Fall 2023 NC-SARA Board Meeting Actions and Upcoming Webinars
The NC-SARA Board met on October 24 and 25 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Board acted on multiple agenda items and elected new NC-SARA Board members and officers. Decisions resulting from Board actions are outlined below.
Election of Board Members and Board Leadership
In May, the NC-SARA Board announced it would be accepting nominations from the public for new board members to begin three-year terms in January 2024. During the October Board Meeting, the NC-SARA Board unanimously elected the following colleagues to serve as new NC-SARA board members for their first three-year term:
Mr. Mike Goldstein
Mr. Sam Loftin
Ms. Cathie (Cam) Maeyaert
The NC-SARA Board unanimously elected the following colleagues to serve as continuing NC-SARA board members, for a second three-year term:
Ms. Lanna Dueck
Ms. Angela Lee
Dr. Carlos Morales
The NC-SARA Board unanimously elected board officers to serve in the role of NC-SARA Board Chair and Vice Chair, respectively, for a two-year term:
Board Chair: Dr. Rob Anderson
Board Vice Chair: Dr. Eduardo Ochoa
We are grateful to our board colleagues for their commitment to NC-SARA and the collective decades of leadership and expertise they bring to the organization. Board member biographies are available on our website.
SARA Policy Modification Proposals
In January 2023, NC-SARA announced that the new SARA Policy Modification Process would be accepting proposed modifications to SARA Policy, as represented in the most current SARA Policy Manual.
Six SARA Policy Modification Proposals were approved by all four regional compacts through their Regional Steering Committees (RSCs) to move forward for a vote of the NC-SARA Board. Five of those SARA Policy Modification Proposals were considered and approved by the NC-SARA Board, including:
PMP-0330: Require NC-SARA to Notify Public of Institution Status
PMP-0331: Institutional Disclosure Requirements
PMP-0368: SARA Policy Manual
PMP-0373: Provisional Notification - Add (i) to Section 3.2
PMP-0383: Modification of Language: Arbitration Agreements
The NC-SARA Board considered and approved a recommendation by the Board Policy Committee that the sixth proposal – PMP-0356: SPE Removal of Provisional Status – not be approved due to a procedural issue and that it be reviewed by the proposer and reconsidered for submission during the 2024 SARA Policy Modification Process cycle.
In accordance with the timeline published in December 2022, the status of all proposed policy modifications reviewed by the NC-SARA Board will be published on the NC-SARA website by December 1, 2023, and the revised SARA Policy Manual will be published on the NC-SARA website by December 31, 2023.
In January 2024, the SARA Policy Modification Process cycle for 2024 will begin. Information about the process and the timeline will be forthcoming.
SARA-Participating Institution Fees
The NC-SARA Board voted to place an item regarding SARA-participating institution fees on the February 8, 2024 board meeting agenda.
SARA-participating institution fees have not increased since the inception of SARA in 2014. If approved by the Board, the new fee structure would be effective July 1, 2024.
Upcoming Webinars
To learn more about the October 2023 NC-SARA Board actions, including a potential SARA-participating institution fee increase and the implications of approved proposals for State Portal Entities and institutions, please join us for a webinar on November 29, 2023, 11:00 am – 12:15 pm Mountain Time. This webinar is open to all, but registration is required.
Webinar Title - 2023 SARA Policy Modification Process Wrap-Up: Results of NC-SARA Board Voting and Implications for SARA-Participating Institutions and State Portal Entities
Webinar Description: Presenters in this webinar will share updates about actions taken at the Fall 2023 NC-SARA Board Meeting, including a potential SARA-participating institution fee increase and the outcomes of voting on the six SARA policy modification proposals that were approved by the regional compacts through their Regional Steering Committees (RSCs). We will provide an overview of each of the proposals approved by the Board and discuss the implementation timeline and other considerations that may impact SARA-participating institutions and State Portal Entities (SPEs). There will be time for questions from webinar participants. This webinar will be recorded.
To learn more about the 2024 SARA Policy Modification Process, including the 2024 calendar, events, and tips for submitting a proposal, please join us for a webinar on December 11, 2023, 12:30 – 1:30 pm Mountain Time. This webinar is open to all, but registration is required.
Webinar Title - Preparing for the 2024 SARA Policy Modification Process Cycle
Webinar Description: Presenters in this webinar will share the calendar and steps for the 2024 SARA Policy Modification Process cycle and discuss tips and thoughts that will help proposers streamline the preparation and submission of proposals. This webinar will include time for questions from participants. This webinar will be recorded.