Under the University Bylaws, the President prepares the agenda for board meetings in consultation with the Board Chair. The agendas of the Board's committees are set by committee chairs in consultation with the Board Chair and with committee liaisons.

Agendas must be publicly noticed in advance of meetings, and finalization of agendas must occur reasonably before the dates meetings are scheduled. The dates of board and committee meetings and agendas are posted on the Board webpage once established.

At the discretion of the Board Chair, time (not to exceed fifteen minutes) may be allocated at the beginning of regularly scheduled Full Board meetings for members of the University community or the public to briefly comment on issues germane to the Board. Comment opportunities shall be administered as explained below.

1. Requests to address the Board must be made by completing a Public Comment Request Form no sooner than two weeks before and at least forty-eight hours prior to a scheduled Board meeting. For the May 18, 2024 meeting, the form will be available from May 3-May 16. The Board of Trustees Office will acknowledge receipt of requests and confirm logistical details for the public comment period.
2. Speakers may submit to the Board of Trustees Office written information to be distributed to the Board. In such event, the speaker may submit the information electronically in advance of the meeting to trustees@uvm.edu.
3. At the commencement of remarks, each speaker shall identify themself; any relevant title; the group or organization, if any, for which they serves as spokesperson; any personal or business interest in the subject matter as to which comment will be made; and the topic to be addressed. The Board Chair will recognize each speaker consecutively, maintain order, and require adherence to a three-minute maximum time limit allotted to each speaker. The Chair retains discretion to decline a request to comment if an individual, group, or organization has previously appeared before the Board regarding the same matter. If multiple individuals wish to speak on the same subject matter, a single individual should be identified to offer public comments on behalf of the group. Individuals signed up for public comment who are unable to attend on the day of the meeting may not send substitutes.
4. No action shall or may be taken by the Board at public comment sessions. In his or her discretion, the Board Chair may refer a matter raised during public comment for subsequent response by the President, the President’s designee, or an appropriate board committee. The Board Chair may also request or permit comment by members of the administration.
5. To ensure that the scheduled business of the Board is conducted in a timely manner pursuant to the agenda, the time allotted to the comment session will not be enlarged by the Board Chair absent extenuating circumstances, to be determined in his/her sole discretion. Persons whose comments were not heard due to time constraints are encouraged to communicate in writing with Trustees, the President, or appropriate Vice Presidents. Communications may be submitted to the Board of Trustees Office for routing purposes to trustees@uvm.edu.
6. Failure to adhere to these guidelines may result in the suspension of privileges to address the Board at future meetings.