The University of Nebraska Board of Regents held a special meeting on Feb. 25 to review bylaws and policies relevant to a recent letter shared by the U.S. Department of Education.
The meeting, held at Varner Hall, began with remarks from Dr. Jeffrey P. Gold, president of the University of Nebraska system, who emphasized the importance of the policy review process within the university’s broader strategic planning efforts.
“We have been working for almost six months now — since almost my first day as the president of your university — on a strategic planning process,” Gold said. “Part of that process has been a commitment to review, discuss and update policies and procedures, including the Board of Regents bylaws, policies and standing rules.”
Policies and bylaws up for review on the Feb. 25 meeting included:
- Amendments to regents’ policies RP-3.1.3 (Equal Opportunity Employment); RP-5.2.1 (Admissions Standards); RP-5.7.4 (Tuition Levels); RP-5.8.4 (Non-Resident Tuition Remission for Children of Alumni); and Addendum VI-A-1; and
- Updates to the Bylaws of the Board of Regents in Section 3.0 (Addendum VI-A-2).
Gold said that many of these policies had not been updated since the early 1980s and require revision to reflect current terminology, program names and administrative titles.
“That process has been on schedule, and I am deeply grateful to all the members of the Varner Hall team, our chancellors, and to many in our general counsel's office who have provided wisdom as necessary to help with updates,” he said.
Gold also detailed more about the potential changes to the regents' bylaws and policies in a Feb. 25 message to the NU system.
The Feb. 14 letter from the Department of Education prompted the university to call a special meeting to address potential bylaw and policy changes sooner than originally planned, Gold said. The letter, which was shared nationwide, has prompted similar reviews at colleges and universities across the country.
To make bylaw changes, the NU Board of Regents require a two-meeting review process. The potential changes outlined Feb. 25 will be considered at future meetings alongside a broader review of all university bylaws.
The board will continue the review process at its April 11 meeting. Learn more about previous and upcoming meetings for the NU Board of Regents.
