Each member of the Kaskaskia Community College District 501 Board of Trustees owes a fiduciary responsibility to both the residents of District 501 and to the students served by the College. It is the Board of Trustees’ duty to ensure that Kaskaskia Community College operates in a fiscally responsible manner while focusing on the best interests of the students. The Board expects of itself and its members ethical and professional conduct. This commitment includes appropriate use of authority and proper decorum in group and individual behavior when acting as Board members. The following Code of Ethics serves as a guide to the Kaskaskia Community College District #501 Board of Trustees as they serve the community:
A Kaskaskia Community College Trustee will honor the responsibility of membership by:
- Always thinking in terms of the “student first” and representing at all times the best interest of the entire College community. Trustees will not allow special interest groups or single issue agendas to interfere with their responsibilities. Trustees must have one allegiance, that is to the institution and its mission.
- Accepting the responsibility of being informed concerning the duties and functions of a College trustee as mission setting, and understanding the trustee’s role is policy-making.
- Accepting the responsibility under Illinois law of seeing that the facilities, resources, and financial support are provided for the appropriate functioning of the College.
- Understanding the philosophy, policy, and procedures of the College and making such decisions as to maintain and strengthen them for the future.
- Recognizing with fellow trustees, the responsibility as a locally elected official to seek the improvement of education throughout the Kaskaskia Community College region.
Trustees will respect their relationships with other members of the Board by:
- Accepting that authority resides only with the Board as a whole in official meetings, and that an individual trustee has no legal power to make statements, promises, or to bind the Board outside of such meetings.
- Maintaining respect for the opinions of one’s colleagues and a proper restraint in criticism of colleagues and officers, graciously conforming to the principle of “majority rule.”
- Refusing to influence any vote or actions of the Board or any College employee through threat, promise of reward, deception, exchange of vote, or any other means than legitimate open discussion.
- Fostering trustee development through participation in educational activities, including state, regional and national meetings to enhance their ability to serve effectively as members Kaskaskia Community College Board of Trustees.
- Maintaining confidentiality including discussions, which occur at legally held closed meetings of the Board and other communications, such as attorney-client privileged communications.
Trustees will maintain desirable relations with the College President and staff by:
- Striving to attract, select, and keep the best professional leader available for the College presidency when a vacancy exists.
- Providing the President of the College full administrative authority for properly discharging professional duties as President, and holding the President responsible for acceptable results.
- Advising, informing and supporting the President.
- Having the President or designated representative present at all meetings of the Board, except when excused by the Board or when the President’s contract and salary are under consideration.
- Supporting and developing Board approved College plans or programs.
- Acting upon the recommendation of the President in matters of employment, reassignment or dismissal of College personnel.
- Informing the President immediately of any concerns regarding performance, conduct, or style, that in the opinion of the Board, require the President’s attention.
- Presenting and referring all complaints or criticisms of any employee privately to the President in closed session.
- Maintaining any confidence or confidential records concerning the academic community.
- Preserving the rights and obligations of the academic community.
- Assisting in every honorable way to maintain the good name, image, honor, and dignity of the College and the entire academic community.
Trustees will meet their responsibilities to the community by:
- Embracing the core values, vision, mission, purposes, and goals of the College with the community.
- Insisting that all College business transactions be open and ethical.
- Refusing to ask the College staff for any privilege or favors, which would not be granted to other citizens under the same circumstances.
- Refusing to use the position on the Board of Trustees or any confidential information for personal gain or personal prestige.
- Refusing to seek by personal solicitation or otherwise to sell to the Board or employees of the College any real estate, commodity, or service.
- Representing unconflicted loyalty to their responsibilities to the College. This accountability supersedes any conflicting loyalty such as that to advocacy or interest groups and memberships on other Boards or staffs. This accountability supersedes the personal interest of any Board member acting as an individual consumer of the College’s services.
- Ensuring the community’s confidence that all is being done in the best interest of the College District and its educational needs.
- Placing the opportunities of the College within reach of all District residents regardless of race, national origin, disability, age, religion, sexual orientation or any legally protected classification.
- Appraising fairly both the present and future educational needs of the community.
Approval History: Replaces Board Members’ Code of Ethics Policy 1.17 approved April 22, 2019