Notice of Proposed Rulemaking | Policies | West Virginia University

This Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is issued pursuant to West Virginia University Board of Governors Governance Rule 1.1.

The proposed changes are to the following current Board of Governors Rule:

West Virginia University Board of Governors Finance & Administration Rule 5.8 – Travel

The proposed changes are to amend the current BOG Rule as a result of travel industry changes and University traveler feedback.

Substantively, the proposed changes to the BOG Rule above will result in the amendments as set forth below:

BOG Rule	Recommended Action	Comments
BOG Finance & Administration Rule 5.8 – Travel	Amend and Approve	The Board adopted this Rule on June 21, 2019, to design and administer a travel program that promotes safe and economical University travel while ensuring accountability and appropriate use of funds. The proposed amendments seek to remove the requirement that employees make advance bookings through the University’s contracted Travel Management Company. The University is no longer receiving financial and service benefits from requiring bookings through the Travel Management Company. Additionally, University travelers have provided feedback that the Travel Management Company’s booking tool is not as user friendly as booking through airline websites and other mobile apps. As such, the proposed amendments seek to remove the following provisions that required use of the Travel Management Company system: Sections 3.4 (general), 4.1.2 (airline travel), 5.3.3 (ground transportation), and 6.1 (lodging). The proposed changes also remove the definition of “Travel Management Company” from Section 11.7.

A copy of the current Rules can be found at policies.wvu.edu/finalized-bog-rules and a copy of the new proposed Rule, the amended Rule, and this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking can be found at policies.wvu.edu.

There will be a 30-day public comment period from November 25, 2024 and will extend through January 6, 2025, as a result of the holidays, for the submission of written comments. Comments should be submitted using the online submission form for each Rule, which can be found by clicking on the link to the Rule located at: policies.wvu.edu. If there are any questions about the submission process, they can be directed to Valerie Lopez, Special Assistant to the Board of Governors, at Valerie.Lopez@mail.wvu.edu or Valerie Lopez, Office of the President, West Virginia University, PO Box 6201, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506-6201.

Once the comment period has ended, all public comments received or a summary thereof will be posted on the University’s policy website. The Rules may be changed, subject to comments received.