Vision & Responsibilities

The chief purpose of a board is more to provide for good governance than it is for itself to govern in detail. It is more important for the board to provide for effective governance than - for it to govern; it should spend more time on governance and less time on governing ... The board should neither abdicate its responsibilities to external or internal forces, nor bog itself down in the details of administration. It should not run the college, but it should assure that it is well run.*

Board Vision

The RIT Board of Trustees:

• Carries out its fiduciary and other responsibilities in the best interest of RIT
• Is composed of individuals who can guide and support RIT toward its mission
• Conducts its activities effectively, ethically, and efficiently
• Is well-informed about the responsibilities of trusteeship and about RIT and the external forces affecting RIT
• Communicates effectively within its membership and with the campus community
• Functions within its proper role as a policy-making body
• Is viewed positively within RIT and in the community
• Sets a good example for other governance groups of the university

Board Responsibilities as a Corporate Body

The Board of Trustees:

1. Approves
   1. The assumptions, principles, and values which guide the University;
   2. The vision, mission, and strategic foci of the University;
   3. Broad policy affecting the entire University;
   4. The annual operating and capital budgets.
2. Assures
   1. The financial viability of the University;
   2. The fiduciary conduct of the University.
3. Evaluates the state of the University relevant to its vision and mission.
4. Appoints, supports, and evaluates the President.
5. Preserves the autonomy of the University and informs the community of its functions and accomplishments.
6. Assures that the Institute has an effective system of governance.
7. Provides for regular assessment of Board effectiveness.
8. Advises the University of forces external to the University that may have an influence on its mission, goals, and administrative policies.
9. Assumes responsibility (with administration support) for the on-going education and development of Board members

*Carnegie Commission on Higher Education, Governance of Higher Education: Six Priority Problems (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, April 1973), p.36