Sec. 61.084. TRAINING FOR MEMBERS OF GOVERNING BOARDS. (a) The board by rule shall establish a training program for members of the governing boards of institutions of higher education. Each member of a governing board of an institution of higher education shall attend, during the member's first year of service as a member of a governing board of an institution of higher education, at least one training program under this section. A member of a governing board who is required to attend a training program under this section may attend additional training programs under this section.
(a-1) The board's rules must require a governing board member who holds an appointive position to attend, as part of the training program, the intensive short orientation course developed under Section 61.0841 and any available training course sponsored or coordinated by the office of the governor with a curriculum designed for training newly appointed state officers, board members, or high-level executive officials. The rules must require the member to attend those courses the first time they are offered following the date the member takes the oath of office, regardless of whether that attendance is required under other law. The rules may provide a governing board member with additional time to attend those courses if the member for good cause is unable to attend the courses the first time they are offered. Subsection (g) does not apply to the courses required by this subsection.
(a-2) A member of the governing board of an institution of higher education who holds an appointive position and whose first year of service on the governing board begins on or after January 1, 2016, is prohibited from voting on a budgetary or personnel matter related to system administration or institutions of higher education until the member completes the intensive short orientation course described by Subsection (a-1).
(b) The training program must include a seminar held annually in Austin to be conducted by the staff of the board. The staff of the board may obtain assistance from representatives of the office of the attorney general, the office of the comptroller of public accounts, the office of the state auditor, and the Texas Ethics Commission and from other training personnel the board deems necessary. The board by rule may prescribe an alternative training program for members of governing boards for whom attendance at a seminar held in Austin would be a hardship. The alternative training program need not be in the form of a seminar but must include substantially the same information included in the seminar held in Austin.
(c) The board by rule shall establish a registration fee to be paid by training program participants in an amount adequate to cover the costs incurred by the board and other state agencies in providing the training program. A participant shall pay from private funds the fee required by this subsection and the participant's costs of travel, including transportation, lodging, and meals. Neither the fee required by this subsection nor a participant's travel costs shall be reimbursed from appropriated funds, other than grants and donations of private funds available for that purpose.
(d) The content of the instruction at the training program shall focus on the official role and duties of the members of governing boards and shall provide training in the areas of budgeting, policy development, ethics, and governance. Topics covered by the training program must include:
(1) auditing procedures and recent audits of institutions of higher education;
(2) the enabling legislation that creates institutions of higher education;
(3) the role of the governing board at institutions of higher education and the relationship between the governing board and an institution's administration, faculty and staff, and students, including limitations on the authority of the governing board;
(4) the mission statements of institutions of higher education;
(5) disciplinary and investigative authority of the governing board;
(6) the requirements of the open meetings law, Chapter 551, Government Code, and the open records law, Chapter 552, Government Code;
(7) the requirements of conflict of interest laws and other laws relating to public officials;
(8) any applicable ethics policies adopted by institutions of higher education or the Texas Ethics Commission;
(9) the requirements of laws relating to the protection of student information under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (20 U.S.C. Section 1232g) or any other federal or state law relating to the privacy of student information; and
(10) any other topic relating to higher education the board considers important.
(e) In addition to the content of the instruction at a training program required under Subsection (d), topics covered by the training program for members of a governing board of a public junior college district must include information about best practices in campus financial management, financial ratio analysis, and case studies using financial indicators.
(f) The minutes of the last regular meeting held by a governing board of a public junior college district during a calendar year must reflect whether each member of the governing board has completed any training required to be completed by the member under this section as of the meeting date.
(g) The board shall provide an equivalent training program by electronic means in the event a member of a governing board is unable to attend the training program required by this section. Completion of the training program by electronic means is deemed to satisfy the requirements of this section.
(h) The board is responsible for documenting governing board members' completion of the requirements provided by this section.
Added by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 621, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1993. Renumbered from Education Code Sec. 61.083 and amended by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 59, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1995. Renumbered from Education Code Sec. 61.083 by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 76, Sec. 17.01(11), eff. Sept. 1, 1995. Amended by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 99, Sec. 1, eff. May 16, 1995.
Amended by:
Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 962 (H.B. 1206), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2011.
Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 834 (S.B. 24), Sec. 1, eff. January 1, 2016.
Structure Texas Statutes
Subtitle B - State Coordination of Higher Education
Chapter 61 - Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
Subchapter C. Powers and Duties of Board
Section 61.051. Coordination of Institutions of Public Higher Education
Section 61.0512. Board Approval of Academic Programs
Section 61.05121. State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement
Section 61.05122. Graduate Medical Education Requirement for New Medical Degree Programs
Section 61.0513. Court Reporter Programs
Section 61.0514. Integrated Coursework
Section 61.0515. Semester Credit Hours Required for Baccalaureate Degree
Section 61.05151. Semester Credit Hours Required for Associate Degree
Section 61.0517. Applied Stem Courses
Section 61.052. List of Courses; Annual Submission to Board
Section 61.053. Board Orders; Notice
Section 61.054. Expenditures for Programs Disapproved by Board
Section 61.055. Partnerships or Affiliations
Section 61.056. Review of Legislation Establishing Additional Institutions
Section 61.057. Promotion of Teaching Excellence
Section 61.0571. Board Assistance to Institutions
Section 61.0572. Construction Funds and Development of Physical Plants
Section 61.058. New Construction and Repair and Rehabilitation Projects
Section 61.0581. Powers Unaffected by Certain Constitutional Amendment
Section 61.05821. Condition of Buildings and Facilities; Annual Report Required
Section 61.0583. Audit of Facilities
Section 61.059. Appropriations
Section 61.0592. Funding for Courses Provided During Off-Peak Hours at Certain Institutions
Section 61.0593. Student Success-Based Funding Recommendations
Section 61.0594. Coordinated Funding of Graduate Medical Education
Section 61.0595. Funding for Certain Excess Undergraduate Credit Hours
Section 61.0596. University Funding for Excellence in Specific Programs and Fields; Incentive Grants
Section 61.060. Control of Public Junior Colleges
Section 61.061. Policies, Rules, and Regulations Respecting Junior Colleges
Section 61.062. Powers Respecting Junior Colleges
Section 61.063. Listing and Certification of Junior Colleges
Section 61.064. Cooperative Undertakings With Private Colleges and Universities
Section 61.065. Reporting; Accounting
Section 61.0651. Management Policies
Section 61.0661. Opportunities for Graduate Medical Education
Section 61.0662. Information on Research Conducted by Institutions
Section 61.0665. Study on Use and Availability of Electronic Textbooks
Section 61.06691. Study on Shortages in Certain Health Professions
Section 61.06695. Study on Religious Studies Program at Texas Southern University
Section 61.0670. State Repository of Open Educational Resources
Section 61.068. Gifts, Grants, Donations
Section 61.069. Board Role in Establishing Best Practices
Section 61.071. Student Representatives on Certain Board Advisory Committees
Section 61.072. Regulation of Foreign Student Tuition
Section 61.073. Allocation of Funds for Tuition and Fee Exemptions
Section 61.074. Official Grade Point Average
Section 61.075. Courses Benefitting Military Installations
Section 61.07611. Developmental Education Plan; Report
Section 61.0762. Programs to Enhance Student Success
Section 61.07621. Texas Governor's Schools
Section 61.0764. Medical Dual Credit Pilot Program
Section 61.0766. Mathematics, Science, and Technology Teacher Preparation Academies
Section 61.077. Academic Advising Assessment
Section 61.0771. Distance Learning Master Plan
Section 61.0775. Business Research and Development
Section 61.0776. Center for Financial Aid Information
Section 61.07761. Financial Aid and Other Trusteed Funds Allocation
Section 61.07762. Application for State Financial Aid
Section 61.07764. Annual Report Regarding Student Loan Data
Section 61.0777. Uniform Standards for Publication of Cost of Attendance Information
Section 61.0778. Online Information Regarding Certain Career Educational Entities
Section 61.079. Waste Management Degree Programs and Research
Section 61.080. Continuing Study of Minority Participation in Higher Education
Section 61.0816. Information Regarding Higher Education Authorities
Section 61.0817. Individual Development Account Information Program
Section 61.08205. Research on Substance Use Disorders and Addiction
Section 61.0821. Research on Border Region Environmental Issues
Section 61.0822. Contract With Texas Board of Architectural Examiners
Section 61.084. Training for Members of Governing Boards
Section 61.0841. Intensive Short Course for Appointed Members of Governing Boards
Section 61.085. On-Line Surplus Property Resource
Section 61.087. Matching Scholarships to Retain Students in Texas
Section 61.089. State Science and Engineering Fairs
Section 61.0899. Assistance in Certain Rural Health Care Loan Reimbursement and Stipend Programs
Section 61.090. Pilot Centers for Advancement of Quality in Long-Term Care
Section 61.0901. Incentives to Promote Retention and Graduation of Nursing Students
Section 61.0902. Publication of Performance Data of General Academic Teaching Institutions
Section 61.09021. Comparison Tool
Section 61.0903. Certificate of Recognition for Major Donors to Institutions of Higher Education
Section 61.0904. Review of Institutional Groupings
Section 61.0906. Tracking System for Medical Training and Practice Choices
Section 61.0908. Designation of Liaison Officer to Assist Students Formerly in Foster Care
Section 61.09092. Coordination of Cybersecurity Coursework Development