Board Policies and Procedures

KCTCS BOARD OF REGENTS
CODE OF ETHICS

I. Purpose

The KCTCS Board of Regents is committed to conducting its business in accordance with the best practices for strong and ethical governance. The Board also sets the example for the entire system community by adopting and adhering to standards of ethical conduct for governance of the institution. The Board styles its code on the model standards of the Association of Community College Trustees’ (ACCT) Guide to Ethical Governance.

II. Standard of Good Practice

As a KCTCS Regent, I am required to:

1. Devote thought and study to the duties and responsibilities of a member of the Board of Regents, so that I may render effective and creditable service;

2. Work with my fellow board members in a spirit of harmony and cooperation in spite of differences of opinion that arise during vigorous debates of points of issue;

3. Base my personal decision upon all available facts in each situation; vote my honest conviction in every case, unswayed by partisan bias of any kind; and abide by and uphold the final majority decision of the board;

4. Remember at all times that as an individual I have no legal authority outside the meetings of the board, and to conduct my relationships with the system staff, the local citizenry, and all media of the community on the basis of this fact;

5. Resist every temptation and outside pressure to use my position as a Regent to benefit myself or any other individual or agency apart from the total interest of KCTCS;

6. Recognize that it is as important for the board to understand and evaluate the educational programs of the system as it is to plan for the business of system operations;

7. Welcome and encourage active cooperation by citizens, organizations, and the media by communicating with respect to policy on current operations and proposed future developments;

8. Speak with one voice as a board member once a board decision or policy is made;

9. Support the state and national community college trustees associations;

10. Strive step by step toward ideal conditions for the most effective service as a Regent to my community, in a spirit of teamwork and devotion to public education as the greatest instrument for the preservation and the perpetuation of our representative democracy.

III. Failure to Uphold the Standards

1. Regents should neither commit nor tolerate violations of this Code of Ethics.
   
   
2. Regents may promptly bring alleged violations to the attention of the Chair, or if the Chair is the subject of a complaint, then to the Vice Chair.
   
   
3. The Chair or Vice Chair will undertake a reasonable process to determine the merits of a complaint, and methods to resolve the issues, in light of the Board’s statutory duties, the Bylaws, this Code of Ethics, and the best interests of the college, its stakeholders, and community. The review process and resolution methods shall be established by the Board.
   
   
   1. In accordance with statutory limitations that restrict the power to remove Board members to the Governor, the Board may resolve to reprimand or censure Regents who violate this Code of Ethics.
      
      
   2. Any resolution to reprimand or censure must be voted upon by the full Board.

 

ADOPTED THIS 2nd DAY OF DECEMBER 2022 by unanimous vote of the following regents: