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Despite the Board’s approval, a revision of the Board bylaws on December 6, 2018, was not recognized in the official bylaws document. It is not known why this revision was not made although approved by the Board.

As part of 2022 HB 250, The Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) created and oversees a management improvement plan for KSU, which includes “[a] comprehensive cataloging and review of university policies and procedures.” In July 2022, the KSU Board took a step forward in the process by approving an official policy on policies. However, it appears the University is still unable to ensure policies approved by the Board are implemented as noted by CPE’s February 20, 2023, HB 250 update to the Board. In that meeting, CPE identified that the University had not implemented its Financial Exigency Policy approved by the Board in the prior year. As KSU continues through this process, it is not only imperative that the Board establish policies but also that the administration follow through by ensuring policies are implemented and communicated to employees.

Recommendations

We recommend:

• KSU’s Board consider employing or designating an individual whose primary responsibility is to serve as Secretary to the Board, independent of the university president position. This position would report to the Board and be responsible for timely collection and distribution of board materials to each Board member and could bring forward to the Board reminders of past tabled actions or provide status on prior Board actions, such as status of the implementation of Board approved policies. This individual may also be responsible for updating KSU’s catalog of policies. Access to add a policy into the repository should be restricted to ensure policies are properly processed before being made available to employees and students.
• In establishing and updating policies, KSU consider using language in the policy identifying clearly that this policy replaces existing policies (known or unknown) to avoid the existence of conflicting policy and actions being taken by KSU employees based on an outdated policy.
• KSU provide routine training to KSU personnel impacted directly by new or revised policy changes to ensure their understanding of the policy.