| Chapter 352 |
| 2022 -- H 8123 Enacted 06/29/2022 |
| A N A C T |
| RELATING TO EDUCATION -- UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND (SEE TITLE 16 CHAPTER 97 -- THE RHODE ISLAND BOARD OF EDUCATION ACT) |
Introduced By: Representatives Fogarty, McEntee, McGaw, Tanzi, Carson, Speakman, Donovan, Ranglin-Vassell, Amore, and Craven |
| Date Introduced: April 08, 2022 |
| It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
| SECTION 1. Section 16-32-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-32 entitled "University |
| of Rhode Island [See Title 16 Chapter 97 - The Rhode Island Board of Education Act]" is hereby |
| amended to read as follows: |
| 16-32-2. Board of Trustees established. |
| (a) There is hereby created a board of trustees for the university of Rhode Island, sometimes |
| referred to as the "board" or "board of trustees," which shall be and is constituted a public |
| corporation, empowered to sue and be sued in its own name; to borrow money; to compromise and |
| settle claims; to have a seal; and to make and execute contracts and other instruments necessary or |
| convenient to the exercise of its powers; and to exercise all the powers, in addition to those |
| specifically enumerated in this chapter, usually appertaining to public corporations entrusted with |
| control of postsecondary educational institutions and functions. Upon its organization, the board |
| shall be vested with the legal title to all property, real and personal, now owned by and/or under |
| the control or in the custody of the council on postsecondary education for the use of the university |
| of Rhode Island, including all its departments, divisions, and branches, sometimes referred to as |
| the property. |
| (b) The board is empowered to hold and operate the property in trust for the state; to |
| acquire, hold, and dispose of the property and other like property as deemed necessary for the |
| execution of its corporate purposes. The board is made successor to all powers, rights, duties, and |
| privileges for the university of Rhode Island formerly belonging to the council on postsecondary |
| education pertaining to postsecondary education and the board of governors for higher education. |
| (c) The board shall be the employer of record for the university. It shall retain all authority |
| formerly vested in the council on postsecondary education and the board of education regarding |
| the employment of faculty and staff at the university of Rhode Island. The board shall appoint the |
| president of the university and shall review their performance on an annual basis. |
| (1) The board is empowered to enter into contracts and agreements with the council on |
| postsecondary education and/or the department of administration related to employee benefits, |
| including but not limited to retirement benefits, health, dental, vision and life insurance, disability |
| insurance, workers' compensation, and tuition waivers to maximize the state's and university's |
| purchasing and investment portfolio and educational opportunities for the benefit of its employees. |
| (2) The board is empowered to enter into collective bargaining agreements as appropriate |
| with its employees and all existing collective bargaining agreements in effect when the board is |
| established pursuant to § 16-32-2.2 shall be transferred from the council on postsecondary |
| education to the board. |
| (d) The board shall make rules and regulations for the control and use of all public |
| properties and highways under its care, and for violations of those rules and regulations; penalties, |
| up to one hundred dollars ($100) and costs for any one offense, may be imposed by any district |
| court or police court in the city or town where the violation occurs; and, in general, the board shall |
| take all actions necessary for the proper execution of the powers and duties granted to, and imposed |
| upon, the board by the terms of this chapter. |
| (e) The board shall make rules and regulations pursuant to chapter 2 of title 37 to implement |
| its responsibilities as a public agency for procurement purposes as defined in § 37-2-7(16). |
| (1) Notwithstanding the provisions of § 37-2-22, small procurements made by the board |
| and the university shall not exceed an aggregate amount of fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) for |
| construction and ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for all other purchases, regardless of the source of |
| funding, and shall be made in accordance with small purchase regulations promulgated by the |
| board. These thresholds may be increased annually through an amendment to the small purchase |
| regulations promulgated by the board of trustees, to reflect the annual increase in the federal |
| Consumer Price Index published by the United States Department of Labor from the date of any |
| prior adjustment. |
| (f) The board shall evaluate data on which to base performance of the university as |
| described in subsection (g) of this section which shall be defined by the president of the university. |
| These measures may include and incorporate outcomes or goals from multiple, previous years. The |
| lack of information from previous years, however, will not affect the use of performance-based |
| measures. |
| (g) The university of Rhode Island shall have unique measures consistent with its purpose, |
| role, scope, and mission. The board shall provide faculty and students an opportunity to provide |
| input on the development of performance measures. |
| (1) The performance-based measures shall include, but not be limited to, the following |
| metrics: |
| (i) The number and percentage, including growth in relation to enrollment and prior years |
| of bachelor's degrees awarded to first-time, full-time students within four (4) years and six (6) |
| years, including summer graduates; |
| (ii) The number of degrees awarded that are tied to Rhode Island's high demand, high-wage |
| employment opportunities consistent with the institution's mission; |
| (iii) One metric that applies only to the university, in consultation with the president, which |
| shall consider faculty, staff, and student input; and |
| (iv) Any other metrics that are deemed appropriate by the board. |
| (2) Weight may be assigned to any of the aforementioned metrics to reinforce the mission |
| of the university, the economic needs of the state, and the socio-economic status of the students. |
| (h) The board shall hold the university accountable for developing and implementing |
| transfer pathways for students from the community college of Rhode Island and Rhode Island |
| college. |
| (i) The board shall supervise, coordinate, and/or authorize audits, civil and administrative |
| investigations, and inspections or oversight reviews, when necessary, relating to expenditure of |
| state or federal funds, or to any and all university programs and operations, as well as the |
| procurement of any supplies, services, or construction, by the university. In the course of an audit |
| or investigation, the board authorized auditor(s) shall review statutes and regulations of the |
| university and shall determine if the university is in compliance and shall make recommendations |
| concerning the efficiency of operations, and the effect of such statutes or regulations on internal |
| controls and the prevention and detection of fraud, waste, and abuse. The board authorized |
| auditor(s) may recommend policies or procedures that may strengthen internal controls, or assist in |
| the prevention or detection of fraud, waste, and abuse or mismanagement. Any audits conducted |
| shall be transmitted to the office of internal audit established in chapter 7.1 of title 35. |
| SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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