Policy 5.4 - Membership and Licensure

Policy 5.4 - Membership and Licensure

BLACK HILLS STATE UNIVERSITY

Policy and Procedure Manual

SUBJECT: Membership and Licensure

NUMBER: 5:4

Office/Contact: Business Office

Source: SDBOR Policy 5:11; SDBOR Policy 4:35; SDBOR Policy 4:19; Office of State Auditor

Policy Handbook: SDCL §§4-9-1.1 and 4-9-7

Purpose

This policy and its procedures set forth the University position to ensure resources are appropriately and equitably used only for those memberships and professional, trade, business, or licensure organizations deemed essential to and necessary for University business.

Definitions

  1. Institutional Representation or Institutional Membership: The University is the member and has participatory rights. If an individual is named, it is only as an institutional representative holding the appropriate administrative appointment to represent the University.
  2. Collegiate or Departmental Membership: The College or Department is the member and has participatory rights because they are a part of the University. Individuals do not belong to the organization but may be listed as the contact person to whom certain organizational rights, like voting or receiving special updates, are granted.
  3. Individual Memberships and Individual Professional Memberships: These memberships are individual memberships in professional and business organizations and benefit the individual rather than the University.
  4. Individual Licensure fees: These fees are licensure fees for an individual.
    1. Notary Public registration for University business purposes approved through applicable purchasing processes is not an individual license fee subject to this policy and its procedures.
  5. University Funds: These funds include all sources of funding that run through the Banner accounting system including State of South Dakota General Funds, all forms of tuition and fees, federal, private, and other grant funds, auxiliary funds from room, board, parking, and other self-supporting activities, and all other revenue sources including fee for service, fines, sales and services, memberships, and contracts.

Policy

  1. To the extent allowed by SDBOR Policy 5:11 and in conformity with applicable law, University resources may be used to pay for appropriate Institutional Representation or Institutional Memberships in organizations. University resources will not be used to pay or reimburse the cost of professional memberships, which solely or primarily benefit an individual. Such payment may only be made upon the prior approval of the Vice President for Finance & Administration, or their designee, as set forth in section 3.b.i. below.
    1. University funds may be used to pay for Institutional Representation or Institutional Memberships when an organization provides representational, non-partisan political, or voting benefits of importance to the University. Individual Memberships shall not be paid in lieu of Institutional Representation or Institutional Memberships.
    2. University funds (from the applicable college or department accounts) may be used to pay for Collegiate or Departmental Memberships when the college or department is the member on behalf of the University.
    3. Individual Memberships in professional and business organizations may not be paid with University funds including grant funds.
    4. Individual Professional Memberships that are required in order to receive a professional journal will be made in the name of the University. If the professional organization does not allow an Institutional Membership or the membership is restricted to individuals, the University will not pay for the membership unless the actual beneficiary is the University.
    5. University funds will not be used to pay or reimburse for professional credential or licensure fees or costs for mandatory continuing education unless it is a requirement of the job as defined in 3.b.i. below.
  2. Exceptions to this policy may only be granted on a case by case basis in conformity with and to the extent allowed by state laws, rules, and regulations by the Vice President for Finance & Administration. Appropriate exceptions to this policy include:
    1. Individual Memberships, Individual Licenses, and Individual Continuing Education may be approved for payment if allowed by law from University funds if the essential responsibilities and position description of the employee require the membership or license as a condition of employment, the employee is required to devote their best professional efforts solely to the service of the University, and the University benefits from said membership or license.
  3. To ensure consistent policy interpretation, payments for memberships and licensures may only be approved by the applicable Vice President, as set forth in this policy and its procedures. Information and forms concerning Memberships and Licenses will be maintained in the Business Office.

Procedures

  1. The Membership and Licensure Approval Form is completed by the party requesting the expenditure and must include an explanation of the University business necessity.
  2. The completed form, along with the invoice, must be submitted to the supervising Dean or Director for review, as applicable. The Dean or Director will ensure compliance with this policy prior to further routing.
  3. Upon review and recommendation for approval by the applicable Dean or Director, the completed form will be routed to the appropriate University Vice President for their approval. The applicable University Vice President will ensure compliance with this policy prior to further approval or routing.
  4. If the request includes payment for an Individual Membership, Individual Licenses, or Individual Continuing Education, the completed form must be routed to the Vice President for Finance & Administration for final approval.
  5. If the membership or license fee request is approved in conformity with this policy by the appropriate University Vice President(s) with or without requirement for policy exception, a payment document will be completed and entered in the appropriate systems with the Membership and Licensure Approval Form and invoice attached as documentation.

Responsible Administrator

The Vice President for Finance & Administration is responsible for annual and ad hoc review of this policy and annual review of procedures. The University President is responsible for approval of this policy and its procedures.

Source and Revision History

SOURCE: ADOPTED/Approved by President Laurie Nichols on 8/31/2020. Revised on 5/10/2021. Revised 2023/1/9.