by Evanne Montoya
News Editor
Whitworth’s Board of Trustees was on campus Oct. 10-13 for their fall meetings.
The Board has a multi-faceted role in Whitworth’s institutional life. Chair of the Board Walt Oliver presided over this semester’s meetings.
“If I had to describe the Board’s role, I would put them in three buckets: First, we focus on the direction of the university and its mission. We play a role in strategic thought. Next, we are responsible for hiring of the president. Third, we partake in the financial structure of the university,” Oliver said.
The Board is broken into committees that gather information and report to the rest of the Board.
“I’d say we spend about half the time in committees and the other half in a broad, general Board meeting,” Oliver said.
Along with the meetings, Board members interact with students.
“The Trustees had an opportunity to eat lunch with students,” Oliver said. “Those are always encouraging and fulfilling for the Board members.”
On Friday, the Board received reports from the Financial and Administrative Committee as well as the Student Services Committee, which focuses on student life, President Beck Taylor said.
The Student Services Committee brought forward a suggestion to change the wording of the cohabitation policy. The Board did not make a decision at this time.
“We came to the conclusion that we needed more time to reflect and decided to discuss the topic in future meetings because of time restrictions,” Oliver said.
The Board welcomed new member Andrew Robblee, son of current Board member John Robblee, and approved the nomination of James Low. Mark Poe, William Curry, Curtis Estes and Jan Skaggs left the Board, which also lost Linda Cunningham last summer when she died of cancer.
“Continuity is important because the Board deals with issues over a long term, but it is also nice to get new Board members too,” Taylor said.
Board members serve three-year terms and the committee on Trustees decides their term limits, Oliver said. The committee on Trustees also chooses new Board members, collaborating with the Institutional Advancement staff to do so.
“Together they go through a process of discussions to see if [the candidate] can contribute to the university’s mission,” Oliver said.
The Board will meet twice more this school year.
“We are so thankful for the men and women who give their time, talent and treasure to the university,” Taylor said.
Contact Evanne Montoya at emontoya13@my.whitworth.edu.