation. The chair of the Board may reasonably limit the amount of time allocated for the public comment period for each speaker and for each issue. Public comments will take place during the scheduled public comment period. Unless otherwise indicated on the agenda or by the chair, the public comment period will be for ten (10) minutes, with a two-minute (2-minute) limit per speaker, and will occur at the end of the Board meeting.
  3. Scheduling of Speakers. Speakers who sign up in advance, who are commenting on matters before the Board, and who are appearing in person (exception for speakers with disabilities for whom physical attendance would be difficult) will be given priority during the public comment period. Speakers must register in advance with the Office of the President in order to appear via videoconferencing, telephone, or other electronic method. Should a large number of speakers wish to speak on the same issue or topical area, the Chair of the Board may ask representatives of the group to summarize their colleagues’ statements, or limit the number of speakers on a given topic. Speakers also have the option of providing written comment to the Office of the President for distribution to the Regents.

    4. No University officer, faculty, staff, or other employee or student of the University shall submit any matter to the Board for official consideration except as provided by the guidelines and procedures established for the submittal of items for the agenda or by public comment pursuant to this section.

    Guidelines and Procedures for Submittal of Agenda Items to the Board

    The topics of business to be introduced at a regular or special meeting shall be included on the agenda by observing the following guidelines.

    1. Agenda items may be submitted only by an appropriate University official as follows: Regents, President, Provost and Executive Vice President, Vice Presidents, Chancellors, other University officials as requested by the President, and the Senior Assistant Attorney General.
    2. All items submitted to the Board for action must first be submitted to and discussed by the appropriate Committee, as provided in Article III of these Bylaws, at least one (1) Committee meeting prior to the meeting at which action will be requested, except:
      1. Items of a routine nature may be discussed by the appropriate Committee and brought before the Board at the same meeting in which action will be requested; and
      2. The Board Chair may suspend the requirement outlined in this Subsection as to any action item brought before the Board.
    3. The Board may make use of a consent agenda for any item that the Board has determine to be “routine” or matters about which the Board commonly concurs. Items on the consent agenda will not be discussed prior to action. However, if any Board member believes that any item on the consent agenda requires discussion, that Board member may remove the item from the consent agenda merely by requesting the same.
    4. All items to be included in the agenda must be submitted in writing no later than ten (10) days prior to the Board meeting to the Secretary of the Board, who shall be responsible for preparation and distribution of the agenda, except as otherwise allowed by Article II, Section 5 of these Bylaws.
    Rules of Procedure

    Robert’s Rules of Order, latest revised edition, shall govern all meetings of the Board, except where such rules of order are superseded by these Bylaws, Board Policies, or applicable statutes or regulations.