President's Delegations of Authority

The Board of Regents delegates certain authorities to the president to act as chief executive officer of the University of Minnesota, within the constraints of Board policy.

President’s Delegations of Authority

The president may delegate or retain any executive management and administrative authority that has been given to the president by the Board of Regents and not otherwise restricted by specific Board policies or directives. The president’s delegations authorize senior leaders who report directly to the president to act on behalf of the University and to bind the University to a legally enforceable obligation. The president may condition, limit, or revoke any delegated signature authorities at any time. Authorities retained by the president may not be exercised by any other person, unless expressly authorized by administrative policy or presidential directive.

Sub-Delegations of the President’s Authority

Senior leaders who report directly to the president and to whom the president has delegated signature authorities may, but need not, sub-delegate signature authorities to positions who report to them and so on throughout the organization. These leaders are ultimately responsible and accountable for the proper sub-delegation of the president’s authorities throughout their units, in accordance with this policy.

Delegations of Authority Provisions

1. Delegators may grant signature authorities only to a position within the delegator’s area of managerial control, and the authorities must be granted and exercised consistently with the terms and conditions of the original delegation and with all applicable laws and University policies, including specifically Board of Regents Policies: Reservations and Delegations of Authority, Legal Review of Contracts and Transactions, and Internal Controls.

   Delegatees must be currently employed in a position with some responsibility for the activity being conducted. When the incumbent leaves that position, the signature authority remains with the position and is automatically transferred to the successor, unless the delegator removes or limits one or more authorities associated with the position.

2. Delegators must communicate their delegations of authority (new or revised) to their Delegation of Authority Specialist for their college/campus, in writing and in a format that is accessible to them. The Delegation of Authority specialist will retain this documentation and this documentation must be made available upon request by the Office of Institutional Compliance or Office of Internal Audit. Delegators or representative must also notify the delegatee and review those delegations at least annually to ensure they are up-to-date and appropriate.
3. In the event that the incumbent in a position to which signature authority has been delegated has an individual or institutional conflict of interest related to that authority as defined by University policy, that person must inform the delegator of the conflict and must not exercise the authority until the conflict has been eliminated or managed by the University.
4. Delegatees:
   • have full discretion to reserve to their position any authority delegated to them;
   • may sub-delegate the authority to another position reporting to them if it is not expressly disallowed or limited in any way;
   • may not delegate greater responsibility and decision-making authority than their position has been delegated; and
   • remain responsible and accountable at all times for the exercise of any authority they choose to delegate.

Scope of Authority

Delegatees must act only within the scope of that delegation, including limiting their actions to the campus, college, or department referenced in the delegation. Delegatees who act outside the scope of their authority and do not have documented authority to do so may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

Individuals with delegations of authorities that require additional approvals (e.g., legal or financial) must ensure that these additional approvals are obtained. (See Board of Regents Policies: Reservation and Delegation of Authority, Legal Review of Contracts and Transactions, and Internal Controls.)

Ambiguities involving Delegations of Authority

In the event that there is an ambiguity or an inconsistency involving delegation assignments, the president or the president's delegate will determine who has the ultimate authority.