1.3 BOARD OF TRUSTEES
The Board of Trustees'
basic function is to ensure that the college accomplishes its mission.
The Board does this primarily through its role in the determination of
policies, strategies, and budgets. In this process trustees must consider
the special mission of Calvin College and be aware of the trends and challenges
in higher education in general.
The Board evaluates
and sets educational policy by acting upon recommendations of the faculty
as brought to the Board by the administration; makes appointments to the
college faculty and administration upon recommendation by the faculty
and the president, subject to the ratification of synod; and determines
financial policy by approving the budget and building plans recommended
by the administration. The Board of Trustees is a legislative body whose
primary responsibility is the determination of policy; it is not an administrative
body. The Board articulates policies intended to guide the administration,
but it does not itself execute the policies of the college. Calvin trustees
are charged with the overall care and direction of the institution, but
they do not "run" the school.
The authority of
trustees rests in the Board as a whole, not in individual trustees. Trustees
may initiate individual action affecting the college only when specifically
commissioned to do so by the Board. The Board thus functions as a group,
as a corporate body, with a view toward the enhancement of the institution
as an educational agent of the church and an effective agency in the kingdom
of God.
Policies concerning
the operation of the Board may be found in the Board of Trustees Handbook.
