Sam Houston State University (SHSU) is a member of The Texas State University System (TSUS). As defined by the Texas Education Code, Chapter 61.051 [1] and the TSUS Rules and Regulations [2], the TSUS Board of Regents has legal authority and operating control of the University, including governance over the institution’s mission, fiscal stability, and institutional policies.
As specified in the Texas Education Code, Chapter 96.61 [3], “Sam Houston State University is a coeducational institution of higher education located in the city of Huntsville. It is under the management and control of the Board of Regents, Texas State University System.” The legal authority and operating control over SHSU afforded the TSUS Board of Regents is also specified in the Texas Education Code, Chapter 95.01: “The organization, control, and management of the state university system is vested in the Board of Regents, Texas State University System” [4]. The governing board’s structure is further delineated by delegating authority to the component presidents as cited in the TSUS Rules and Regulations, Chapter IV, Section 2.1: “The President shall be answerable to the Chancellor and shall have discretionary powers broad enough effectively to administer the Component within the policies and guidelines as set forth by the Chancellor and Board of Regents” [5]. The organizational chart for SHSU illustrates the lines of responsibility within the organization [6].
Within the State of Texas, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) is established under Texas Education Code, Chapter 61.002 for the following purpose:
. . . provid[ing] leadership and coordination for the Texas higher education system, institutions, and governing boards, to the end that the State of Texas may achieve excellence for college education of its youth through the efficient and effective utilization and concentration of all available resources and the elimination of costly duplication in program offerings, faculties, and physical plants. [7]
As specified in Texas Education Code, Chapter 61.051 [1], the THECB is “charged with the duty to take an active part in promoting quality education throughout the state” by such actions as providing perspective on the efficient use of state resources, developing long-range master plans for higher education, collecting and making accessible higher education data, making recommendations for effective student transition between education levels, and administering certain financial aid programs.
Institution's Mission
Texas Education Code, Chapter 51.352 [8] specifies that governing boards of institutions “shall insist on clarity of focus and mission of each institution under its governance” and further, “establish, for each institution under its control and management, goals consistent with the role and mission of the institution.” The mission statement of SHSU must be approved by the TSUS Board of Regents and then submitted to the THECB [9]. The President, who reports to the Board of Regents, is responsible for periodically reviewing the mission statement of the University and making recommendations to the Board of Regents for approval. The mission statement of SHSU [10] was last approved by the TSUS Board of Regents at the November 2014 meeting [11] and was approved by the THECB in 2015 [12].
Fiscal Stability of the Institution
The fiscal stability of SHSU is cited as under the control of the TSUS Board of Regents and the President of the University by the Texas Education Code, the TSUS Rules and Regulations, and the job description of the University President [13]. The TSUS Board of Regents controls disbursements of all appropriations made by the Texas Legislature as cited in the Texas Education Code, Chapter 95.28 [14]: “All appropriations made by the legislature for the support and maintenance of the system universities . . . shall be disbursed under the direction and authority of the board.” In addition, “the board may formulate rules for the general control and management of the universities, for the auditing and approving of accounts, and for the issuance of vouchers and warrants which are necessary for the efficient administration of the universities.” The Texas Education Code, Chapter 95.29 [15] further states the following:
The board shall file in each house of the legislature at each of its regular biennial sessions a statement of the receipts and expenditures of each of the system universities. . . . The board shall also file its recommendations for appropriations for the universities.
The TSUS Rules and Regulations, Chapter II, Section 4.3 also states the following:
All books, records, ledgers, and accounts of System and Component administrations shall be kept and maintained in conformity with recommendations of the State Auditor and the State Comptroller of Public Accounts subject to approval of the Chancellor and Boards. All proposed operating budgets and all biennial appropriation requests shall be first examined, considered, and approved by the Chancellor and presented to the Board for review and approval at an open meeting. [16]
Institutional Policy
The legal authority and operating control of SHSU within the governing board’s structure is clearly defined for institutional policies, including policies concerning related and affiliated corporate entities and all auxiliary services. This authority is designated in the Texas Education Code, Chapter 95.21 (b) [17]:
The board has authority to promulgate and enforce such rules, regulations, and orders for the operation, control, and management of the university system and its institutions as the board may deem either necessary or desirable. When a power is vested in the board, the board may adopt a rule, regulation, or order delegating such power to any officer, employee, or committee as the board may designate.
The policies created by the TSUS Board of Regents are listed in the TSUS Rules and Regulations [2]. These rules are applied and implemented at the quarterly board meetings and demonstrated in the following sample board meeting minutes from the August 2017 [18], November 2017 [19], and February 2018 [20] Quarterly Board Meetings of the TSUS Board of Regents.