OPERATING PROCEDURES OF

THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA ST. PETERSBURG

CAMPUS BOARD

 

ARTICLE I

ORGANIZATION

 

A.           Legal Status of Campus Board

The University of South Florida St. Petersburg Campus Board ("Campus Board") is established pursuant to Section 240.5275, Florida Statutes.

 

B.            Membership

The University Board of Trustees shall appoint members to the Campus Board from recommendations of the President.   Consonant with the State Constitution, members shall hold no other State office.   Members shall be appointed for staggered 4-year terms as follows:   Initially there are:

                            2 Members appointed for 4 years

                            1 Member appointed for 3 years

                            1 Member appointed for 2 years

Members may be reappointed for additional terms not to exceed eight (8) years of service.

In addition, a member of the University Board of Trustees shall serve as provided below.

If a resident of Pinellas County is appointed to the University Board of Trustees, the University Board of Trustees shall appoint that member to serve jointly as a member of the Campus Board.   If more than one Pinellas County resident is appointed to the University Board of Trustees, the University Board of Trustees shall select one joint member.

C.          Removal of a Campus Board member

The University Board of Trustees may remove a member of the Campus Board for missing three (3) consecutive meetings of the Campus Board, or for other good cause shown .

D.           Officers

The officers of the Campus Board are the Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and the Corporate Secretary.   The initial Chairperson shall be appointed by the University Board of Trustees and shall serve for a two-year term to begin immediately upon selection.   Thereafter, the Campus Board shall recommend to the University Board of Trustees persons to be appointed as Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson to serve two-year terms each.   The Campus Executive Officer (CEO) and Vice President shall serve as Corporate Secretary of the Campus Board.   The officers shall have the following responsibilities:

1.            Chairperson

The Chairperson shall preside at all meetings of the Campus Board, call special meetings of the Campus Board when necessary and attest to actions of the Campus Board.

2.            Vice-Chairperson

The Vice-Chairperson shall act, as Chairperson during the absence or disability of the Chairperson and, in that event, shall perform those duties of the Chairperson described hereinabove.

3.            Corporate Secretary

The CEO and Vice President, as Corporate Secretary, shall be responsible for setting the agenda for meetings of the Campus Board in consultation with the Chairperson.   The Corporate Secretary shall provide the staff support to the Board.   During the absence or disability of the Campus CEO and Vice President, the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs will function as Corporate Secretary.

ARTICLE II

MEETINGS OF THE CAMPUS BOARD

 

A. Regular Meetings - The Campus Board will meet no fewer than four times per fiscal year, at a time and place designated by the Chairperson.   Meetings of the Campus Board are open to the public and all official acts will be taken at public meetings.   An effort will be made to articulate Campus Board meetings with the University Board of Trustees.

B. Special Meetings - The Campus Board will meet in special meetings, including hearings and workshops, at such times and places designated by the Chairperson.

C. Emergency Meetings - An emergency meeting of the Campus Board may be called by the Chairperson of the Campus Board upon such notice as is fair under the circumstances whenever, in the opinion of the Chairperson, an issue requires immediate Campus Board action.   Whenever such emergency meeting is called, the Chairperson will notify the Corporate Secretary.   The Corporate Secretary will immediately serve either verbal or written notice upon each member of the Campus Board, stating the date, hour and place of the meeting and the purpose for which the meeting has been called.   No other business will be transacted at the meeting unless additional emergency matters are agreed to by a majority of those Campus Board members in attendance.   The minutes of each emergency meeting will show the manner and method by which notice of such emergency meeting was given to each member of the Campus Board.

D. Notice of Meetings - Notice of regular meetings shall be posted on the USF St. Petersburg Campus web site and shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation.   Notice of committee meetings and special meetings shall be posted on the USF St. Petersburg web site, USF list serve and with the University Media Relations Office.   Notice will be given not less than seven days, if practicable, before the event and will include a statement of the general subject matter to be considered.   In addition, copies shall be mailed to all persons who have made requests.   Whenever an emergency meeting is scheduled to be held, the Corporate Secretary will post a notice on the campus web site, USF list serve and with the University Media Relations Office, 4202 E. Fowler Avenue , ADM 264, Tampa , Florida , 33620 , of the time, date, place and purpose of the meeting.

E. Meetings by Means of Telephone Conference Calls and other Communications Media Technology

The Campus Board may use telephone conference calls and other communications media technology to conduct Campus Board business in the same manner as if the proceeding were held in person.   The notice of any meeting conducted by means of communication media technology will state where and how members of the public may gain access to the meeting.   Such notice will be in accordance with the notice procedures set forth above.

F. Quorum - A majority of the members of the Campus Board must be present to constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

G. Voting - The decision of the majority of the Campus Board in attendance and voting on an issue shall prevail. A Campus Board member may abstain from voting only under those circumstances prescribed by law.   Voting by proxy or by mail shall not be permitted.

H. Parliamentary Rules - Roberts Rules of Order, newly revised, will be followed in conducting meetings of the Campus Board, unless otherwise provided by the Campus Board.

I. Agenda - The agenda for each meeting of the Campus Board shall be prepared by the CEO and Vice President or his/her designee.   Every request for inclusion of an item on the agenda of a meeting shall be put in writing and filed, together with any supporting documents, with the CEO and Vice President sufficiently far in advance of the meeting to permit a determination to be made by the CEO and Vice President with respect to the propriety and practicability of including that item on the agenda for the meeting.   The CEO and Vice President will assemble the agenda and provide a copy of the agenda to each member of the Campus Board at least ten (10) days prior to the meeting and will post the agenda to the USF list serve, the campus website and with the University Media Relations Office prior to the meeting. If additional items or supporting documentation become available, a supplemental agenda may be provided at least five (5) days prior to the meeting.

J. Minutes - Minutes of the meetings of the Campus Board shall be kept by the Corporate Secretary or designee, who shall cause them to be printed and preserved and who shall transmit copies to the members of the Campus Board and to other places where deemed appropriate.   All lengthy reports shall be referred to in the minutes and shall be kept on file as part of the University records, but such reports need not be incorporated in the minutes except when so ordered by the Campus Board.

 

K. Authority -- The Campus Board shall have the authority to:

1. Review and approve an annual campus legislative budget request, which will be submitted to the Commissioner of Education as a separately identified section to the USF legislative budget request.   The Campus Executive Officer and Vice President shall prepare the legislative budget request in accordance with guidelines established by the Florida Board of Education.   This request must include items for campus operations and fixed capital outlay.

2. Approve and submit an annual operating plan and budget for review and consultation by the University Board of Trustees.   The campus operating budget must reflect the actual funding available to that campus from separate line-item appropriations contained in each annual General Appropriations Act, which line-item appropriations must initially reflect the funds reported to the legislature for the campus for fiscal year 2000-01 and any additional funds provided in the fiscal year 2001-02 legislative appropriation.

3. Enter into central support services contracts with the University Board of Trustees for any services that the campus cannot provide more economically, including payroll processing, accounting, technology, construction administration, and other desired services.   However, all legal services for the campus must be provided by a central services contract with the University.   The University Board of Trustees and the Campus Board shall determine in a letter of agreement any allocation or sharing of student fee revenue between the University's main campus and the campus.   In addition, various University units may enter into contracts with the campus for any services that the University desires the campus to provide.

4. The Campus Board will consult with the CEO and Vice President and with the University President in the development of a Campus Strategic Plan, and periodic updates to the plan, to ensure campus development that is consonant with regional needs and that the campus meets the requirements necessary for separate accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.   The Campus Strategic Plan and updates will be submitted to the University President for review, approval and inclusion in the University Strategic Plan, which will go to the University Board of Trustees for consideration.   The Campus Strategic Plan will guide the development of legislative budget requests and campus operating budgets.

5. The Campus Board will regularly review enrollment patterns to ensure that the campus builds the full-time-equivalent student base required for the long-term support of existing and planned programs.

6. The Campus Board will exercise other such powers as are lawfully delegated by the University Board of Trustees to provide for the efficient operation and improvement of the campus.

 

ARTICLE III

AMENDMENT OF OPERATING PROCEDURES

These operating procedures may be altered, amended or repealed by a majority vote of Campus Board members in attendance at any regular meeting, when notice of the proposed amendment or repeal is provided in the meeting notice with the approval of the University Board of Trustees.

ARTICLE IV

APPEARANCES BEFORE THE
CAMPUS BOARD

Individuals or group representatives who desire to appear before the Campus Board to initiate a subject within the Campus Board's jurisdiction may submit their requests to the Corporate Secretary, 140 Seventh Avenue South , St. Petersburg , Florida 33701 , specifying the matter they wish to be placed on the agenda.   The CEO and Vice President, in consultation with the Chairperson, will determine whether the item will be heard and when the item will be heard.   The Campus Board may place time limits on any presentation or decline to hear any matter determined by the Chairperson and CEO and Vice President to be outside its jurisdiction.

The Chairperson may recognize any individual or representative of groups to address the Campus Board.

In order to proceed with the essential business of the Campus Board in an orderly manner, any individual or group representative who attempts to disrupt a Campus Board meeting will be subject to appropriate action pursuant to law.

ARTICLE V

CODE OF ETHICS

A Campus Board Member (Member) shall be considered to have a conflict of interest if (1) such Member has existing or potential financial or other interests that impair or might reasonably appear to impair such Member's independent, unbiased judgment in the discharge of his or her responsibilities to the university, or (2) such Member is aware that a member of his or her family, or any organization in which such Member (or member of his or her family) is an officer, director, employee, member, partner, trustee, or controlling stockholder, has such existing or potential financial or other interests.   For the purposes of this provision, a family member is defined as a spouse, parents, siblings, children and any other relative if the latter resides in the same household as the Member.   All Members shall disclose to the Campus Board any possible conflict of interest at the earliest practical time.   Furthermore, the Member shall absent himself or herself from discussions of, and abstain from voting on, such matters under consideration by the Campus Board.   The minutes of such meeting shall reflect that a disclosure was made and that the Member who has a conflict or possible conflict abstained from voting.   Any Member who is uncertain whether a conflict of interest may exist in any matter may request that the Campus Board or committee resolve the question in his or her absence by majority vote.   Each Member shall annually complete and sign a disclosure form.

In addition to the foregoing, members of the Campus Board shall be guided by the provisions set forth in Florida law for the conduct of public officers.

ARTICLE VI

MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

 

A.           Indemnification

The University of South Florida (University) shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless each Member of and from any and all claims, demands, civil or criminal actions, rights, defenses, counterclaims, proceedings, administrative actions, agreements, contracts, covenants, accounts, offsets, attorneys' fees, costs, damages, liabilities, losses, expenses, suits, debts, judgments, awards, duties or obligations, of any nature whatsoever, at law or in equity (collectively referred to as "Claims"), that arise from or relate in any way to his or her position on the Campus Board, or any act undertaken or omitted in connection with his or her service as a Member.   The University shall procure and shall maintain, at the University's expense, adequate insurance coverage, including separate D&O coverage, for the defense and payment of any such Claims.

B.           Fiscal Year

The fiscal year of the Campus Board shall commence on July 1 of each year and end on June 30.

C.           Sunshine Laws

Public access to Campus Board records will be governed by the provisions of the Public Records Law, Chapter 119, F.S.   Campus Board meetings shall be governed by the provisions of the Open Meetings Law, Chapter 286, F.S.