Faculty Trustee

Eligibility

The APSU Board of Trustees (BoT) Faculty Trustee is an elected, tenured Full Professor serving a two-year term as a voting member of the APSU Board of Trustees. The Faculty Trustee serves as a non-voting member of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee and participates in EC meetings in an ex officio capacity.

Role

The role of the APSU Board of Trustees Faculty Trustee is to provide a direct governance link between the APSU Board of Trustees and the Faculty Senate, ensuring transparency, shared governance, and clear communication between institutional leadership and faculty governance.

For full details regarding the overarching responsibilities, legal powers, and code of ethics governing the Board, please refer to the APSU Board of Trustees Website, APSU Policy 1:024 (Delegation of Authority), and APSU Policy 1:002 (Code of Ethics for Members of APSU Board of Trustees).

Responsibilities

The primary responsibilities of the APSU Board of Trustees Faculty Trustee include:

• attending and participating in all meetings (quarterly and called) of the APSU Board of Trustees as an elected voting member.

• communicating Board actions, discussions, and outcomes to the full Faculty Senate, typically at the next Senate meeting.

• serving as an informational bridge between Board-level governance and faculty governance processes.

• attending Faculty Senate Executive Committee meetings as a non-voting, ex officio member.

• supporting informed faculty engagement in university-level strategic and policy decisions.

Positional University Committee Assignments

By virtue of the role, the Faculty Trustee serves as a voting member of the APSU Board of Trustees.

Detailed Timeline

Spring/Summer - Orientation

• Meet to review legal, compliance, and fiduciary responsibilities related to serving on the Board of Trustees.

• Complete technical setup and training on accessing and utilizing the board portal for agenda and document management.

• Complete the Association of Governing Boards (AGB) Board Member Orientation online program modules (covering governance in higher education, fiduciary duties, board responsibilities, board dynamics, and open meetings/records).

Fall/Spring

Trustee/Board Responsibilities

• Participate in orientation briefings and executive overviews with members of the Senior Leadership Team to gain institutional context on division operations, finance, and strategic planning. This happens around the September BoT meeting for all new trustees.

• Review Board materials and agenda items in advance of meetings.

• Attend the Board of Trustees activity and dinner held the evening before each scheduled Board meeting (Trustees and Senior Leadership Team). This event provides informal engagement and context for discussion before formal Board deliberations.

• Attend regularly scheduled APSU Board of Trustees meetings. Additional called meetings may occur as needed (e.g., naming requests or other time-sensitive matters).

• Provide a report of Board actions and discussions at the next monthly Faculty Senate meeting.

• Attend APSU graduation ceremonies as able (May – four ceremonies; August – one ceremony; December – two ceremonies).

Trustee/Faculty Senate Responsibilities

• Attend each weekly meeting of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee (Thursday afternoons, starting at 1:00 pm).

• Attend each monthly meeting of the Faculty Senate (the fourth Thursday afternoon of the month, starting at 3:00 pm).

• Review drafts of the Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes and provide feedback to the EC.