Draft Policy 705.13

 

 

This supplements the board s standing policy concerning Commissioner and Board performance reviews. It details the purposes and process whereby the Board shall assess simultaneously its performance and that of the Commissioner, at five-year intervals (or as determined by the Board), and with the assistance of external consultants. Its implementation presumes that the Commissioner has served with distinction in his or her position for at least five years.

 

Purposes

 

To strengthen Commissioner and Board leadership by assessing the quality of their relationship and communication with one another on goals and mutual support through an independently conducted process. The process seeks to gather, on a wide range of management and governance matters, the informed perceptions of leaders of major internal and external stakeholder groups, as well as those of the Commissioner and Board members. An additional purpose may be to help the Commissioner and Board decide whether to make a longer commitment to one another.

 

Responsibility

 

It shall be the responsibility of the Board Chair and Commissioner to consider one or two consultants to advise the Board and conduct the review process. Procedural details shall be decided-upon by the Board, with the consultants advice and counsel, and within the parameters of this policy.

 

Process

 

All activities in this process shall be completed within three months after the selection of

Consultants. The activities shall include personal and small-group interviews with appropriate individuals, internal and external to the university system, as the Board and consultants shall agree on. They also shall agree on the general nature of the questions to ask. The Commissioner shall provide data and information requested by the Board for use in this review process. Such information might include a management review by the Commissioner as well as information that provides a comprehensive picture of the system s academic, financial, and physical well-being.

The customary annual Commissioners management review shall be modified consistent with the consultant s and Board s advice. Prepared in advance of the review process, the statement shall provide a comprehensive picture of the institution s academic, financial, and other indicators of progress during the chief executive s tenure. It should highlight particular achievements, as well as persistent institutional issues.

The Board also shall decide how best to seize the opportunities for communication with the community before, during, and after this process.

 


Outcomes

 

The consultants will provide a comprehensive written report detailing the system s progress and major achievements during the Commissioner s tenure. This shall include several substantive recommendations for the Commissioner and the Board designed to strengthen the system s management and governance. The report may help the Board and the Commissioner decide whether to consider setting or renewing a longer commitment to one another.