Purpose

The Trustee Committee is appointed by the Board to serve as the governance committee of the board. The Committee recommends talented candidates for appointment to the board with attention given to the areas of particular expertise that the board needs to fulfill its goals, and assists with the orientation of new trustees and development of the board. The Committee continuously surveys emerging and best practices in higher education governance, recommends practices and policies for effective governance, and monitors the board’s governance policies.

The Trustee Committee is accountable to the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees.

Committee Membership

The Board will appoint at least three trustees to serve on the committee and will select one of these members to serve as committee chair. The board chair or vice chair will serve as a member of Committee. Each committee member must be independent of management of the institution and free of any relationship that would impair such independence. Members may not receive consulting, advising, or other fees from the institution or any affiliated foundation or entity related to the institution. The Committee may at its discretion recommend to the board that they contract with an attorney or other external expert resources.

The University president will serve on the Committee as an ex-officio (non-voting) member. The corporate secretary of the board serves as recording secretary for the Committee and the vice president for advancement serves as staff to the Committee.

Meetings

The Trustee Committee will meet as often as it determines. Minutes will be drafted by the recording secretary, and reviewed and approved by the Committee, Executive Committee, and the Board of Trustees.

Committee Responsibilities

The Trustee Committee shall:

Periodically review and update a formal statement of roles and responsibilities of board members;
Review the profile of the board and identify areas of expertise and experience needed for upcoming board member openings;
Identify and vet prospective board members for future board needs;
Recommend candidates for trustee openings to the EMU Board of Trustees and/or to Mennonite Education Agency;
Provide an orientation program and regularly implement it for new board members;
Manage a confidential performance assessment of board members at the end of their terms along with a self-assessment, in regard to additional terms of service;
Provide for continuing education and development of the Board of Trustees;
Use leadership training for board and committee succession planning;
Plan for and develop a slate of board officers for board approval;
Design and manage any term-limit policies;
Honor and recognize retiring trustees;
Periodically assess the performance of the committee itself and the board as a whole; and
Ensure a regular schedule of review of board governance practices and policies.

Communication with the Board

One of the Committee’s principal responsibilities is to keep the Executive Committee and Board informed on governance matters. Committee members have an obligation to become knowledgeable about general higher education governance practices and to be sure that policy discussions conducted at the Board level are informed and transparent.

Review of Charter

This charter will be reviewed periodically by the Trustee Committee and Executive Committee of the board, and any proposed changes shall be submitted to the Board of Trustees for approval.

Adopted and approved, November 2019

Board and Institutional Policies for Committee Oversight

The Trustee Committee has responsibility to periodically review the following policies and recommend any proposed changes to the Board of Trustees for approval:

EMU Trustees Statement of Responsibilities and Core Commitments (2017) (GPP.07 Trustee Responsibilities and Commitments)
EMU Prospective Trustee Nomination Policy and Form (2017) (GPP.03 Prospective Trustees Nomination Procedure)
EMU Trustee Orientation Policy (2017) (GPP.04 EMU Trustee Orientation Policy)
EMU Trustee Assessment Policy (2017) (GPP.09 EMU Board of Trustees Assessment Policy)
EMU Trustee Officer Nomination Policy (2017) (GPP.08 Officer Nomination Policy Procedure)

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