Board of Trustees

Principles of Service

Recognizing the significance of serving on the Board of Trustees of the Arkansas State University System, each Trustee shall adhere to the following principles:

  1. That no individual Trustee shall purport to act on behalf of the Board as a whole without express authority given by the Board to do so.  Only the full Board as a corporate body is vested with such authority, though the Board Chair ordinarily is entitled to “speak for” the Board, the President is entitled to “speak for” the ASU System, and the Chancellors are entitled to “speak for” their campuses consistent with Board policies and actions.
  2. That each Trustee shall avoid direct intervention in academic, financial, student, athletic, or administrative affairs of any of the campuses in the ASU System.
  3. That each Trustee address matters of ASU System administration or of executive action only through the President.
  4. That each Trustee devote time to learn how the ASU System’s mission and multiple purposes are meeting its uniqueness, strengths, and needs.
  5. That each Trustee become familiar with, committed to, and abide by the Board’s responsibilities and policies as set forth in the Bylaws and rules and regulations adopted by the Board of Trustees and the laws of the State of Arkansas.
  6. That each Trustee accept and defend the principles of academic freedom and the practice of shared governance as fundamental characteristics of good university administration.
  7. That each Trustee assist the Board as a whole in its efforts to balance its responsibilities in serving its broad public trust with advocacy for the University’s needs to fulfill its mission and purposes.
  8. That each Trustee adhere to and comply with rules, regulations, laws, or policies pertaining to governance, ethics, and conflict of interest, including timely filing of all required public disclosures. 
  9. That each Trustee notify the campus executive as a matter of professional courtesy when a Trustee visits that campus.
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