William & Mary Board approves block of resolutions on tuition, appointments, faculty rules and capital planning

The College of William & Mary Board of Visitors voted Sept. 22 to adopt a group of resolutions covering emergency planning, tuition and fees at Richard Bland College, faculty appointments and revisions to the Faculty Handbook.

The Board approved Resolution 1, adopting the William & Mary Crisis and Emergency Management Plan, by voice vote. The Richard Bland College package — including Resolution 2, Approval of Revised FY23 Tuition & Fees — was approved; Resolution 2 was removed from the block for separate consideration and passed with one dissenting vote by Mr. John E. Littel. Resolutions related to faculty and professional appointments (Resolutions 3, 4, 5‑R and 6) were approved by voice vote as a block.

The Committee on Academic Affairs reported and the Board approved an array of personnel‑related resolutions (Resolutions 7–14) covering named professorships, leaves and faculty appointments. The Board also approved Resolution 11‑R, which modifies the Faculty Handbook’s procedures for allegations of policy violations and adds a new interim suspension or reassignment provision (Section III.J), as presented. The resolution was approved by voice vote.

On financial matters, the Board adopted Resolutions 18–20, including the 2022 Six‑Year Plan update and an Auxiliary Enterprise Reserve Policy. The Committees on Financial Affairs and Institutional Advancement also moved and the Board approved a motion authorizing the Chief Operating Officer and the Vice President for University Advancement to develop and implement a gift and endowment reinvestment policy, consistent with guidelines discussed in closed session; the motion passed by voice vote of the full Board.

At President Katherine A. Rowe’s request the Board adopted Resolution HC‑1 recognizing Amy Stoakley Sebring for her service as chief operating officer; the resolution passed by voice vote and Ms. Sebring received a standing ovation.

Where recorded in the minutes, formal roll‑call tallies were used for closed‑session certifications (for example, joint committees certified the closed session 8‑0; the full Board certified its closed session 15‑0). Most other items were approved by voice vote as recorded in the meeting minutes.

What happened next: the Board scheduled its next meetings for Nov. 17 (Richard Bland College) and Nov. 18 (William & Mary) and adjourned. Several items adopted by the Board require staff follow‑up, including development of the endowment reinvestment policy and the Faculty Assembly’s work with the Provost on faculty productivity as requested by the Board.