The Board of Trustees plays a vital role in how RIT is run as a university, meeting three times a year in April, July and November. Members also lead committees and meet with students and faculty members. These committees include Governance and Membership, Enrollment and Marketing, as well as others.
Lisa Chase, the vice president and secretary of the university for the last four years, works closely with both President Munson and Jeffrey Harris, the chair of the Board of Trustees.
“I'm also responsible for all board materials, their bylaws, their meeting minutes, their board, board rosters, and all those materials have to be maintained at the university permanently,” Chase elaborated about her responsibilities.
There are currently 42 members, of which 30 are RIT alumni. The qualifications one needs to be considered for membership, according to Chase, include “their background and skills ... then there's other pieces: what kind of other non-profit activities do they do?” Age, gender and ethnicity are also part of their decision. Chase added, “We looked at the rest of the current Board to see where are their skills that we have, and where are skills that we need.”
What Is the Mindset of the Board of Trustees?
The Board considers decisions to spend money on RIT to ensure it continues to be a functioning university that provides resources for the students.
While the Board does sign off on decisions regarding finances, its role is to scrutinize each decision, not make them. Harris summed up the mindset of the Board during
“RIT is a corporation with about a billion-dollar operation. It’s not for the trustees to micromanage.” - Jeffrey Harris
When asked on how RIT can grow over the next two to five years, Harris replied that “from the Board perspective, your question would be better suited for 15 or 20 years, because we’re not supposed to fix things that are too near.” Thinking two decades down the road is another core element of the Board’s mindset. The brand identity of RIT is to be a university where students want to attend and eventually use the education to thrive after graduating.
In an interview with Reporter, Harris provided an example of new resources, such as the process for making a course: “the faculty can propose a new course ... and [the faculty] would make an assessment that the course would be well received ... they'll work with the senior vice president to put together a business plan — how quickly will it take us to enroll enough students so that we can afford to give this course — and the provost would approve it.” The Board would ask questions and then vote on the proposal.
Jim Swift, a Board member and an alumni, has been involved in startup businesses that were bought by larger companies. He is the CEO of Buxton, a data company that helps create consumer brands.
“The nature of degree programs if you map it back over the last 30–40 years,” Swift spoke of the school's goal, “It's changed. It's pretty direct. And so it's really trying to make sure that we are preparing our students and that is the number one goal... and it trickles through everything.”
Role of the Board of Trustees In Running the School
President Munson is the public face of the university. He works with the Board of Trustees to be on the same page regarding the direction of the school.
“[Dr. Munson is] the leader of the university and he has done a fantastic job,” Swift insisted. “So I wouldn't think of it as the trustees that run the company or run the university, however you want to think of it. Dr. Munson runs the university and we are just there to help give him some input.”
Harris similarly spoke about Dr. Munson’s role at the university and how he works with the Board to secure a future for RIT.
“The administration, Dr. Munson, these administrators, the vice presidents, they run the university,” Harris said. “Dr. Munson works for the Board of Trustees. Dr. Munson developed a candidate strategy for the university. For example, here's what the campus will look like 50 years from now, from a blueprint and a facade of facilities, and he presented that to the Board of Trustees for comment and approval. The ten-year strategic plan is prepared by the university in the same way, and the Board of Trustees approves it.”
On the school website, information about the members includes portraits and the current companies for which they work. For the alumni, the year they graduated from RIT is included. However, there is no direct contact information. Members like Swift have noted that there are alternate methods of communication to reach out to them.
“I think the trustees themselves would love to have more interaction with the students,” Swift mused. “So the privacy isn't ... anything. It's easy to track down by LinkedIn or by my phone number or email address ... There's nothing to hide. Every trustee is doing this for free because we care about the university.”
“There's nothing to hide. Every trustee is doing this for free, because we care about the university.” - Jim Swift
“We have been very focused on student success,” Harris said. “The trustees had dinner with students at Gracie's [in the 2023-24 academic year]. Student Government reports to the trustees at the issues that the Student Government is working [on]. I've met with the current Student Government president two or three times [before the 2024 election]. I think we have good engagement with the students.”
The Board of Trustees sign off on decisions that shape RIT as a university, especially regarding resources (co-op, for instance) to support the students. Students can have a voice in the process by reaching out to members from the Board, whether that is via LinkedIn or other means.
