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Engrossed Version Senate Bill 2005 History

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Key: Green = existing Code. Red = new code to be enacted
ENGROSSED

COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE

FOR

Senate Bill No. 2005

(By Senators Tomblin, Mr. President, and Caruth,

By Request of the Executive)

____________

[Originating in the Committee on Finance;

reported August 20, 2007.]

_____________


A BILL to amend and reenact §18B-1B-3 and §18B-1B-4 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended; to amend and reenact §18B-2A-1 of said code; to amend and reenact §18B-2B-5 of said code; to amend and reenact §18B-6-1 of said code; and to amend and reenact §18B-9-4 of said code, all relating to higher education generally; Higher Education Policy Commission; authorizing the Higher Education Policy Commission to convey real property; West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education; institutional boards of governors and institutional boards of advisors; providing for election of officers; terms of office; meetings; authorizing institutions to provide salary increases if funds are available for certain classified employees under certain circumstances; and deleting obsolete language.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §18B-1B-3 and §18B-1B-4 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted; that §18B-2A-1 of said code be amended and reenacted; that §18B-2B-5 of said code be amended and reenacted; that §18B-6-1 of said code be amended and reenacted; and that §18B-9-4 of said code be amended and reenacted, all to read as follows:
ARTICLE 1B. HIGHER EDUCATION POLICY COMMISSION.
§18B-1B-3. Meetings and compensation.
(a) The secretary of education and the arts shall call the initial meeting of the commission and preside until a chairperson is selected. Thereafter, The commission shall meet as needed at the time and place specified by the call of the chairperson.
(b) The commission shall hold an annual meeting each June at the final, regularly scheduled meeting of each fiscal year for the purpose of electing officers for the next fiscal year. At the annual meeting, the commission shall elect from its members appointed by the governor a chairperson and other officers as it may consider necessary or desirable. Provided, That the initial meeting for the purpose of selecting the first chairperson and other officers shall be held during July, two thousand, or as soon thereafter as practicable. All officers shall be are elected from the citizen appointees. The chairperson and other officers shall be are elected for a one-year term commencing on the first day of July following the annual meeting and ending on the thirtieth day of June of the following year. Provided, however, That the terms of officers elected in July, two thousand, begin upon election and end on the thirtieth day of June, two thousand one. The chairperson of the board commission may serve no more than two four consecutive terms as chair.
(c) Members of the commission shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incident to the performance of their duties upon presentation of an itemized sworn statement thereof. The foregoing reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses shall be paid from appropriations made by the Legislature to the commission.
(d) A majority of the members constitutes a quorum for conducting the business of the commission.
§18B-1B-4. Powers and duties of Higher Education Policy Commission.

(a) The primary responsibility of the commission is to develop, establish and implement policy that will achieve the goals and objectives found in section one-a, article one of this chapter. The commission shall exercise its authority and carry out its responsibilities in a manner that is consistent and not in conflict with the powers and duties assigned by law to the West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education and the powers and duties assigned to the governing boards of Marshall University and West Virginia University, respectively. To that end, the commission has the following powers and duties relating to the institutions under its jurisdiction:
(1) Develop, oversee and advance the public policy agenda pursuant to section one, article one-a of this chapter to address major challenges facing the state, including, but not limited to, the goals and objectives found in section one-a, article one of this chapter and including specifically those goals and objectives pertaining to the compacts created pursuant to section two, article one-a of this chapter and to develop and implement the master plan described in section nine of this article for the purpose of accomplishing the mandates of this section;
(2) Develop, oversee and advance the implementation jointly with the council of a financing policy for higher education in West Virginia. The policy shall meet the following criteria:
(A) Provide an adequate level of education and general funding for institutions pursuant to section five, article one-a of this chapter;
(B) Serve to maintain institutional assets, including, but not limited to, human and physical resources and deferred maintenance;
(C) Invest and provide incentives for achieving the priority goals in the public policy agenda, including, but not limited to, those found in section one-a, article one of this chapter; and
(D) Incorporate the plan for strategic funding to strengthen capacity for support of community and technical college education established by the West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education pursuant to the provisions of section six, article two-b of this chapter;
(3) In collaboration with the council, create a policy leadership structure capable of the following actions:
(A) Developing, building public consensus around and sustaining attention to a long-range public policy agenda. In developing the agenda, the commission and council shall seek input from the Legislature and the Governor and specifically from the State Board of Education and local school districts in order to create the necessary linkages to assure smooth, effective and seamless movement of students through the public education and post-secondary education systems and to ensure that the needs of public school courses and programs can be fulfilled by the graduates produced and the programs offered;
(B) Ensuring that the governing boards carry out their duty effectively to govern the individual institutions of higher education; and
(C) Holding the higher education institutions and the higher education systems as a whole accountable for accomplishing their missions and implementing the provisions of the compacts;
(4) Develop and adopt each institutional compact;
(5) Review and adopt the annual updates of the institutional compacts;
(6) Serve as the accountability point to:
(A) The Governor for implementation of the public policy agenda; and
(B) The Legislature by maintaining a close working relationship with the legislative leadership and the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability;
(7) Jointly with the council, promulgate legislative rules pursuant to article three-a, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code to fulfill the purposes of section five, article one-a of this chapter;
(8) Establish and implement a peer group for each institution as described in section three, article one-a of this chapter;
(9) Establish and implement the benchmarks and performance indicators necessary to measure institutional achievement towards state policy priorities and institutional missions pursuant to section two, article one-a of this chapter;
(10) Annually report to the Legislature and to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability during the January interim meetings on a date and at a time and location to be determined by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Delegates. The report shall address at least the following:
(A) The performance of its system of higher education during the previous fiscal year, including, but not limited to, progress in meeting goals stated in the compacts and progress of the institutions and the higher education system as a whole in meeting the goals and objectives set forth in section one-a, article one of this chapter;
(B) An analysis of enrollment data collected pursuant to section one, article ten of this chapter and recommendations for any changes necessary to assure access to high-quality, high-demand education programs for West Virginia residents;
(C) The priorities established for capital investment needs pursuant to subdivision (11) of this subsection and the justification for such priority;
(D) Recommendations of the commission for statutory changes needed to further the goals and objectives set forth in section one-a, article one of this chapter;
(11) Establish a formal process for identifying needs for capital investments and for determining priorities for these investments for consideration by the Governor and the Legislature as part of the appropriation request process. It is the responsibility of the commission to assure a fair distribution of funds for capital projects between the commission and the council. To that end the commission shall take the following steps:
(A) Receive the list of priorities developed by the council for capital investment for the institutions under the council's jurisdiction pursuant to subsection (b), section six, article two-b of this chapter;
(B) Place the ranked list of projects on the agenda for action within sixty days of the date on which the list was received;
(C) Select a minimum of three projects from the list submitted by the council to be included on the ranked list established by the commission. At least one of the three projects selected must come from the top two priorities established by the council.
(12) Maintain guidelines for institutions to follow concerning extensive capital project management except the governing boards of Marshall University and West Virginia University are not subject to the provisions of this subdivision as it relates to the state institutions of higher education known as Marshall University and West Virginia University. The guidelines shall provide a process for developing capital projects, including, but not limited to, the notification by an institution to the commission of any proposed capital project which has the potential to exceed one million dollars in cost. Such a project may not be pursued by an institution without the approval of the commission. An institution may not participate directly or indirectly with any public or private entity in any capital project which has the potential to exceed one million dollars in cost;
(13) Acquire legal services as are considered necessary, including representation of the commission, its institutions, employees and officers before any court or administrative body, notwithstanding any other provision of this code to the contrary. The counsel may be employed either on a salaried basis or on a reasonable fee basis. In addition, the commission may, but is not required to, call upon the Attorney General for legal assistance and representation as provided by law;
(14) Employ a Chancellor for Higher Education pursuant to section five of this article;
(15) Employ other staff as necessary and appropriate to carry out the duties and responsibilities of the commission and the council, in accordance with the provisions of article four of this chapter;
(16) Provide suitable offices in Charleston for the chancellor, vice chancellors and other staff;
(17) Advise and consent in the appointment of the presidents of the institutions of higher education under its jurisdiction pursuant to section six of this article. The role of the commission in approving an institutional president is to assure through personal interview that the person selected understands and is committed to achieving the goals and objectives as set forth in the institutional compact and in section one-a, article one of this chapter;
(18) Approve the total compensation package from all sources for presidents of institutions under its jurisdiction, as proposed by the governing boards. The governing boards must obtain approval from the commission of the total compensation package both when institutional presidents are employed initially and afterward when any change is made in the amount of the total compensation package;
(19) Establish and implement the policy of the state to assure that parents and students have sufficient information at the earliest possible age on which to base academic decisions about what is required for students to be successful in college, other post-secondary education and careers related, as far as possible, to results from current assessment tools in use in West Virginia;
(20) Approve and implement a uniform standard jointly with the council to determine which students shall be placed in remedial or developmental courses. The standard shall be aligned with college admission tests and assessment tools used in West Virginia and shall be applied uniformly by the governing boards throughout the public higher education system. The chancellors shall develop a clear, concise explanation of the standard which they shall communicate to the State Board of Education and the State Superintendent of schools;
(21) Review and approve or disapprove capital projects as described in subdivision (11) of this subsection;
(22) Jointly with the council, develop and implement an oversight plan to manage systemwide technology such as the following:
(A) Expanding distance learning and technology networks to enhance teaching and learning, promote access to quality educational offerings with minimum duplication of effort; and
(B) Increasing the delivery of instruction to nontraditional students, to provide services to business and industry and increase the management capabilities of the higher education system.
(C) Notwithstanding any other provision of law or this code to the contrary, the council, commission and state institutions of higher educations are not subject to the jurisdiction of the Chief Technology Officer for any purpose.
(23) Establish and implement policies and procedures to ensure that students may transfer and apply toward the requirements for a bachelor's degree the maximum number of credits earned at any regionally accredited in-state or out-of-state community and technical college with as few requirements to repeat courses or to incur additional costs as is consistent with sound academic policy;
(24) Establish and implement policies and procedures to ensure that students may transfer and apply toward the requirements for a degree the maximum number of credits earned at any regionally accredited in-state or out-of-state higher education institution with as few requirements to repeat courses or to incur additional costs as is consistent with sound academic policy;
(25) Establish and implement policies and procedures to ensure that students may transfer and apply toward the requirements for a master's degree the maximum number of credits earned at any regionally accredited in-state or out-of-state higher education institution with as few requirements to repeat courses or to incur additional costs as is consistent with sound academic policy;
(26) Establish and implement policies and programs, in cooperation with the council and the institutions of higher education, through which students who have gained knowledge and skills through employment, participation in education and training at vocational schools or other education institutions, or internet-based education programs, may demonstrate by competency-based assessment that they have the necessary knowledge and skills to be granted academic credit or advanced placement standing toward the requirements of an associate degree or a bachelor's degree at a state institution of higher education;
(27) Seek out and attend regional, national and international meetings and forums on education and workforce development-related topics, as in the commission's discretion is critical for the performance of their duties as members, for the purpose of keeping abreast of education trends and policies to aid it in developing the policies for this state to meet the established education goals and objectives pursuant to section one-a, article one of this chapter;
(28) Develop, establish and implement a rule for higher education governing boards and institutions to follow when considering capital projects. The guidelines shall assure that the governing boards and institutions do not approve or promote capital projects involving private sector businesses which would have the effect of reducing property taxes on existing properties or avoiding, in whole or in part, the full amount of taxes which would be due on newly developed or future properties;
(29) Consider and submit to the appropriate agencies of the executive and legislative branches of state government a budget that reflects recommended appropriations from the commission and the institutions under its jurisdiction. The commission shall submit as part of its budget proposal the separate recommended appropriations it received from the council, both for the council and the institutions under the council's jurisdiction. The commission annually shall submit the proposed institutional allocations based on each institution's progress toward meeting the goals of its institutional compact;
(30) The commission has the authority to assess institutions under its jurisdiction, including the state institutions of higher education known as Marshall University and West Virginia University, for the payment of expenses of the commission or for the funding of statewide higher education services, obligations or initiatives related to the goals set forth for the provision of public higher education in the state;
(31) Promulgate rules allocating reimbursement of appropriations, if made available by the Legislature, to institutions of higher education for qualifying noncapital expenditures incurred in the provision of services to students with physical, learning or severe sensory disabilities;
(32) Make appointments to boards and commissions where this code requires appointments from the State College System Board of Directors or the University of West Virginia System Board of Trustees which were abolished effective the thirtieth day of June, two thousand, except in those cases where the required appointment has a specific and direct connection to the provision of community and technical college education, the appointment shall be made by the council. Notwithstanding any provisions of this code to the contrary, the commission or the council may appoint one of its own members or any other citizen of the state as its designee. The commission and council shall appoint the total number of persons in the aggregate required to be appointed by these previous governing boards;
(33) Pursuant to the provisions of article three-a, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code and section six, article one of this chapter, promulgate rules as necessary or expedient to fulfill the purposes of this chapter. The commission and the council shall promulgate a uniform joint legislative rule for the purpose of standardizing, as much as possible, the administration of personnel matters among the institutions of higher education;
(34) Determine when a joint rule among the governing boards of the institutions under its jurisdiction is necessary or required by law and, in those instances, in consultation with the governing boards of all the institutions under its jurisdiction, promulgate the joint rule;
(35) In consultation with the Governing Boards of Marshall University and West Virginia University, implement a policy jointly with the council whereby course credit earned at a community and technical college transfers for program credit at any other state institution of higher education and is not limited to fulfilling a general education requirement;
(36) Promulgate a joint rule with the council establishing tuition and fee policy for all institutions of higher education, other than state institutions of higher education known as Marshall University and West Virginia University which are subject to the provisions of section one, article ten of this chapter. The rule shall include, but is not limited to, the following:
(A) Comparisons with peer institutions;
(B) Differences among institutional missions;
(C) Strategies for promoting student access;
(D) Consideration of charges to out-of-state students; and
(E) Such other policies as the commission and council consider appropriate; and
(37) Implement general disease awareness initiatives to educate parents and students, particularly dormitory residents, about meningococcal meningitis; the potentially life-threatening dangers of contracting the infection; behaviors and activities that can increase risks; measures that can be taken to prevent contact or infection; and potential benefits of vaccination. The commission shall encourage institutions that provide medical care to students to provide access to the vaccine for those who wish to receive it; and
(38) Notwithstanding any other provision of this code to the contrary, sell, lease, convey or otherwise dispose of all or part of any real property which it may own, either by contract or at public auction, and to retain the proceeds of any such sale or lease: Provided, That:
(A) The commission may not sell, lease, convey or otherwise dispose of any real property without first:
(i) Providing notice to the public in the county in which the real property is located by a Class II legal advertisement pursuant to section two, article three, chapter fifty-nine of this code;
(ii) Holding a public hearing on the issue in the county in which the real property is located; and
(iii) Providing notice to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance; and
(B) Any proceeds from the sale, lease, conveyance or other disposal of real property that is used jointly by institutions or for statewide programs under the jurisdiction of the commission or the council shall be transferred to the general revenue fund of the state.

(b) In addition to the powers and duties listed in subsection (a) of this section, the commission has the following general powers and duties related to its role in developing, articulating and overseeing the implementation of the public policy agenda:
(1) Planning and policy leadership including a distinct and visible role in setting the state's policy agenda and in serving as an agent of change;
(2) Policy analysis and research focused on issues affecting the system as a whole or a geographical region thereof;
(3) Development and implementation of institutional mission definitions including use of incentive funds to influence institutional behavior in ways that are consistent with public priorities;
(4) Academic program review and approval for institutions under its jurisdiction, including the use of institutional missions as a template to judge the appropriateness of both new and existing programs and the authority to implement needed changes. The commission's authority to review and approve academic programs for either the state institution of higher education known as Marshall University or West Virginia University is limited to programs that are proposed to be offered at a new location not presently served by that institution;
(5) Distribution of funds appropriated to the commission, including incentive and performance-based funding;
(6) Administration of state and federal student aid programs under the supervision of the vice chancellor for administration, including promulgation of any rules necessary to administer those programs;
(7) Serving as the agent to receive and disburse public funds when a governmental entity requires designation of a statewide higher education agency for this purpose;
(8) Development, establishment and implementation of information, assessment and accountability systems, including maintenance of statewide data systems that facilitate long-term planning and accurate measurement of strategic outcomes and performance indicators;
(9) Jointly with the council, developing, establishing and implementing policies for licensing and oversight for both public and private degree-granting and nondegree-granting institutions that provide post-secondary education courses or programs in the state pursuant to the findings and policy recommendations required by section eleven of this article;
(10) Development, implementation and oversight of statewide and regionwide projects and initiatives related to providing post-secondary education at the baccalaureate level and above such as those using funds from federal categorical programs or those using incentive and performance-based funding from any source; and
(11) Quality assurance that intersects with all other duties of the commission particularly in the areas of research, data collection and analysis, planning, policy analysis, program review and approval, budgeting and information and accountability systems.
(c) In addition to the powers and duties provided in subsections (a) and (b) of this section and any other powers and duties as may be assigned to it by law, the commission has such other powers and duties as may be necessary or expedient to accomplish the purposes of this article.
(d) The commission is authorized to withdraw specific powers of any governing board of an institution under its jurisdiction for a period not to exceed two years, if the commission makes a determination that:
(1) The governing board has failed for two consecutive years to develop an institutional compact as required in article one of this chapter;
(2) The commission has received information, substantiated by independent audit, of significant mismanagement or failure to carry out the powers and duties of the board of governors according to state law; or
(3) Other circumstances which, in the view of the commission, severely limit the capacity of the board of governors to carry out its duties and responsibilities.
The period of withdrawal of specific powers may not exceed two years during which time the commission is authorized to take steps necessary to reestablish the conditions for restoration of sound, stable and responsible institutional governance.
ARTICLE 2A. INSTITUTIONAL BOARDS OF GOVERNORS.
§18B-2A-1. Composition of boards; terms and qualifications of members; vacancies; eligibility for reappointment.

(a) A board of governors is continued at each of the following institutions: Bluefield State College, Blue Ridge Community and Technical College, Concord University, Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College, Fairmont State University, Glenville State College, Marshall University, New River Community and Technical College, Shepherd University, Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College, West Liberty State College, West Virginia Northern Community and Technical College, the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, West Virginia State University and West Virginia University.
(b) The institutional board of governors for Marshall University consists of sixteen persons and the institutional board of governors for West Virginia University consists of eighteen persons. Each other board of governors consists of twelve persons.
(c) Each board of governors includes the following members:
(1) A full-time member of the faculty with the rank of instructor or above duly elected by the faculty of the respective institution;
(2) A member of the student body in good academic standing, enrolled for college credit work and duly elected by the student body of the respective institution;
(3) A member from the institutional classified employees duly elected by the classified employees of the respective institution; and
(4) For the institutional board of governors at Marshall University, twelve lay members appointed by the Governor, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, pursuant to this section and, additionally, the chairperson of the institutional board of advisors of Marshall Community and Technical College serving as an ex officio, voting member.
(5) For the institutional board of governors at West Virginia University, twelve lay members appointed by the Governor, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, pursuant to this section and, additionally, the chairpersons of the following boards serving as ex officio, voting members:
(A) The institutional board of advisors of:
(i) The Community and Technical College at West Virginia University Institute of Technology; and
(ii) West Virginia University at Parkersburg; and
(B) The Board of Visitors of West Virginia University Institute of Technology.
(6) For each institutional board of governors of an institution that does not have an administratively linked community and technical college under its jurisdiction, nine lay members appointed by the Governor, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, pursuant to this section.
(7) For each institutional board of governors which has an administratively linked community and technical college under its jurisdiction:
(A) Eight lay members appointed by the Governor, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, pursuant to this section and, additionally, the chairperson of the institutional board of advisors of the administratively linked community and technical college; and
(B) Of the eight lay members appointed by the Governor, one shall be the superintendent of a county board of education from the area served by the institution.
(d) Of the eight or nine members appointed by the Governor, no more than five may be of the same political party. Of the twelve members appointed by the Governor to the governing boards of Marshall University and West Virginia University, no more than seven may be of the same political party. Of the eight or nine members appointed by the Governor, at least six shall be residents of the state. Of the twelve members appointed by the Governor to the governing boards of Marshall University and West Virginia University, at least eight shall be residents of the state.
(e) The student member serves for a term of one year. Each term begins on the first day of July.
(f) The faculty member serves for a term of two years. Each term begins on the first day of July. Faculty members are eligible to succeed themselves for three additional terms, not to exceed a total of eight consecutive years.
(g) The member representing classified employees serves for a term of two years. Each term begins on the first day of July. Members representing classified employees are eligible to succeed themselves for three additional terms, not to exceed a total of eight consecutive years.
(h) The appointed lay citizen members serve terms of four years each and are eligible to succeed themselves for no more than one additional term.
(i) A vacancy in an unexpired term of a member shall be filled for the unexpired term within thirty days of the occurrence of the vacancy in the same manner as the original appointment or election. Except in the case of a vacancy, all elections shall be held and all appointments shall be made no later than the thirtieth day of June preceding the commencement of the term. Each board of governors shall elect one of its appointed lay members to be chairperson in June of each year. A member may not serve as chairperson for more than two four consecutive years.
(j) The appointed members of the institutional boards of governors serve staggered terms of four years.
(k) A person is ineligible for appointment to membership on a board of governors of a state institution of higher education under the following conditions:
(1) For a baccalaureate institution or university, a person is ineligible for appointment who is an officer, employee or member of any other board of governors, a member of an institutional board of advisors of any public institution of higher education, an employee of any institution of higher education, an officer or member of any political party executive committee, the holder of any other public office or public employment under the government of this state or any of its political subdivisions or a member of the council or commission. This subsection does not prevent the representative from the faculty, classified employees, students or chairpersons of the boards of advisors or the superintendent of a county board of education from being members of the governing boards.
(2) For a community and technical college, a person is ineligible for appointment who is an officer, employee or member of any other board of governors; a member of an institutional board of advisors of any public institution of higher education; an employee of any institution of higher education; an officer or member of any political party executive committee; the holder of any other public office, other than an elected county office, or public employment, other than employment by the county board of education, under the government of this state or any of its political subdivisions; or a member of the council or commission. This subsection does not prevent the representative from the faculty, classified employees, students or chairpersons of the boards of advisors from being members of the governing boards.
(l) Before exercising any authority or performing any duties as a member of a governing board, each member shall qualify as such by taking and subscribing to the oath of office prescribed by section five, article IV of the Constitution of West Virginia and the certificate thereof shall be filed with the Secretary of State.
(m) A member of a governing board appointed by the Governor may not be removed from office by the Governor except for official misconduct, incompetence, neglect of duty or gross immorality and then only in the manner prescribed by law for the removal of the state elective officers by the Governor.
(n) The president of the institution shall make available resources of the institution for conducting the business of its board of governors. The members of the board of governors serve without compensation, but are reimbursed for all reasonable and necessary expenses actually incurred in the performance of official duties under this article upon presentation of an itemized sworn statement of expenses. All expenses incurred by the board of governors and the institution under this section are paid from funds allocated to the institution for that purpose.
ARTICLE 2B. WEST VIRGINIA COUNCIL FOR COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE EDUCATION.

§18B-2B-5. Meetings and compensation.

(a) The council shall hold at least eight meetings annually and may meet more often meet as needed at the time and place specified at the call of the chairperson. One such meeting each year shall be a public forum for the discussion of the goals and standards for workforce development, economic development and vocational education in the state.
(b) The council shall hold an annual meeting each June at its final, regularly scheduled meeting of each fiscal year for the purpose of electing officers. for the next fiscal year. At the annual meeting, the council shall elect from its appointed voting members a chairperson and other officers as it may consider necessary or desirable. The chairperson and other officers are elected for two-year one-year terms commencing on the first day of July following the annual meeting and ending on the thirtieth day of June of the following year. The chairperson of the board council may serve no more than two four consecutive two-year one-year terms as chair. , except that the member serving as chairperson of the council on the effective date of this section is eligible to serve a two-year term regardless of the number of consecutive terms already served.
(c) Members of the council serve without compensation. Members shall be reimbursed for all reasonable and necessary expenses actually incurred in the performance of official duties under this article upon presentation of an itemized sworn statement of their expenses. An ex officio member of the council who is an employee of the state is reimbursed by the employing agency.
(d) A majority of the voting members appointed constitutes a quorum for conducting the business of the council. All action taken by the council shall be by majority vote of the voting members present.
ARTICLE 6. ADVISORY COUNCILS AND BOARDS.
§18B-6-1. Institutional boards of advisors for regional campuses and certain administratively linked community and technical colleges.

(a) There are continued institutional boards of advisors as follows:
(1) For each regional campus. The chairperson of the board of advisors of West Virginia University at Parkersburg serves as an ex officio, voting member of the Governing Board of West Virginia University;
(2) For administratively linked community and technical colleges which share a physical location with the sponsoring institution. This category includes Marshall Community and Technical College, West Virginia State Community and Technical College and the Community and Technical College at West Virginia University Institute of Technology. The chairperson of the board of advisors of each administratively linked community and technical college serves as an ex officio, voting member of the sponsoring institution's board of governors, or in the case of the Community and Technical College at West Virginia University Institute of Technology, the chairperson of the board of advisors serves as an ex officio voting member of the Governing Board of West Virginia University; and
(3) For Pierpont Community and Technical College. The chairperson of the board of advisors of Pierpont Community and Technical College serves as an ex officio, voting member of the Fairmont State University Board of Governors.
(b) The lay members of the institutional boards of advisors for the regional campuses are appointed by the board of governors.
(c) The lay members of the institutional boards of advisors established for the administratively linked community and technical colleges and Pierpont Community and Technical College are appointed by the West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education.
(d) The board of advisors consists of fifteen members, including a full-time member of the faculty with the rank of instructor or above duly elected by the faculty of the respective institution; a member of the student body in good academic standing, enrolled for college credit work and duly elected by the student body of the respective institution; a member from the institutional classified employees duly elected by the classified employees of the respective institution; and twelve lay persons appointed pursuant to this section who have demonstrated a sincere interest in and concern for the welfare of that institution and who are representative of the population of its responsibility district and fields of study. At least eight of the twelve lay persons appointed shall be residents of the state. Of the lay members who are residents of the state, at least two shall be alumni of the respective institution and no more than a simple majority may be of the same political party.
(e) The student member serves for a term of one year beginning on the first day of May. The member from the faculty and the classified employees, respectively, serves for a term of two years beginning on the first day of May. The twelve lay members serve terms of four years each beginning on the first day of May. All members are eligible to succeed themselves for no more than one additional term. A vacancy in an unexpired term of a member shall be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term within thirty days of the occurrence thereof in the same manner as the original appointment or election. Except in the case of a vacancy:
(1) All elections shall be held and all appointments shall be made no later than the thirtieth day of April preceding the commencement of the term; and
(2) Terms of members begin on the first day of May following election.
(f) Each board of advisors shall hold a regular meeting at least quarterly, commencing in May of each year. Additional meetings may be held upon the call of the chairperson, president of the institution or upon the written request of at least five members. A majority of the members constitutes a quorum for conducting the business of the board of advisors.
(g) One of the twelve lay members shall be elected as chairperson by the board of advisors in May of each year. A member may not serve as chairperson for more than two four consecutive years.
(h) The president of the institution shall make available resources of the institution for conducting the business of the board of advisors. The members of the board of advisors shall be reimbursed for all reasonable and necessary expenses actually incurred in the performance of their official duties under this section upon presentation of an itemized sworn statement thereof. All expenses incurred by the boards of advisors and the institutions under this section shall be paid from funds allocated to the institutions for that purpose.
(i) Prior to the submission by the president to its governing board, the board of advisors shall review all proposals of the institution in the areas of mission, academic programs, budget, capital facilities and such other matters as requested by the president of the institution or its governing board or otherwise assigned to it by law. The board of advisors shall comment on each such proposal in writing, with such recommendations for concurrence therein or revision or rejection thereof as it considers proper. The written comments and recommendations shall accompany the proposal to the governing board and the governing board shall include the comments and recommendations in its consideration of and action on the proposal. The governing board shall promptly acknowledge receipt of the comments and recommendations and shall notify the board of advisors in writing of any action taken thereon.
(j) Prior to their implementation by the president, the board of advisors shall review all proposals regarding institution wide personnel policies. The board of advisors may comment on the proposals in writing.
(k) The board of advisors shall provide advice and assistance to the president and the governing board in areas including, but not limited to, the following:
(1) Establishing closer connections between higher education and business, labor, government and community and economic development organizations to give students greater opportunities to experience the world of work. Examples of such experiences include business and community service internships, apprenticeships and cooperative programs;
(2) Communicating better and serving the current workforce and workforce development needs of their service area, including the needs of nontraditional students for college-level skills upgrading and retraining and the needs of employers for specific programs of limited duration; and
(3) Assessing the performance of the institution's graduates and assisting in job placement.
(l) When a vacancy occurs in the office of president of the institution, the board of advisors shall serve as a search and screening committee for candidates to fill the vacancy under guidelines established by the council. When serving as a search and screening committee, the board of advisors and its governing board are each authorized to appoint up to three additional persons to serve on the committee as long as the search and screening process is in effect. The three additional appointees of the board of advisors shall be faculty members of the institution. For the purposes of the search and screening process only, the additional members shall possess the same powers and rights as the regular members of the board of advisors, including reimbursement for all reasonable and necessary expenses actually incurred. Following the search and screening process, the committee shall submit the names of at least three candidates to the appropriate governing board. If the governing board rejects all candidates submitted, the committee shall submit the names of at least three additional candidates and this process shall be repeated until the governing board approves one of the candidates submitted. In all cases, the governing board shall make the appointment with the approval of the council or the commission in the case of West Virginia University Institute of Technology. The governing board or the council shall provide all necessary staff assistance to the board of advisors in its role as a search and screening committee. This subsection does not apply to Fairmont State University. The President of Fairmont State University continues to be appointed pursuant to the provisions of section six, article one-b of this chapter.
(m) The boards of advisors shall develop a master plan for those administratively linked community and technical colleges which retain boards of advisors. The ultimate responsibility for developing and updating the master plans at the institutional level resides with the institutional board of advisors, but the ultimate responsibility for approving the final version of these institutional master plans, including periodic updates, resides with the council. The plan shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
(1) A detailed demonstration of how the master plan will be used to meet the goals and objectives of the institutional compact;
(2) A well-developed set of goals outlining missions, degree offerings, resource requirements, physical plant needs, personnel needs, enrollment levels and other planning determinates and projections necessary in such a plan to assure that the needs of the institution's area of responsibility for a quality system of higher education are addressed;
(3) Documentation of the involvement of the commission, institutional constituency groups, clientele of the institution and the general public in the development of all segments of the institutional master plan.
The plan shall be established for periods of not less than three nor more than six years and shall be revised periodically as necessary, including recommendations on the addition or deletion of degree programs as, in the discretion of the board of advisors, may be necessary.
ARTICLE 9. CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEE SALARY SCHEDULE AND CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM.

§18B-9-4. Establishment of personnel classification system; assignment to classification and to salary schedule.

(a) The commission shall implement an equitable system of job classifications, with the advice and assistance of staff councils and other groups representing classified employees, each classification to consist of related job titles and corresponding job descriptions for each position within a classification, together with the designation of an appropriate pay grade for each job title, which system shall be the same for corresponding positions of the commission and in institutions under all governing boards. The equitable system of job classification and the rules establishing it which were in effect immediately prior to the effective date of this section are hereby transferred to the jurisdiction and authority of the commission and shall remain in effect unless modified or rescinded by the commission.
(b) Any classified staff salary increases distributed within state institutions of higher education on the first day of July, two thousand one, shall be in accordance with the uniform employee classification system and a salary policy adopted by the interim governing board and approved by the commission. Any classified salary increases distributed within a state institution of higher education after the first day of July, two thousand one, shall be in accordance with the uniform classification system and a uniform and equitable salary policy adopted by each individual board of governors. Each salary policy shall detail the salary goals of the institution and the process whereby the institution will achieve or progress toward achievement of placing each classified employee at his or her minimum salary on the schedule established pursuant to section three of this article.
(c) No classified employee defined as nonexempt from the wage and hour provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended, may be paid an annual salary in excess of the salary established by the salary schedule for his or her pay grade and years of experience. A classified employees defined as exempt from the wage and hour provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended, employee may receive a salary in excess of the salary established by the salary schedule for his or her pay grade and years of experience but only if all such exempt employees at the institution are receiving at least the minimum salary for their pay grade and years of experience as established for them by the salary schedule: Provided, That no exempt classified employee may receive a salary in excess of the highest salary provided for his or her pay grade in the salary schedule any salary increase must be provided in a manner that is consistent with the uniform classification system and the institution's salary policy.
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