Desales University

“Father fiorelli is the provincial of the oblates of saint francis of de sales (oblates). The university contracts with the oblates to provide several faculty and administrators, including professional services for the president of the university.”

“The bylaws were restated and approved on march 3, 2022. The following highlights some of the significant changes: -the university's mission statement was restated. -the number of individuals on the board of trustees was changed from no fewer than twenty-five members to no fewer than fifteen members with no upper limit on the number of trustees except as the board on recommendation of the governance committee decides. -the provision that the board of trustees have no fewer than eight members who were members of the religious congregation of the oblates of st. Francis de sales has been reduced to five members. -a political activities statement and a non-discrimination statement are included in the bylaws. -a compensation statement indicating that trustees shall not receive any remuneration for their service on the board other than reimbursement of reasonable expenses arising from a trustee's provision of services to the university. -revisions to the term limits. -the minimum number of meetings was reduced from four to three meetings annually. -committee names were revised, a mission committee added, and committee responsibilities were added. -a statement indicating that only trustees have a voice and vote on the committee was added to the academic affairs committee and the finance and budget committee. -the revisions stipulate transactions of business that require authorization by the board of trustees or the governance committee.”

“Finance personnel perform an initial review of the form 990. Once they are satisfied, the audit committee, a board sub-committee, reviews and approves the form 990 prior to its submission. The form 990 is then made available to the full board after approval by the audit committee and prior to its submission to the internal revenue service.”

“Officers, trustees and employees with purchasing, financial and budgetary responsibilities receive the conflict of interest policy annually and are asked to acknowledge receipt and compliance with the policy by signing the document and disclosing conflicts. The policy expressly mentions family and business relationships as having potential as sources of conflicts. If conflicts arise and cannot be quickly resolved, the university's secretary will inform the audit committee. The audit committee informs the board of trustees who will decide what action to take. The board will analyze the material facts and will document all decisions regarding conflicts in the board minutes.”

“For fiscal year 2021, the governance committee of the board reviewed and approved the president's and vice presidents' salaries. In general, salaries are compared to relevant industry benchmarks to ensure compensation remains within fair market value for the industry. Note the compensation amount for the president of the university is paid to the oblates of saint francis de sales.”

“Governing documents, the conflict of interest policy, and financial statements are provided on an as-needed basis and their release is dependent upon the particular request. The disclosure of these documents is not required under pennsylvania non-profit law.”

“Change in value of split interest agreements -5,934.”