Bradley board members?

[bu fan 9]

How are the members appointed to the board?

[Da Coach]

How are the members appointed to the board?

There are 21 members of the Bradley Board of Trustees, in addition to the University President.
Here they are-

http://www.bradley.edu/offices/president/trustees/

[tornado]

Since Bradley move their home games to the Carver Arena (1982), and until the 2012-2013 season, only one season ever had an average attendance of less than 7,000 (1991-92 fell seven short and had 6,993)
NO other season even fell below 7,200 and all but 4 others were over 8,000

And if all seasons from 1982 thru 2011 are considered, then the roughly 30-year average at Carver is about 9,000.

BUT the past four seasons are

2011-12 - 7640
2012-13 - 6557
2013-14 - 6608
2014-15 - 5261 (thru 12/9)

so all four of these last four seasons are among the WORST FIVE SEASONS ever and three of them are BY FAR the three worst...
(not to mention the massive financial losses, drop in donations and maintenance fees, downgrading of the TV deals, 300 SOS's, and explosion of blowouts)
Is anyone listening?? Is anyone on the Board paying any attention at all?

How can the current admin run Bradley basketball so far into the ground and so far into oblivion and yet the Board has yet to bother or notice??
This did NOT need to happen. Many people could see it coming, many clear signs of disaster ahead were obvious to just about everyone except those steering the ship over the falls, and the few brown-nosers who thought it would benefit them to parrot their disastrous spin.
If Kirk Wessler dares to mention "free fall" then please.....do NOT point towards 2007 and try haplessly to find a culprit there.
Point directly at 2011 and maybe 2010 and find out who came on board and started pushing agenda and policy that had destroyed Bradley basketball for a long time to come.



btw- as more & more happens and comes out from the multiple Board meetings, senate meetings, and Committee findings...
at some point it's gonna be reported (probably as if the reporter was the one who discovered it) much more widely...
But for now, this site is the only place that any of this remarkable stuff about finances, lack of transparency, non-disclosure, and fallout are getting discussed.

[BU FAMILY]

How are the members appointed to the board?

Does anybody know the answer to this? Who appoints the 21 members, and what (exactly) is their role? Do they provide governance in any way? Does President Glasser REPORT to the board of trustees? All of the dialogue recently questions why/when/how will the board of trustees respond to the current state of financial affairs. I'm curious what their role is, how they are appointed, and exactly how much POWER they actually have.

[tornado]

I am not an authority but I have heard things along this line - so if anyone knows more, please correct me.

I have also served on the Board of other similar organizations and this is how it works...

Organizations such as Bradley have a set of bylaws that govern selection of Board members
the bylaws are legalese that are drawn up to satisfy the legal requirements (state & federal) for the type of organzation - charitable, non-profit, etc...
but.... from what's written - it is similar to many other non-profit Boards...

A) they have to be willing to serve
B) they are selected or invited based on their affiliation and their support for the organization
C) if an addition is needed to the board and if they are invited and willing, they are voted on by the rest of the board and I believe the BU Senate also may vote
D) almost every former Board member who is no longer a Board member has stepped down willingly for different reasons - but otherwise some stay on for a long time
E) sometimes a direct appointment can fill an opening until a vote occurs

Here is a reference to another University adding to their Board of Trustees - and I cannot guarantee it the same as Bradley's situation FWIW...

http://www.witf.org/news/2014/11/penn-state-trustees-vote-to-add-six-to-the-30-member-board.php

[Bravesfanchicago]

The new Trustees are elected by the sitting BOT. There is usually a nominating committee that vets the candidates and suggests potential candidates. The BOT governs the university and hires and fires the president etc.

So a truly, actively engaged Board should be setting policy for the administration and guiding the President and measuring the execution of the policy and goals that are set.

Apparently BU's Board has had a bit of problem over the years in that the full Board has not been actively engaged in some large decisions. Some Board members are more active than others and some have more relevant experience.

[BU FAMILY]

The new Trustees are elected by the sitting BOT. There is usually a nominating committee that vets the candidates and suggests potential candidates. The BOT governs the university and hires and fires the president etc.

So a truly, actively engaged Board should be setting policy for the administration and guiding the President and measuring the execution of the policy and goals that are set.

Apparently BU's Board has had a bit of problem over the years in that the full Board has not been actively engaged in some large decisions. Some Board members are more active than others and some have more relevant experience.

So if the full Board hasn't been actively engaged in some large decisions, does that mean that they didn't vote "FOR" or "AGAINST" those large decisions? Do large financial decisions (such as hiring a basketball coach under a contract that would pay him $3MM - $3.5MM over five years constitute a "large" decision)? Additionally, would writing an extension of 2-3 years on a coach's contract and thus obligating the University to spend an additional $2MM - $2.5MM constitute a "large" decision? Please understand, I'm just asking the question because I don't understand how the process works - I'm wondering if Glasser makes a "recommendation" to the full board (such as hiring a basketball coach) and the board votes on the matter and it becomes official - OR, does Glasser have latitude to commit University resources up to a certain limit without BOT approval?

[tornado]

.... Some Board members are more active than others ....

for several years I was involved with the board of a very large local organization and this statement is exactly how I see it...

-many people who are on the board are also busy people, some serve multiple boards and work busy jobs...
thus they may not have a lot of time to devote to any particular issue and MAY be willing to be guided by the CEO, President, or the organizations recommending committees...or may just vote "as they are told to vote"..

thus some Board members are not very effective in doing their job because they become a simple rubber stamp for what the Prez might be telling them...
Other Board members might be closely involved with the organization and be tied strongly by business....
An example is that if the President of a bank or an insurance company or construction company sits on the board, and that bank/company does millions in business with the organization then that board member is not really capable of deciding independently on any issue as he really has a conflict of interests - yet it happens all the time.

[Bravesfanchicago]

In most board settings, the BOT would normally approve large financial obligations after a recommendation from say the Finance Committee. That Committee would have have normally extensively examined the proposed contract or obligation in advance utilizing its members expertise.

Frankly when a board is circumvented and say an Executive Committee of the board acts in lieu of the full board....that prevents proper execution of the BOT fiduciary duties. Some Board members may not even know the Executive Committee has acted and what action it took. So it's possible that a small committee approved a Presidents contract or athletic coaches contracts or financial obligations.
Certain contracts are proper for the full board to approve and the university bylaws and state law require such full board approval. Without proper board authorization.....those agreements may not be properly authorized and would be unenforceable....or void.

[tornado]

as the most recent Resources Committee report proves...
the findings of any committee are only as good or only as accurate as what they are given to work with.
Thus our Resources Committee that was sincerely looking into how our finances got so bad...ended up coming to the WRONG conclusions and got buffaloed because they were given false information and some important information was withheld from them.

In other words -the very people who got Bradley so deeply into serious financial problems then lied and covered up their reckless spending and it's only now being found out.

[Prexy IX]

Bradley board members

As recently as 2007, the BOT was approximately twice as large--about 40 members which I believe is the recommended maximum in the University Bylaws. Some of us thought that a large, strong BOT was important for a variety of reasons, especially fundraising.

[tornado]

but isn't a smaller BOT easier to influence or control into voting a certain way..

[patrick_o'brian]

Whatever their job is, they are not doing it.

[Vent]

I don't know if this is true or not, but I have been told that the president of BU has somehow, created a board that acts as a buffer, between her and the Board of Trustees. As a result, she no longer answers directly to the Board of Trustees. This may or may not be true. I have also heard that the president, per her contract, is to be the highest paid person on campus and this is why the basketball coach is being paid what he is.

[Bravesfanchicago]

The compensation issue of JG being the highest paid person on campus may or may not be in her contract. It could also be a new provision in the by laws of the university or something more informal.

While Jg may be trying to interface with Executive Committee of the Board, which would be consistent with some board members concerns that the full board of trustees could be be circumvented, there are certain state law prescribed powers reserved to the full Board of Trustees.....such as hiring and firing the President etc. So ultimately JG is accountable to the full board of trustees. The only concern is how well informed the broader Board is....which may be a very real concern with the lack of transparency at BU these days.