7/30/2019 La Sierra University Special Constituency Session

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ForImmediateRelease

May23,2013

LarryBecker

lbecker@lasierra.edu

LaSierraUniversityConstituencyDelegates

OverwhelminglyPassBylawsRevisions

ConstituencydelegatesapprovedaseriesofchangestoLaSierraUniversitysbylaws

duringaspecialmeetingheldonthecampusonMay23.Therevisedbylawsdocumentpassedbyavoteof69-10,or87percent,wellbeyondthetwo-thirdsvoterequiredfor

passage.ThebylawsrevisionsproviderefinementtoLaSierraUniversitysgovernance,

whileaddressingsomeconcernsabouttheuniversitysbylawsexpressedsince1996by

theWesternAssociationofSchoolsandColleges,LaSierrasregionalaccreditingagency.

ThisfollowsaninformationsessionheldonFebruary21inwhichconstituentsoffered

feedbackandsuggestionsontheproposedbylawsrevisions.

WeallneedtoappreciatethedifficulttaskthatourArticlesandBylawsCommittee

membershavehadtocomplete,saidRicardoGraham,PacificUnionpresidentand

currentLaSierraUniversityboardchair.Duringtheirnearlytwoyearsofstudyand

review,committeemembershavelistenedtoconstituencydelegatefeedback,andhave

usedcaretoensuretherevisedbylawsmeetcurrentgovernanceneedswhile

reinforcingLaSierraUniversitysclearandunequivocalconnectiontotheSeventh-day

AdventistChurchanditsmissionandphilosophy.

Thesignificantbylawschangesfallintotwomainareas:

Changingthewayinwhichtheboardchairisselected. MakingclearthespecificrolesoftheBoardofTrusteesandtheuniversity

President.

Delegatesapprovedbylawschangesthatrequire,inconsultationwithPacificUnionConferenceofficers,LaSierraUniversitysBoardchairtobeelectedbytheboarditself

fromoneofthefourexofficiomemberUnionofficers,ratherthanautomaticallybeing

theUnionpresident.Thischangeallowsthetrusteestoselecttheirownchair,while

simultaneouslyensuringthatthechairwillalwaysbeanofficerofthePacificUnion.An

additionalkeylimitationwouldbethatneitherthechairorvicechairofLaSierrasboard

canserveconcurrentlyaschairorvicechairofanotheruniversityorcollegeboard.This

resolvesPacificUnionConferencesuniqueissueinitsoperationoftwoinstitutions.La

7/30/2019 La Sierra University Special Constituency Session

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SierraUniversityandPacificUnionCollegebothfacedquestionsfromtheaccrediting

agencyonthisissuethatarenotfacedbyinstitutionsintherestoftheNorthAmerican

Division.

Since1990,LaSierrasboardmembershiphasincludednineexofficiomembers(the

PacificUnionConferencepresident,secretary,treasurer,vicepresident;thePacific

UnionConferenceeducationdirector;thepresidentsoftheArizona,Southeastern

California,andSouthernCaliforniaConferences;andtheuniversitypresident);and14

memberselectedbytheconstituency.Nochangeinthatcompositionwasconsidered

duringthisprocess.Additionally,therevisedbylawsrequireall14electedtrusteesbe

membersoftheSeventh-dayAdventistChurch.Previouslyoneelectedtrusteecouldbe

fromoutsidetheChurch.

TheapprovedbylawschargetheBoardofTrusteeswithensuringthatthemissionand

majorpoliciesoftheuniversityreflectthegoalsandobjectivesoftheAdventistChurch.

Otherchangesrecognizethelimitationsofexpectingaboardtomanageday-to-day

detailsofacomplexinstitution.

Theboardwillcontinuetoappointthepresident,provost,andvicepresidentfor

financialadministration,andgranttenuretomembersofthefaculty.Thisallowsthe

boardtohavedirectinteractionwiththeadministrative,academic,andfinancialleaders

oftheuniversity.Itallowstrusteestomaintainfinancialoversightoftheuniversity,and

toestablishthepoliciesnecessarytouniversitygovernance.Thepresidentisidentified

astheuniversityofficeraccountableforimplementingtheboardsbroadpoliciesinto

dailyoperations.

Trusteeswillalsofocusonprovidingstrategicvisionfortheuniversity,establishing

governingpolicies,andprotectingtheuniversitysassets.Thefullbylawsdocument

identifies18specificgovernancefunctionsretainedbythetrusteesundertherevisedbylaws.Thefulldocumentwillbepostedontheuniversitywebsiteafterthebylaws

committeecompleteseditorialchangesvotedbythedelegates

Godsspiritwasevidentthroughoutthesession,Grahamsaid.Iappreciatedhow

delegatescaredsomuchabouttheseissues,asdemonstratedthroughtherobust

discussionandtheirinsightfulquestions.

IamoptimisticaboutLaSierraUniversitysfuture,Grahamconcluded.Theboard,

administration,andfacultyarecommittedtobuildingthisoutstandinginstitutionof

highereducationanddevelopingtheChristiancommitmentofeverystudent.