The president is accountable to the full Board. The Board will establish the broadest policies, delegating implementation and more detailed policy development to the president.

1. Only decisions of the full Board are binding on the president. Decisions or instructions of individual board members, officers, or committees are not binding on the president, except when the board has specifically authorized such exercise of authority.

2. All board authority delegated to staff is delegated through the president, so that all authority and accountability of staff – as far as the board is concerned – is considered to be the authority and accountability of the president.

3. Ends policies direct the president to achieve certain results; executive limitations policies constrain the president to act within acceptable boundaries of prudence, legality and ethics. With respect to ends and executive means, the president is authorized to establish all further policies, make all decisions, take all actions and develop all activities as long as they are consistent with any reasonable interpretation of the board’s policies.

4. The board may change its ends and executive limitations policies, thereby shifting the boundary between board and president domains. By so doing, the board changes the latitude of choice given to the president. But so long as any particular delegation is in place, the board and its members will respect and support the president’s choices. This does not prevent the board from obtaining information in the delegated areas, except legally restricted data.

5. Information or assistance may be requested by individual board members, officers, or committees, but if such request – in the president’s judgement – requires a material amount of staff time or funds or is disruptive, it may be refused.

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Grand Rapids Community College

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