Regents adopt code of conduct revisions limiting use of university marks and creating individualized letterhead

The Governance and Policy Committee adopted revisions to the Board of Regents' code of conduct that clarify how regents may communicate about University matters, including new guidance on personalized letterhead and letters of recommendation.

Associate Secretary Jason Langworthy described the changes to section 9 (communication outside meetings). He told the committee the amendments would require the Office of the Board of Regents to "provide individualized university letterhead that a regent may choose to use when communicating their individual views on university matters" and that when using such letterhead a regent must state they are not speaking for the board or the university. Langworthy also said regents would be prohibited from using other University letterhead when communicating their individual views.

On letters of recommendation, Langworthy said the code was revised to prohibit regents from using the regent title and University marks for letters of recommendation for matters "inside the university," such as admissions or scholarships; for recommendations outside the University, regents may identify themselves as a regent when the recommendation is based on interactions in their official role, but they must use personal letterhead.

During discussion, Regents asked several procedural and practical questions about application reference pages, whether a regent may sign a personal letter as "Regent Mary Turner," and how the individualized letterhead would be used in practice. Regent Mary C. Turner and others pressed for clarity on mechanics; staff said personalized letterhead and an explicit statement would make clear the views were the individuals, not an official University position.

Separately, Regent Wheeler raised whether the policy should allow the board chair to designate a spokesperson. Regent Mayeron moved, and the committee adopted, an amendment to section 9 to allow the board chair's designee to speak on the board's behalf when the chair delegates that authority. The committee then voted to adopt the full revisions to the code of conduct; the transcript records the changes as adopted, with at least one abstention recorded.

The revisions clarify expectations for public communications by regents and create a process for providing individualized letterhead; staff will prepare materials to implement the changes and circulate the final language to the full board.