The UCA Board of Trustees participated in a workshop Dec. 17 on the state’s Freedom of Information Act.
The session was set up to refresh the board on state laws regarding open meetings, executive sessions and public records. The workshop was conducted by Warren Readnour, a senior assistant attorney general in the Civil Department. Readnour’s presentation included what constitutes a meeting and explained where emails fall within the Freedom of Information law and other public records.
Trustee Victor Green, one of the newest board members, said the workshop was informative.
“It gave us a basis for which to work from so we will know what we need to do to be more transparent,” Green said. “I think it’s an opportunity for us to open up our records so that we are more transparent and everyone can see exactly what we are doing.”
Trustee Scott Roussel said he has read the Freedom of Information Act but, “having someone to come in so that we can ask questions helped clarify things.”
Earlier this year, the board participated in a training conducted by Association of Governing Boards. The training included the areas of governance, strategic planning and board accountability.
The board training and workshop are among the steps the university has taken to become more transparent. Over the past 14 months, the administration has held eight town hall meetings to provide the campus community with information and to receive feedback on issues that concern faculty, staff and students. UCA President Allen Meadors has also met with each of the more than 1,000 employees to hear their concerns.
The staff has answered numerous Freedom of Information requests and provided thousands of pages of documents and emails to the media from the university’s finances to campus improvements.
“This administration will continue to be open and informative,” said Meadors. “There will be times when we make mistakes, but we will make the appropriate corrections and continue to move forward. Our decisions are made on behalf of the best interest of the university.”