The Vermont Statutes Online

Title 16 : Education

Chapter 072 : VERMONT STATE COLLEGES

• § 2172. Trustees; appointment; vacancies

  (a) The Corporation shall be governed by a board of 15 trustees who shall be appointed or elected as follows:

  (1) Biennially, the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint trustees to serve for four-year terms expiring March 1 of the year of the biennial session. Five trustees may be in office at one time under this subdivision. In the event of any vacancy occurring between biennial sessions in an office under this subdivision, the Governor, pursuant to 3 V.S.A. § 257, shall fill the vacancy, and the term of a person so appointed shall expire on March 1 in the year of the next following biennial session.

  (2)(A) One trustee shall be a student trustee:

  (i) who is a matriculated student at an educational institution operated by the Vermont State Colleges Corporation;

  (ii) who is pursuing a degree program; and

  (iii) who has reached the age of majority.

  (B) The student trustee shall serve a one-year term expiring on June 1. The student trustee shall be appointed, and a vacancy may be filled, from among those eligible students applying for the position by the decision of those members of the steering committee of the Vermont State Colleges Student Association who have been elected at large to that committee by the students at their respective colleges. No student trustee may serve more than two consecutive terms.

  (3) Four trustees shall be legislative trustees who are members of the General Assembly at the time of their election. Legislative trustees shall serve four-year terms expiring on March 1 of the second year of the biennial session, and they shall be elected by joint assembly of the Legislature. Vacancies for any cause shall be filled by the General Assembly at its earliest opportunity and the term of a person so appointed shall expire on March 1 of the next even numbered year.

  (4) Four trustees shall be elected by the Board of Trustees to four-year terms expiring on March 1. Vacancies for any cause shall be filled by the remaining members of the Board of Trustees, and the term of the person so appointed shall expire on the next following March 1.

  (b) Appointments by the Governor and elections by the General Assembly shall be made with consideration of the geographic distribution of members to prevent an unfair focus on any single college.

  (c) No trustee shall be a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Vermont.

  (d)(1) The Board of Trustees, after notice and a hearing, may remove a trustee for incompetency, failure to discharge duties, malfeasance, illegal acts, or other cases inimical to the welfare of the Corporation.

  (2) Gubernatorial-appointed trustees shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor pursuant to 3 V.S.A. § 2004.

  (3) In the event of a vacancy occurring under this subsection, the Governor or the Board, as applicable, shall fill the vacancy pursuant to subsection (a) of this section. (Added 1961, No. 247, § 1, eff. July 28, 1961; amended 1977, No. 188 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. April 5, 1978; 2015, No. 19, § 1, eff. July 15, 2015; 2015, No. 48, § 8, eff. July 16, 2015.)