Salve Regina University records on university governance

Starting in 1934 with the incorporation of Salve Regina College, the institution was governed by a select Corporation consisting of religious from the province of Providence. The by-laws of 1934 also provided for a Board of Directors.

In 1948, an additional Advisory Board was formed composed of the Bishop of Providence, nine clergymen from the Diocese of Providence, and twenty-five lay people chosen by the Board of Trustees. Their purpose was to advise the college on matters of finance, public relations, the building program, faculty appointments, and development. For undefined reasons, the Advisory Board met once in 1948 and then not again until 1958, after which it met annually and was composed of seven priests, six Sisters of Mercy, and nineteen lay people. Around 1966, both the Board of Trustees and the college administration began to question the value of this advisory group, and the 1967 annual meeting was cancelled in light of possible changes to the college's "administrative and advisory patterns."

In April and May 1967, the college's governing structure was reorganized so that the Corporation became the sole governing board, with full corporate and legal ownership responsibilities. The Advisory Board was dissolved.

In 1968, the College's by-laws were revised to reflect the new membership and responsibilities of both the Corporation and the Trustees. According to this new document, the Corporation, to be composed of five members only, would retain the title to ownership of the College, but all the power and authority of the Corporation was invested in the Board of Trustees. The Board was to be composed of not less than nine people, predominately lay persons, and was to control the budget, appointment of administrative officers, and the conferring of degrees.

In 1973, the by-laws were revised again, to the effect that the Corporation was to be composed of five Sisters of Mercy from the Province of Providence, thereby ensuring sponsorship of the College by the Sisters of Mercy. Another requirement was that the Provincial Administrator must serve as one of the five members of the Corporation. She also served on the College's Board of Trustees and on the Provincial Council, acting as the primary link between the three groups.

Currently, the Board of Trustees, consisting of between nine and thirty members, is endowed with the responsibility and legal authority to manage the affairs of Salve Regina University. Responsibilities of the Board include appointment and support of the University President, support for the University's mission, management of the University's resources, long range planning, the preservation of institutional autonomy, and other obligations. Members are nominated and selected by current Trustees.

For much of its history, the full Board has met quarterly, and individual committees meet at least twice