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University of Guam board approves new degree program, institute position and faculty travel policy
Summary
Regents unanimously approved creation of an associate director post for the Water and Environmental Research Institute, a new Bachelor of Arts in Educational Studies and revised faculty travel grant timelines to better match conference cycles.
The University of Guam Board of Regents unanimously approved three academic and personnel actions at its May 14, 2026, meeting: establishing an associate director position for the Water and Environmental Research Institute (WERI), creating a Bachelor of Arts in Educational Studies, and revising the faculty travel grant policy and timelines.
The board moved to make the associate director role at WERI official after administrators explained the center had been administratively shifted under the School of Engineering and that the dean had been carrying director duties. "It was important for us to push it through this process to make it official and establish the associate director for WERI," the presenter said during discussion.
Board members next considered Resolution 26-15 to approve a BA in Educational Studies, to be housed in the School of Education. The program is intended for students pursuing education-related careers outside the traditional K–12 licensure track—such as daycare, healthcare education roles, charter schools, and workforce training. The presenters emphasized the program does not, by itself, confer or lead to K–12 teacher licensure (the transcript used the term “lensure” when discussing the separate licensure exam and practice requirement). "Students will be advised that this particular program does not lead to licensure," the presenter said, adding the school will provide supports for students who later choose to pursue a teaching license.
Regents also approved Resolution 26-16 to alter faculty travel-grant deadlines and criteria so application windows better align with conference acceptance calendars. Administrators said the change responded to faculty requests for timelines that allow applicants to know whether their abstracts were accepted before grant application deadlines.
All three measures passed by unanimous voice votes. Board members asked that enrollment and program impacts be tracked over time, and that accreditors’ screening and reporting requirements continue to be observed.
The university will implement the new job classification for WERI, post the Educational Studies curriculum and admissions materials, and publish updated travel-grant deadlines for faculty during the coming academic cycle.
