LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2001, Page 206

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206 HIGHER EDUCATION

Resolved, That the criteria for all regents, adopted by the Synod
at its 1986 convention (Workbook, p. 338), govern the selection of
the eight elected regents, viz.:

1. Commitment to the mission and purpose of the respective college
[or university] and loyalty to The Lutheran Church—Missouri
Synod.

2. Knowledge of higher education and the responsibilities of board
members in establishing policies and carrying out the functions of
the board in behalf of the institution and the Synod.

. Consciousness of the obligations of board members to the faculty,
students. staff, immediate constituency, church body, and the pub-
lic for the welfare and advancement of the institution.

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+. Broad representation of the several constituencies of the institution
with reference to such factors as profession or occupation, age, gen-
der, race, and experience.

5. Capability of providing time and energy for the work of the board,
including service on committees, personal financial support, and the
securing of gifts and grants for the benefit of the institution; and be it
finally

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Synod be authorized and di-
rected to make appropriate changes in the Bylaws to implement
this change.

Concordia College
Bronxville, NY

5-04
To Increase University Boards of Regents by Four

Rationale

Higher education in the 21st century has more opportunities for
service than ever before, while facing greater challenges and a
broader range of program choices. In order to respond to these
challenges and opportunities, the Boards of Regents of our colleges
and universities need an opportunity to include more individuals
who can bring expertise and resources to the institution.

In addition to its traditional responsibilities for finances and pro-
grams, Boards of Regents must devote intensive effort to develop
strategies in the fields of technology and technologically supported
education, fund raising and institutional advancement, fiscal analy-
sis, and business decisions, and the like. By increasing member-
ship on the boards it will be possible to include more persons with
expertise and resources in these areas.

Resolved, That the convention adopt the following actions:

1. That Bylaw 6.01 b be revised, increasing the number of
Board of Regents members from 13 to 17, with 8 laypersons
elected by each Board of Regents in a non-convention year.

2. That the Secretary of the Synod be directed to bring the syn-
odical Handbook into conformity with this resolution.

Board for Higher Education/
Concordia University System

5-05
To Increase Seminary Boards of Regents by Two

Rationale

The BHE/CUS Board recommends an amendment of Bylaw
6.01.a.1, changing the number of Board of Regents members for
the seminaries from 7 to 9.

Discussions with the seminary presidents suggested that there
is aneed for laypersons on the Board of Regents who have specific
qualifications and experiences to assist the Board of Regents in ef-
fective decision-making (administration and/or finance). Selection
and election of additional laypersons with background and exper-
tise in areas of administration and/or finance is probably best ac-
complished by the BOR itself, similar to the Bylaw (6.01 b 3) that
addresses the same issue for the colleges/universities: “Four layper-
sons elected by the Board of Regents in a non-convention year.”

2001 Convention Workbook

The convention is asked to adopt the following actions:
1. That Bylaw 6.01 a 1 be amended as follows:

PRESENF/PROPOSED WORDING

a. The Board of Regents of cach theological seminary shall con-
sist of the following voting members:

|. FRree Four ordained ministers (at least two of whom shall
be, at the time of their election, actively serving a congregation),
one commissioned minister, and three four laypersons with back-
ground and experience in administration and/or finance, two
elected by the convention of the Synod and two elected by the
Board of Regents in a non-convention year.

2. That this change, if approved by the 2001 convention of the
Synod, shall take effect with elections made at that same conven-
tion.

3. That the Secretary of the Synod be directed to bring the syn-
odical Handbook into conformity with this resolution.

Board for Higher Education/
Concordia University System

5-06

To Amend Bylaw to Restore Three-Year
Terms for Regents

WHEREAS, Members of the Synod’s college and university
Boards of Regents have historically served for three-year terms, re-
newable twice (for maximum consecutive service of nine years);
and

WHEREAS, When the 1998 synodical convention decided to
allow twelve years of consecutive service on these Boards of Re-
gents (like other synodical boards, including those of the seminar-
ics), the convention set the terms of all regents at six ycars, to en-
sure continuity of membership particularly on the seminaries’
boards, which are elected entirely by synodical conventions; and

WHEREAS, This specific need to ensure continuity is not the case
for the colleges and universities, whose boards are elected in part
by the Synod in convention, in part by the local synodical District,
and in part by the regents elected by the Synod and the District (in
the triennial year with neither a synodical nor a District conven-
tion); and

WHEREAS, The Synod’s Commission on Constitutional Matters
has ruled that those college and university regents that are elected
neither by the Synod nor by the District are, legally speaking, ap-
pointed, so that they may serve a maximum of three three-year
terms (LCMS Bylaws 3.59 a and 3.61 b): and

WHEREAS, As a result, college and university Boards of Regents
will now have members serving under two different rules, some for
up to two six-year terms and others for up to three three-year terms.
potentially resulting in confusion, which was surely not intended
by the 1998 convention; and

WHEREAS, There is an important balance to be struck between
flexibility and continuity in board membership; and

WHEREAS, The need for continuity in the case of the colleges
and universities is adequately provided for by the overlapping
terms of regents elected in different years by different bodies;
therefore be it

Resolved, That LCMS Bylaw 6.01 be amended to provide that
all members of college and university Boards of Regents shal} be
elected or appointed for three-year terms, renewable three times
(for maximum consecutive service of twelve years).

Board of Regents, Concordia University, Seward, NE;
Board of Regents, Concordia University, River Forest, IL;
Concordia College, Ann Arbor, MI; Board for Higher
Education/Concordia University System