Bylaws and Rules of Operation

The Bylaws and Rules of Operation are the foundational governing documents of the WWU Board of Trustees, outlining the Board’s authority and powers as set forth in Washington State Law (RCW 28B.10 and 28B.35 and WAC Title 517), in addition to its established practices and operations.

Over the summer and fall of 2020 the Board of Trustees reviewed the Rules of Operation with the goal of replacing them with a set of higher-level bylaws solely addressing the Board’s authority and powers, and basic structure. This review was motivated by the recognition that the Rules contain a large amount of operational and procedural detail more appropriate for incorporation into Board policy or other secondary Board documents.

At its June 11, 2021 meeting the Board of Trustees approved new Bylaws, dated June 11, 2021, as its primary governing document. Because a process to review and incorporate material from the Rules of Operation, dated June 15, 2018, will continue into the 2021 academic year, the Rules of Operation will remain in effect as a supplementary governance document until that work is complete. Following the completion of that work, the Rules will be formally repealed by action of the Board. Until then, in the event of any conflict between the two governance documents, the Bylaws will take precedence over the Rules of Operation.