01
Independent Oversight
The Board of Trustees holds the President accountable to the charter, the budget, and the academic record.
About
Organisational Board
How the university is governed — who decides what, and to whom they answer.
V
Chapter V · How we are run
A charter, not a hierarchy.
Authority is divided on purpose — so that no single office can decide a student's degree, the books on the shelf, or the next year's budget alone.
The chart below is the working structure of USA OPEN UNIVERSITY -UOU — the Board of Trustees at the top, the President accountable to the Board, and four Vice Presidents leading the academic, research, human resource, and administrative functions.
Solid lines mean direct authority. Dashed lines mean coordination — the office reports up but is not commanded by it.
Charter · Vol. V
USA OPEN UNIVERSITY -UOU
Education for All
Tier I
Board of Trustees
Charter authority
Tier II
Internal Audit
Reports to Board
Tier II
President
Chief Executive
Tier II
Advisory Committee
Advisory only
Tier III
Vice President
Academic
Tier III
Vice President
Research
Tier III
Vice President
Human Resource
Tier III
Vice President
Admin & Finance
Tier IV
Academic Director
Curriculum & Standards
Tier V
Office of
Admission
Tier V
Office of
Examination
Tier V
Office of
Student Affairs
Tier V
Office of
Library & Archives
Tier VI
Administration Directors
Operations & Logistics
Tier VII
Office of
Personnel
Tier VII
Office of
Logistics
Tier VII
Office of
Transportation
Tier VII
Office of
Training
Governance
How decisions actually get made.
02
Shared Governance
Faculty, students, and administration each hold seats in the deliberative councils that shape policy.
03
Annual Audit
Internal Audit reports directly to the Board, not to the President — a deliberate separation of powers.
04
Academic Independence
The Academic Director and faculty senate set curriculum and scholarship standards without administrative override.
05
Open Records
Annual reports, financials, and governance minutes are published for public review every fiscal year.
06
Charter Compliance
Every office is bound by the founding charter; amendments require trustee supermajority and public notice.
Closing · Charter
A university you can hold accountable.
Read the rest of the charter, or write to the office that handles the question you have.