Rule 3357:3-1-01 | Membership, duties and powers of the board of trustees.
(A) Qualifications - appointees of the board of trustees shall be qualified electors residing in the Central Ohio technical college district. By charter granted by the Ohio board of regents, the legal district of the college consists of the contiguous counties of Licking, Knox and Coshocton.
(B) Term of office - the term of office shall be three years.
(C) Number and manner of appointment - the board shall consist of nine members. Three trustees shall be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate. For trustees not appointed by the governor who are appointed prior to January 1, 2024, six trustees shall be appointed by a joint caucus by the county, city and exempted village boards of education of the school districts whose territories are embraced in the technical college district. Prior to the appointment of the trustees, the president of the board of education of the city school district having the largest pupil enrollment shall call a caucus of the board of education of the foregoing boards of education at a time and place designated by such president. At such caucus the board members shall select by majority vote of the attending members the six trustees.
Trustees not appointed by the governor who are appointed on or after January 1, 2024, shall be appointed by a trustee selection committee. The COTC board development committee shall appoint the members of the trustee selection committee. The trustee selection committee shall consist of either three or five members who are local business, civic, or non profit leaders and who are not currently sitting members of the colleges board of trustees. The board of trustees shall nominate individuals to be considered by the trustee selection committee. The trustee selection committee may select new trustees from the individuals nominated by the board of trustees or other applicants. To the greatest extent possible, trustees appointed by the trustee selection committee shall be individuals who hold leadership positions within significant industries in the technical college district. Trustees appointed by the trustee selection committee shall reside within the technical college district. Trustees shall be appointed with the advice and consent of the senate.
(D) Date of appointment and expiration - based upon the date of original appointments, new appointments become effective on October first, unless otherwise indicated by the appointing authority. Likewise, terms expire on September thirtieth, or on a later date if so indicated by the appointing authority. Any trustee shall continue subsequent to the expiration date of his term until their successor takes office.
(E) Oath of office - each member of the board of trustees, before entering upon his/her official duties, shall take and subscribe to an oath that he/she will honestly, faithfully and impartially perform the duties of office.
(F) Duties and powers of the board - in accordance with the Chapter 3357. of the Revised Code (technical colleges), the fiduciary board of trustees of the Central Ohio technical college district is the governing board of the college. It is charged by the Ohio Revised Code with responsibility for establishing the rules which are necessary to operate Central Ohio technical college.
(G) In accordance with division (A) of section 3.17 of the Revised Code, any member of the board of trustees of an institution of higher education who fails to attend at least three-fifths of the regular and special meetings held by that board of trustees during any two-year period forfeits his position on that board of trustees.
(H) Authority of members - no member of the board of trustees shall have power to act in the name of the board of trustees outside regular or special board meetings unless so directed by the board of trustees.
(I) Compensation - the trustees shall serve without compensation, but may be paid for their necessary expenses when engaged in the business of the board and authorized by the board of trustees.
(J) Conflict of interest - when any purchase of goods and or services by the college is made which normally requires board approval which is from a source which any member of the board of trustees is an officer, director, employee, owner or has any significant connection therewith, that purchase shall be separately noted by the treasurer and voted on separately so that the trustee has the opportunity to abstain from voting on the purchase. Members of the board of trustees shall make every effort to avoid situations where participation by the board member would create an appearance of conflict.
(K) Ohio Ethics Code - all members of the board of trustees shall comply with the provisions of the Ohio Ethics Code, to include participating in annual instruction on Ohio's ethics laws and filing annual individual financial disclosure statements.
(L) Trustee emeritus - the board may grant emeritus status upon a former trustee in exceptional cases to recognize exemplary service. Trustee emeritus is an honorary title and usually signifies an ongoing relationship with the trustee. The determination to bestow this honor shall be the subject of a full board discussion and majority vote. Trustees emeriti do not have fiduciary responsibilities and are not a voting member of the board. They are not obligated to attend meetings, do not count towards a quorum, and may be excluded from executive sessions of the board. They can act as representatives of the institution when desired by the board and can serve as a valuable source of wisdom and institutional memory. Trustees emeriti serve at the pleasure of the board. The honorary title can be removed by the board at any time and for any reason.
Last updated October 10, 2023 at 8:13 AM
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