The IU Board of Trustees will vote on internal governance changes, housing and dining rates and post-tenure faculty policy during its last meeting of the fall semester Thursday and Friday, according to its agenda.
The board’s meeting starts Thursday with an executive session between the trustees and IU President Pamela Whitten, citing sections of Indiana’s Open Door Law relating to prospective employees, individual employees, establishing a collaborative relationship which could advance the university’s mission and communicating with an attorney subject to attorney-client privilege.
The group will return the next morning for another executive session, which additionally cites the section of the Open Door Law that allows for private communication with an attorney.
At 9:15 a.m. Friday, the board will open its meeting to the public at IU South Bend’s Student Activities Center. Here’s what will be discussed:
Governance committee
At a virtual meeting of the governance committee Tuesday, the group voted to recommend several proposals to the Board of Trustees. James Bopp, Jr. chairs the committee, and its other members include Brian A. Eagle, John Timothy Morris and David Hormuth.
The committee recommended a resolution regarding a new executive committee. The committee would be able to act on behalf of the board between official board meetings, which occur four times a year.
The resolution includes some limits on what the executive committee could do, such as limiting selection of board officers and appointment of the president to formal meetings of the full board.
The governance committee also recommended the creation of four standing committees: academic and student affairs, finance and facilities, audit compliance and governance and compensation. Currently, there are seven committees.
The group will recommend the board pass a resolution establishing a trustee code of conduct. The code includes rules requiring trustees to keep executive sessions and board communications confidential, as well as a conflict-of-interest policy. The board appeared set to adopt a code of conduct during their June meeting, but Bopp expressed reservations about the code and the committee subsequently voted to send it to committee.
The resolution lays out procedures for responding to violations of the code of conduct. The process includes a report to the Indiana governor, who has the authority to appoint and remove trustees.
2027 housing and dining rates
The board will determine housing and dining rates for the 2027 fiscal year, which will be presented by Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Jason Dudich and University Treasurer Don Lukes.
The rates previously increased by 2% between 2025-26.
BOT-24 revisions
BOT-24 was created in response to Indiana House Enrolled Act 1001. The board developed the faculty post-tenure review process policy in June, ahead of the act taking effect July 1. The act required a post-tenure review process to be established and standardized for tenured faculty. It will be finalized with official criteria during the meeting.
The current review process requires all tenured faculty to complete a post-tenure review every five years, supplemented by annual evaluations assessing their teaching, research and service.
In October, working groups established by IU faculty councils presented faculty with proposed criteria for feedback on a standardized system of review.
The board will decide what the review process will be for the first year under the official statewide policy, with spring 2026 being the first semester subject to the review policy.
The board will next meet Feb. 19-20, 2026, at IU Indianapolis.
