The purpose of these guidelines is to establish uniform procedures for the submission of materials to the Board of Trustees for review and/or action at its regular meetings.

Meeting Schedule and Timeline

The current board meeting schedule is available on the Meeting Calendar web page.

Generally, the Board of Trustees meets in February, April, June, September, October and December of each year, with special meetings called as needed.

Meetings take place over the course of two days, with work sessions held on a Thursday and a formal action meeting held on Friday morning. Work session days generally run from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Formal meetings begin at 9 a.m. and are held in the Boardroom, Room 401, of the Hannah Administration Building, unless otherwise noted.

The June meeting has traditionally consisted of a same-day work session and formal meeting followed by a two-day board retreat.

The board office determines the timeline for submission of agenda items and meeting materials based on the annual board meeting schedule approved by the Board of Trustees. The current timeline for submitting materials for a board work session or formal meeting is distributed to administrators annually and is available here: Board Meeting Timeline (PDF).

In order to be presented to the board at a specific meeting, agenda items and materials should be submitted to the board office no later than 5 p.m. on or before the due date indicated. Late submissions will be deferred to the next scheduled meeting.

Materials

Materials submitted to the Board of Trustees for review and/or action at board meeting are generally of three types:

• Informational reports
• Presentations
• Resolutions/recommendations for action

Informational Reports

Informational reports are brief items that require no formal action or approval by the board. They may be shared and reviewed with the board during a work session or submitted to the board via email between meetings.

Presentations

Presentations are to provide an overview of items that require discussion with the board at work sessions, such as updates on projects and administrative actions.

Presentations should begin with a brief, clear and succinct summary statement, including the meeting date and names of the presenter(s). In order to allow time for questions and discussion, presentations should be no more than 10 pages in length, with limited exceptions for comprehensive annual updates such as construction updates. Information should be presented clearly and concisely, including financial considerations, timelines and next steps.

Draft and final presentations should be submitted to the board office in PowerPoint format by the deadlines set forth in the Board Meeting Timeline (PDF).

Prep sessions will be scheduled by the board office as needed to run through presentations prior to the board meeting, review materials, check timing and anticipate questions.

Resolutions

Resolutions are recommendations for formal action by the board (i.e., items requiring a formal vote), such as approval of the budget or authorization to proceed with a capital project.

Resolutions should be no more than 2–3 pages in length and should follow the format of the attached sample below. If more than one page is required, a heading should be included on the additional page(s) stating the title of the resolution, meeting date and page number.

Resolutions should include a clear, precise and succinct statement of the recommendation, beginning with the phrase: “It is recommended that the Board of Trustees...” The background section of the resolution should explain its purpose and rationale and, if applicable, state the date the action will become effective. The resolution should also reference any pertinent university policies, legal requirements or outside authority.

Resolutions should be written in such a manner that they can be understood by those without familiarity of the matter or the internal operations of the university, as they are shared publicly and reviewed by board members, as well as students, staff, alumni, faculty, media and other community members.

Resolutions may include attachments, though a brief and concise explanation of the attachment should be included in the resolution, and it should not be necessary to read the attachment in order to understand the recommendation. Attachments should be properly referenced in and labeled according to the resolution to which it relates.

Draft resolutions should be submitted to the board office as a Word document to allow for editing. Final resolutions should be submitted in PDF format on unit letterhead and have signatures affixed. After a resolution has been approved by the board, a copy of the signed and approved resolution will be posted on the board website and kept on file in the board office.

Handouts

It is preferred that materials for distribution to the board be submitted electronically. If hardcopy materials are provided to the board, a minimum of 15 copies should be submitted to the board office by the deadline set forth in the Board Meeting Timeline (PDF), with a cover memo noting the agenda item to which it relates. The board office staff will distribute the handouts prior to the meeting by placing them at the seat of each board member or will distribute them during the meeting at the direction of the submitting individual.

Templates

Templates have been created for the submission of recommendations to the board. A Sample Board Resolution (PDF) is attached and electronic templates are available by contacting the board office at trustees@msu.edu or 517-353-4647.