Board of Regents

Preparing Information and Action Items

Please review the following requirements when preparing items to be presented at Board of Regents meetings. If you have any questions, contact any of the staff members listed below.

Beginning in January 2019, the Board no longer accepts projected content or audiovisual materials, except in very exceptional circumstances. Meeting time should be devoted to discussion of pre-distributed items rather than to content delivery. Regents review all materials prior to meetings. Your item should therefore provide all relevant background. It may deliver this information in the cover sheet or in an appended report. This report can take the form of a narrative or a PowerPoint deck for chart-heavy items. The goal is to effectively deliver all relevant information to the Board for review prior to the meeting. All materials are delivered electronically. Your presentation during the meeting should offer highlights or critical points of your topic and elicit questions from the Board.

 

Item Cover: An agenda item will include an item cover.

  • Use the attached template to create the item cover.
  • No formatting is necessary (font/headers/footers/margins). Focus on the item content and we will format the item cover.
  • The item title on the cover needs to be the same as the item title on the agenda.
  • The item cover lists the attachments, if any. The document titles on the attachments should match the titles listed under Attachments on the item cover template.
  • When saving your items and attachments, please do not add an item number (F-#, or A-#, or B-#) to the file name. Our office will number the items.
  • Note: If you have an item that you expect will come to the Board multiple times during the course of the project, please maintain consistency of name and format.

 

Attachments: Please submit attachments with your items, if applicable.

  • Leave at least 1” margins on both long edges.
  • The Board Office will add archival footers: leave a 1” margin at the bottom of the pages.
  • Add an attachment number to the file name. This number will correspond with the order you’ll be referring to the attachment(s) in your presentation. Standing items should be first.
  • PowerPoint slides should have a light or white background whenever possible. Please follow the formatting guidelines given below.
  • Send all attachments in editable format, if possible (.docx, .xlsx, .ppt, etc.). They will be converted to .pdf format.
  • The title on the attachment should match the title listed under Attachments on the Item cover template.
  • The Board discourages distribution of print materials. If you wish to include a booklet, brochure, swag, etc. as an attachment, please contact the Office of the Board of Regents. If approved, we will need 25 hard copies delivered by the same deadline as other materials and an electronic version for the permanent record.
  • Regents appreciate brief bios, with photos, for faculty, student, and guest presenters. Please see the attached sample.
  • Example of file name: Quarterly report attachment 2 color.doc

 

Projecting Content: Please contact the Board Office. As noted earlier, projecting content is discouraged. If you are permitted to project, follow these guidelines:

  • Create slides for Widescreen (16:9), by selecting the DESIGN tab, SLIDE SIZE, WIDESCREEN (16:9).
  • Project only graphics, maps, tables, charts or videos, rather than text. Set video to play Full Screen by selecting VIDEO TOOLS, PLAY BACK, VIDEO OPTIONS, PLAY FULL SCREEN.
  • One graphic, map, table, chart or video per slide.
  • Convert media created on a Mac to run on a PC, and test it on a PC, before submitting with item cover.
  • If text must be used, five bullet points per slide.
  • Indicate “projection” in the file name.
  • Let us know if the projection will require any audio, video, or internet.
  • Let us know who will be running the laptop during the presentation.
  • To ensure a smooth-running meeting, please DO NOT bring your own laptop or USB drive to the meeting. All projections will be loaded in advance onto one laptop, tested before the meeting, and run from that laptop.

 

Due dates: Please see the schedule for due dates. Staff will lightly proofread your items and attachments. Major additions and changes are the responsibility of the presenting units. If your item cover and attachments are late, the item may be pulled from the agenda.

Note: Please be considerate of the time it will take to study the materials you intend to provide. Include enough information for Regents to identify the core issues, but do not overextend. All attachments should be tied directly to the objective of your presentation. If, during the presentation, the Regents request additional information from your unit, we will work with you and be the conduit for follow up.

 

Tyler Lange and Kristine Holmberg-Lennemann
Office of the Board of Regents
(for full Board and Governance Committee or Finance & Asset Management Committee items)
206-543-1633
Rachel Northquist
Office of the Provost
(for Academic and Student Affairs Committee items)
206-221-3962