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, 3835 Holdrege St. in Lincoln, began with remarks from University of Nebraska President Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, 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,” Dr. 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)\
- Addendum VI-A-1
Updates to the bylaws of the board of regents:
- Section 3.0 (Addendum VI-A-2)
Dr. Gold noted 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.
The Feb. 14 letter from the U.S. Department of Education prompted the university to call a special meeting to address potential bylaw and policy changes sooner than originally planned, Dr. Gold said. The letter, which was shared nationwide, has prompted similar reviews at colleges and universities across the country.
While policy changes can be enacted with a single board vote, bylaw changes require a two-meeting review process before formal adoption. As a result, these potential changes will be considered at future meetings, alongside a broader review of all university bylaws.
The board will continue its review process at its upcoming meeting on April 11.