An act relating to the governance of the Vermont State Colleges and the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College
S.136 would change the governance structure of two Vermont public higher-education systems: the Vermont State Colleges Corporation (VSCC) and the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College (UVM). For VSCC, the bill expands the board from 15 to 16 trustees by adding a second student trustee and a new faculty or staff trustee. It also revises the appointment and election structure so that the student seat is filled by eligible students through the Vermont State Colleges Student Association steering committee, while the faculty/staff seat is elected by faculty and staff. The bill includes transition deadlines for filling those new seats in 2025.
For UVM, the bill expands the board from 25 to 27 members by adding one additional trustee elected by the UVM board itself and one additional faculty or staff trustee elected by faculty and staff. The bill keeps the existing mix of gubernatorial, legislative, student, and institutional trustees, but updates the membership count and related language to reflect the larger board. It also requires the new UVM board members to be appointed or elected by August 1, 2025, and sets the act’s effective date as July 1, 2025.
The bill would amend Vermont statutes governing the boards of trustees for VSCC and UVM, specifically 16 V.S.A. § 2172 and 16 App. V.S.A. chapter 1, § 1-2. Its practical effect would be to increase shared governance by adding faculty/staff representation and, for VSCC, an additional student voice, while also changing board sizes and election procedures. The bill would affect how trustees are selected, who may serve, and how vacancies are filled, but it would not alter the core management authority of either institution’s board over property and affairs.
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes, the measure appears to be framed positively as a shared-governance reform for public higher education. The sponsor’s stated purpose suggests support for broader participation by students and employees in institutional oversight. Because there is no recorded vote history or transcript discussion provided, there is no documented opposition or endorsement beyond the bill’s introduced policy rationale.
The main potential points of contention are likely to be the expansion of board membership and the shift in trustee selection authority. Some stakeholders may favor the added student and faculty/staff seats as improving representation and accountability, while others may question whether larger boards are less efficient or whether elected internal trustees could change board dynamics. At UVM, the additional trustee elected by the board itself may also draw scrutiny if observers view it as preserving institutional control rather than broadening external oversight. No specific objections are documented in the provided materials.