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 determining 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 determining 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 enhancing 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.
