Board Organization

Membership and Terms of Office

MEMBERSHIP

The Board of Regents is comprised of five members appointed by the FSM President with the advice and consent of the FSM Congress. Four members, one from each state, represent their respective state; the fifth member represents the national government. The president of the college is an ex officio member of the board with no voting rights.

Members appointed by the FSM President are to represent diverse elements of the population of the states and the nation, including, but not limited to, business and industry, education, and community service organizations.

TERMS OF OFFICE

Board members serve for a term of three years and shall not serve more than two consecutive terms. A term begins upon adoption by Congress of the resolution confirming the nominee as a member of the board.

Regents may serve beyond the expiration date of their terms until their successors have been appointed.

Powers and Responsibilities

The Board of Regents has general management and control over the affairs of the college, and to this end, according to the enabling law, shall have the powers and responsibilities to:

1. Clarify the mission of the college;
2. Ensure the institutional autonomy of the college;
3. Act as a liaison between the community and the college;
4. Be responsible for the financial soundness of the college and ensure that the educational programs and the physical facility plans are of high quality and consistent with the purposes of the college;
5. Ensure adequate financial resources, including seeking funding for the college and its programs from businesses and institutions both inside and outside the Federated States of Micronesia;
6. Ensure strong financial management;
7. Appoint and terminate all officers and employees of the board;
8. Appoint and assess the performance of the president of the college;
9. Ensure the well-being of faculty, students, and staff through the approval of appropriate policies and procedures;
10. Adopt, amend, and repeal bylaws governing the conduct of its business and the performance of the powers and duties granted to, or imposed upon it, by law;
11. Serve as the court of appeal to faculty, students, and staff;
12. Fix, in its discretion, the rates to be charged to students of the college for tuition, room and board, and other necessary fees and charges, and grant tuition waivers as the board shall deem appropriate;
13. Approve such policies and standards as deemed necessary for the effective operation of the college;
14. Approve programs of instruction and research;
15. Incorporate into the college such technical and research establishments as the board deems necessary or appropriate to ensure a quality program of instruction and research which is relevant to priorities of the state and national governments of the Federated States of Micronesia, and to acquire all property whether real, personal or mixed, tangible or intangible, or any such establishment as may be transferred to the college;
16. Annually review and approve long-range plans for the development of the college;
17. Execute, in accordance with its bylaws, all instruments necessary or appropriate in the exercise of its powers and to that end adopt, alter, and use a common seal by which all acts of the board shall be authenticated;
18. Delegate any of its powers and duties to an officer of the board or an official or employee of the college where proper and appropriate;
19. Act in an advisory capacity to the regional COM Board of Regents on land grant plans of work and other land grant issues;
20. Take such other actions and assume such other responsibilities as may be necessary or appropriate to carry out the powers and duties granted to or imposed upon it by the enabling law; and
21. Assess their own performance.

The board at its discretion shall:

1. Enter into and perform such contracts, leases, cooperative agreements, or other transactions as may be necessary in the conduct of its business and on such terms and conditions as it may deem appropriate, including contracts to perform organized research, training, and demonstrations on a reimbursable bases;
2. Receive, manage, and invest monies, and receive and manage other property, real, personal or mixed, tangible or intangible, or services which may be appropriated, or in any manner received from any source for the purposes of the college, its improvement or adornment, or for the aid to the students or faculty of the college, and in general to act as trustee on behalf of the college for such purposes or objects;
3. Approve rates of per diem and policies relating thereto for officials, faculty members, and other employees of the college; and
4. Approve such rents, fees and charges, as the board deems appropriate, for the private use of facilities of the college or services provided by the college.

Officers of the Board and the President

OFFICERS OF THE BOARD

During the December organizational board meeting, the board elects the following officers:

Chairperson, who, if present, preside at all meetings of the Board of Regents. In addition, the chairperson is responsible for: 1) setting the agenda of board meetings in accordance with priorities adopted by the board; 2) determining the information to be provided in the agenda materials; 3) overseeing the board’s policy-development process; 4) coordinating the board-president relationship, 5) board development, and 6) exercise and perform such other powers and duties as may be from time to time assigned by the Board of Regents or prescribed by law or these by-laws.

As with all regents, the board chair does not have any authority over or responsibility for specific operational decisions within the college on business or academic matters – those all fall under the responsibility of the college president.

Vice Chairperson, who, In the absence or disability of the chairperson, the vice chairperson shall perform the duties of the chairperson, and when so acting shall have all the powers of and be subject to all the restrictions upon the chairperson. In addition, the vice chairperson is responsible for coordinating the community linkage activities of the board. The vice chairperson shall have such other powers and perform such other duties from time to time as prescribed by these by-laws or applicable law.

Secretary/Treasurer of the Board shall, through the administrative assistant to the board, be responsible for overseeing the records of the board. This includes certifying the Minutes of Board and determining how the decisions and activities of the board are presented by the college, including such things as the college website. The secretary is also responsible for overseeing board-level activity in monitoring compliances by their administration with board policy and directives.

The secretary/treasurer shall cause to be kept and maintained, adequate and correct accounts of the properties and business transactions associated with the operations of the Board of Regents.

In the absence of all three officers, the board may appoint a pro tempore officer to preside. The president of the college is not eligible for appointment as an officer of the board.

President

The President of the College shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the College and the official advisor to and executive agent of the Board of Regents and its committees. The President shall, as educational and administrative head of the College, exercise a general superintendence over all affairs of the institution, and brings such matters to the attention of the Board as are appropriate to keep the Board fully informed in meeting its policy-making responsibilities. Furthermore, the President shall have the power, on behalf of the Regents, to perform all acts and execute all documents to make effective the actions of the Board or its committees.

Board Committees

Committees may be established by the board as deemed necessary or appropriate by the board. The chairperson may establish and appoint board members to a special committee, subject to the review and approval of the board at its next regular meeting.

Decisions of committees shall be made by majority vote. Decisions of committees of the board may be made by polling members by mail, facsimile, email, or telephone. The results of such polling shall be certified by the secretary of the respective committee. No committee or committee member shall act in place of the board and committee decisions must be approved by the board.

Except as otherwise provided, additional members, including non-regents, may be appointed to board committees. A majority of each committee shall be regents.

Originally the board established three standing committees: budget and finance; instructional programs and curriculum; and personnel and management. During the December 1995 meeting, the board replaced the standing committees with a committee-of-the-whole. The rationale for the committee-of-the-whole is so all regents are fully informed about the issues being considered, instead of relying on a few members for the information.

Current Board Members