(201) Governing Authorities

BOARD OF REGENTS 

The Kansas Board of Regents is a nine-member body that governs six state universities, and supervises and coordinates 19 community colleges, five technical colleges, six technical schools and a municipal university. The Kansas Board of Regents’ members are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Kansas Senate. Each member serves on the Board as well as various commissions and committees throughout the year.

Primarily the Board deals with educational policies, programs, services, providers, and others systems in an effort to improve and maintain the high quality of education in Kansas. The KBOR does not grant degrees, but rather oversees state institutions that do. The Board also coordinates such vital programs as the Adult Education program, the Qualified Admissions curriculum for high school students, financial assistance for education, and many others.

CHANCELLOR

The University Chancellor is delegated the authority and responsibility for the control and conduct of the Division of Athletics. The Director of Athletics, under the authority and control of the Chancellor, is responsible for the operation and management of KUAC.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR KUAC

The property, business, and affairs of the KUAC is under the care and supervision of an Athletics Board of Directors of six members who exercise authority consistent with and subject to the requirements of University control of varsity athletics. The purpose of the Athletics Board is to support and foster as competitive an intercollegiate athletic program as is possible in harmony with and subject to the general educational policy of the University of Kansas and the constitution of the NCAA. The Board acts as a policy-making body for KUAC and determines the method of conducting the Corporation’s business and makes recommendation to the Chancellor with regard to the Corporation’s annual budget, including the compensation to be paid to corporate officers, agents, and employees. Further, it has the authority to purchase and contract on behalf of KUAC. The Board also recommends and monitors the implementation of athletic policy.

FACULTY ATHLETICS REPRESENTATIVE

The Faculty Athletics Representative reports to the Chancellor on matters related to intercollegiate athletics and represent the University to the Big Twelve Conference, the NCAA and other athletic associations. The Faculty Athletics Representative is charged with the responsibility of insuring that KUAC operations are not in conflict with NCAA rules and regulations.

KU GOVERNANCE SYSTEM

The Governance system at the University of Kansas has been described as a “shared” system of governance that is “faculty driven.”

Article lll, Section 4 of the University Senate Code describes the authority of the University Senate as follows: “Subject to and in accordance with the control of the Chancellor and the Board of Regents as provided by law, the University Senate is empowered to formulate such Rules and Regulations as it shall deem wise… and to take such steps as it shall deem necessary for their implementations and administration. Affairs of the University …include, but are not limited to, organization and administration, the framing and execution of long-range plans, decisions regarding existing or prospective resources, fiscal affairs, academic procedures and policies (such as the requirements for graduation and degrees, and methods of evaluating academic work, and the standards of academic conduct of faculty and students) common to all Schools, class and examination schedules, the calendar; the libraries, campus-wide activities and events; human relations; and the role of the University in public affairs.”

The chairperson of the Senate Executive Committee (SenEx) is the person in charge of the governance system at the institutional level. The president of the University Council, in addition to conducting Council and Senate meetings, represents the faculty externally, such as at the Board of Regents meetings. The Council president is also a member of the Council of Faculty Senate Presidents (COFSP), composed of representatives of university governance at the other five Regents institutions, the KU Medical Center, and Washburn University. The COFSP meets monthly in conjunction with the Board of Regents meeting.