Part I

Statutes and Rules for the Government of the University

Chapter 1 –

Chapter 1 – The University of Rhode Island Land Acknowledgement, Board of Trustees and the President of the University #22-23-2

Land Acknowledgement 

1.10.10 Statement. “The University of Rhode Island occupies the traditional stomping ground of the Narragansett Nation and the Niantic People. We honor and respect the enduring and continuing relationship between the Indigenous peoples and this land by teaching and learning more about their history and present-day communities, and by becoming stewards of the land we, now too, inhabit.” #22-23-2

Board of Trustees

1.20.10 Background. On May 7, 1981, the Rhode Island General Assembly voted that public higher education in Rhode Island should be regulated by a body called “Board of Governors for Higher Education.” In 2012, the Rhode Island General Assembly voted that, beginning with 2013, the Board of Governors should be replaced by a Board of Education, in charge of all of public education in Rhode Island. Subsequently in 2019, the Rhode Island General Assembly enacted Public Law 2019, ch. 88, art. 9, § 5 creating the University of Rhode Island Board of Trustees, later codified as §16-32-2 of the Rhode Island General Laws, becoming effective February 1, 2020. Administrative Report January 2017, Administrative Report February 2021

1.20.11 Composition of the Board Trustees and Quorum Requirements. The Board of Trustees shall consist of seventeen (17) voting members and four (4) non-voting ex officio members, including one (1) URI faculty member and one (1) URI student to be appointed by the President, and the chair of the Rhode Island Board of Education and the chair of the Rhode Island Council on Postsecondary Education. The members shall be appointed in accordance with RIGL Section 16-32-2.2, which specifies that the governor will appoint the members with the advice and consent of the senate, and with due consideration to recommendations from the President of the University. At least three (3) of the members appointed by the governor shall be residents of the state of Rhode Island, at least one (1) of those members shall be selected from a list of names of at least five (5) individuals submitted by the speaker of the house of representatives, and at least one (1) of those members shall be selected from a list of names of at least five (5) individuals submitted by the president of the senate. The President of the University of Rhode Island will appoint one (1) faculty member and one (1) student member who shall be a full-time student in good standing at the University, and who shall both serve in non-voting, ex officio capacity for a single two (2) year term. Six (6) of the members initially appointed pursuant to RIGL Section 16-32-2.2 shall serve terms of three (3) years; seven (7) members initially appointed pursuant to this section shall serve terms of two (2) years, including the member appointed from the list submitted by the speaker of the house of representatives and the member appointed from the list submitted by the president of the senate; and four (4) members initially appointed pursuant to this section shall serve terms of one (1) year. After the initial terms of appointment have expired, the governor shall appoint nine (9) members with the advice and consent of the senate to serve as members of the board with two (2) members appointed for a term of three (3) years; with two (2) members appointed for a term of two (2) years, including the member appointed from the list submitted by the speaker of the house of representatives and the member appointed from the list submitted by the president of the senate; and with two (2) members appointed for a term of one (1) year and shall be eligible to be reappointed for a term of two (2) years. The remaining eight (8) voting members shall be self-perpetuating members appointed by the Board pursuant to rules adopted by the Board regarding the nomination and appointment of members and shall serve terms as defined by the Board pursuant to the adopted rules and shall be eligible for reappointment. In making the appointments of self-perpetuating members, the Board shall give due consideration to recommendations from the President of the University. A quorum shall consist of thirteen (13) voting members of the Board, but less than a quorum may adjourn any meetings. A majority vote of those present and voting shall be required for action. A majority of the members of the Board shall elect the chair of the Board in accordance with RIGL Section 16-32-2.2(c) from among the voting members of the Board. In addition, the members of the Board shall elect a vice chair. The terms of office shall be three years or until a duly appointed successor is elected. Administrative Report January 2017, Administrative Report February 2021

1.20.12  Chief Responsibilities of the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees (“Board”) is established by act of the Rhode Island General Assembly as the exclusive fiduciary authority for the University of Rhode Island (“University” or “URI”). In that capacity, the Board is legally entrusted with the institution’s care and has the critical responsibility for protecting the integrity of the institution’s mission as Rhode Island’s premier institution of higher education and overseeing compliance with all provisions of the law. To meet its statutory mandate as the ultimate governing authority for the University of Rhode Island, the Board of Trustees performs a number of critical functions, including but not limited to:

  • Appointment of trustees, consistent with the standards and limitations set forth in the enabling statute;
  • Appointment and evaluation of the President of the University;
  • Review and approval of the Academic Strategic Plan and the three-year funding plan for the University, which is to be developed and submitted to the Board by the President;
  • Upon receipt of the recommendations of the President and appropriate faculty bodies, approval of the awarding of degrees (including honorary degrees, diplomas, certificates and honors to be conferred by the President);
  • Approval of recommendations made by the President regarding the awarding of tenure and promotion to qualified members of the University faculty;
  • Review of the University’s performance under the institution’s Academic Strategic Plan developed and reported by the President and university community;
  • Stewardship of University physical, financial, and human resources consistent with the provisions of all applicable statutes and regulations and policies of the Board of Trustees;
  • Promoting and enforcing integrity and effectiveness of all aspects of the University’s budgeting and financial management, including changes in tuition and fees, submission and approval of the University’s annual budget and three-year financial projections;
  • Approve the creation or termination of new academic majors and the creation, consolidation or termination of academic departments, schools and colleges based on the recommendations of the President who shall have followed the appropriate University process. Administrative Report January 2017, Administrative Report February 2021

The President of the University

1.30.10 Presidential Powers—Shared Governance. In 2014, the President of the University received authority over certain items that previously needed to be submitted for approval to the super-ordinated state body (Board of Governors, Board of Regents, etc.). The items over which the President now has authority include: “To create, and consolidate departments, divisions, programs, and courses of study within the university with the assistance of the commissioner of postsecondary education within the approved role and scope adopted by the council on postsecondary education pursuant to § 16-59-4” This authority was reaffirmed in 2019 upon passage of legislation forming the University of Rhode Island Board of Trustees (see RI General Law § 16-32-2.1). The law stipulates, however, that this authority is to be exercised “consistent with shared governance practices, [and] in conformity with § 16-32-10,” which states that it “shall also be the duty of the president and a committee of the faculty, . . . to arrange courses of study conforming to all acts of Congress, and prescribe any qualifications for the admission of students and any rules of study, exercise, discipline, and government as the president and committee may deem proper.” Since 1960, the committee of the faculty mentioned in this legislation has been understood to be the URI Faculty Senate.  Administrative Report January 2017, Administrative Report February 2021