By SUSAN JONES
At a brief meeting on June 21, Pitt’s Board of Trustees approved changes to the University bylaws, including to the number and charters of the board’s standing committees, the number of required meetings and the designations of its voting members.
“Over the past year and half, the Board of Trustees undertook a review of its policies, procedures and practices to ensure that it was following best practices for good governance,” a University spokesman said. “This review has resulted in several changes — an increase in the frequency of meetings, the full board voting on some issues instead of committees, and the elimination of five committees whose work will be folded into other committees.”
The number of voting members of the board will remain 36, which includes the chancellor and 12 Commonwealth trustees (appointed equally by the governor and leadership of the House and Senate). The rest will be term trustees, including the chair of the UPMC board, who had been a special trustee. The alumni trustee category is being eliminated, but at least six of the term trustees must be Pitt alumni, including the two immediate past presidents of the alumni association. In general, many of the trustees are alumni of Pitt.
At the meeting, trustees elected one new term trustee — Kevin Wade, executive vice president and corporate real estate executive for PNC Bank who earned his bachelor’s degree from Pitt.
The term trustees can now serve two consecutive full four-year terms, with eligibility for one additional four-year term after a lapse of two years.
The board also voted to require at least one, but not more than two, vice chairs. Before this had been at the discretion of the chairperson.
The new bylaws also increase the required number of full public board meetings from three to four per fiscal year. Chair-elect John Verbanic noted that the June 21 meeting was the sixth of this fiscal year. Meetings are already scheduled for July 12 (online only), Sept. 26 and Dec. 5.
Committees
The number of standing committees, in addition to the executive committee, will drop from 13 to eight.
-
Mission and Academic Experience
-
Research, Innovation and Partnerships
-
Finance and Budget
-
Property and Facilities
-
Investment
-
Audit, Risk and Compliance
-
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
-
Governance, Nominating and Trusteeship
Noticeably missing from the list is the Compensation committee, which met on June 21 to set the salary of Dwayne Pinkney, incoming executive senior vice chancellor for administration & finance and chief financial officer (see related story). Compensation will now be a subcommittee under the Executive committee.
The former Academic Affairs/Libraries committee will now be under Mission and Academic Experience. Other committees that will go away are Institutional Advancement and Student Affairs, which will both be handled by the Finance and Budget Committee.
The Student Affairs committee previously approved any changes to student fees. A University spokesman said, “Increases to student fees no longer need to be approved by a committee before being included in the budget. Going forward, the administration will recommend student fee increases as part of the budget, which will then be reviewed by the Finance and Budget Committee, and then voted on by the full board.”
The board has moved in the past year toward having the full board vote on actions previously handled solely by committees. For instance, the Property and Facilities committee had previously decided all related matters and then just reported its decisions to the board.
In the updated bylaws approved by the trustees last week, Property and Facilities can approve real estate transactions, leases and projects with a total financial value of less than $25 million. The full board must approve anything over that amount.
The new bylaws also limit when the Executive committee of the board can exercise the power of the full board to “when the Board is not in session, there is a pressing need, and a quorum of the Board or other committee of the Board cannot be assembled for a special meeting in a timely manner.”
Emeritus trustees
The rules for emeritus trustees also were altered. Previously, emeritus trustees could be voting members of committees. The new bylaws say they can can be members of committees, but can not vote. It also limits who can be elected emeritus to those who have served two full terms as a trustee.
At the meeting, the board elected five new emeritus trustees, including outgoing chair Louis Cestello, as well as John A. Barbour, S. Jeffrey Kondis, Marlee S. Myers, and John H. Pelusi Jr.
Susan Jones is editor of the University Times. Reach her at suejones@pitt.edu or 724-244-4042.
Have a story idea or news to share? Share it with the University Times.