LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 371

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UNIVERSITY EDUCATION
tablished in these bylaws, then that member is also considered removed
from the position held and shall be terminated forthwith by the board
of regents.
3.10.5.6.4.2 An appeal process following Concordia University
System’s Standard Operating Procedures Manual for Dispute Resolutionprovided by the Concordia University System Board of Directors
shall be in place for use by faculty members who wish to challenge a
termination decision.

Commission on Handbook
7-15

To Amend Bylaws to Strengthen CUS Boards of
Regents While Also Providing Outside Guidance
Whereas, Current Synod Bylaws include on each Concordia
college and university board of regents eight seats for ordained and
commissioned ministers and laypersons, to be elected half by the
Synod and half by the geographical district in which the institution
is located (3.10.5.2 [1–2]); and
Whereas, The same Bylaw (3.10.5.2 [3]) enables and directs that
same board to appoint four to eight additional laypersons “as voting
members” on the board of regents; and
Whereas, Bylaw 3.10.5.2 (4) states that the district president
where the Concordia is located or his designated district vicepresident serves as an ex officio member; and
Whereas, Bylaw 3.6.1.3 (a) requires that “a minimum of onethird of the voting members of every governing board shall be elected
by the Synod in convention as described in these Bylaws,” raising the
question of the validity of Bylaw 3.10.5.2 (3); and
Whereas, The Concordias desire to have at their disposal certain disciplines of other-than-theological expertise, such as persons
with an advanced academic degree, experience in higher education
administration, administration of complex organizations, finance, law,
investments, technology, human resources, facilities management, or
fund development; and
Whereas, Many, if not most, of these disciplines are already on
their payrolls; and
Whereas, At least fifteen overtures to the 2013 LCMS convention
expressed various concerns over the governance and administration
of the Concordias; and
Whereas, “The board of regents of each institution shall consider as one of its primary duties the defining and fulfilling of the
mission of the institution within the broad assignment of the Synod”
(Bylaw 3.10.5.1); and
Whereas, The duties of the boards of regents are, therefore, not
exclusively and perhaps not even principally financial in nature, their
responsibility being the supervision of the overall welfare and mission
of these educational institutions within the mission of the LCMS; and
Whereas, It is common practice in both public and private institutions of higher learning to establish advisory boards (or other similar
titles) to assist the administration of the institution in carrying out
the policies established by the governing body (here, the boards of
regents) and to suggest other improvements; and
Whereas, It would seem possible to satisfy both the desire for
closer theological oversight and the need for certain outside expertise; therefore be it
Resolved, That current Bylaw 3.10.5.2 be modified as follows:
PRESENT/PROPOSED WORDING
3.10.5.2 The board of regents of each college and university shall
consist of no more than 1715 voting members.

371

1. OneFour ordained ministers, onetwo commissioned ministers, and
twofour laypersons shall be elected by the convention of the Synod.
2. One ordained minister, one commissioned minister, and two laypersons shall be elected by the geographical district in which the institution is located.
3. No less than four and no more than eight laypersons shall be appointed as voting members by the board of regents.
43. The president of the district in which the college or university is located or a district vice-president as his standing representative shall
serve as a ex officio member.
54. College and university board of regents members may be elected or
appointed to serve a maximum of three consecutive three-year terms
and must hold membership in a member congregation of the Synod.
65. Not more than two of the elected members shall be members of the
same congregation.
76. Persons elected or appointed to a board of regents should be knowledgeable regarding the region in which the institution is located and
shall demonstrate familiarity and support for the doctrinal positions
of the Synod and possess two or more of the following qualifications: theological acumen, an advanced academic degree, experience in higher education administration, administration of complex
organizations, finance, law, investments, technology, human resources, facilities management, or fund development. Demonstrated
familiarity and support of the institution is a desired quality in the
candidate. When regents are elected at the national convention of
the Synod, qualifications shall be reviewed and verified as outlined
in Bylaw 3.12.3.7. When regents are elected at district conventions
or appointed by the board of regents, qualifications of all nominees,
including floor nominees, shall be reviewed and verified by the
chair and secretary of the district board of directors or their designees.While any person able to contribute meaningfully to guiding
the mission of a Synod college or university is qualified to serve
on a board of regents, the following qualities may prove valuable:
an aptitude and desire to hold fast the confession of The Lutheran
Church—Missouri Synod and a close connection or experience
with educational programs of the institution (particularly in church
work).

and be it further
Resolved, That each Concordia college or university be authorized,
at the discretion of the board of regents, to assemble and budget for
a separate, nonvoting advisory board to provide assistance, expertise, and advice on temporal matters to the administration and to the
board of regents. Such advisory boards could consist of not more than
ten members appointed by the board of regents. Candidates could
include persons with an advanced academic degree, experience in
higher education administration, administration of complex organizations, finance, law, investments, technology, human resources,
facilities management, or fund development; and be it further
Resolved, That, for consistency, Bylaw 3.12.3.5 (e) and (f) be
deleted; and be it finally
Resolved, That all wording in Bylaw 3.12.3.7 (c) after the first sentence (ending in “… by a simple majority vote.”) be deleted.
Mt. Pleasant Circuit
Iowa District East
7-16

To Reaffirm Equal Voting Privileges
of Elected and Appointed CUS Regents
Whereas, The universities and colleges of our Synod continue
to be blessed by God and are growing in their enrollment of students
and faculty; and
2016 Convention Workbook