Board to vote on Rector removal clause

McCance says clause will 'contribute to good governance'

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The Board of Visitors will vote later this week on changes to the Board Manual, including a clause that allows for other Board members to remove the the Rector by vote. The change was proposed by current Board Rector George Martin.

The newly-inserted clause would read: “The Rector may be removed by a vote of two-thirds of the whole number of Visitors at a regular meeting, or special meeting called for this purpose.”

The Rector of the Board of Visitors is appointed every two years. Martin began his elected term in July 2013.

University spokesperson McGregor McCance said most of Martin’s proposals are minor and intended to offer clarity. The addition of the removal clause, however, has more far-reaching implications.

“[The clause] is intended by the Rector as a change that will contribute to good governance overall,” McCance said.

The Board has been particularly focused on governance reform since the ouster and subsequent reinstatement of University President Teresa Sullivan in the summer of 2012. Just months afterward, the Board established a Special Committee on Governance and Engagement and has since brought in governance consultants to aid its reform efforts.

One of that committee’s first efforts was restructuring the process by which a University president could be removed.

The Board of Visitors will meet on Grounds this Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.