The Board of Trustees is the governing body of the American University in Bulgaria and exercises fiduciary responsibility for the institution’s welfare. The board sets AUBG’s strategic direction and oversees the president, who is in turn responsible for carrying out the board’s plans and the overall management of the institution. The board’s role is strategic and supervisory, not operational. The board sets the university’s direction and broadly oversees policy, but delegates implementation of policy and institutional management to the president, the university administration, and the faculty. Board members support the public image of the university both through the board’s corporate actions and through individual advocacy. Regardless of individual financial capacity, board members are the philanthropic leaders of the university, setting an example through their support for other donors and friends. Under the leadership of the board chair, the trustees appoint and offer advice and counsel to the President, and consult with the President on the appointment of senior officers of the university. Board members respect the faculty’s and students’ academic freedom, and will support and protect that freedom when it is threatened by external forces. (It should be noted that “Academic Freedom” does not encompass libel, slander, hate speech, or willful dissemination of falsehoods.)

As the final authority for college or university business, trustees make all legal and fiduciary decisions for the university, although they delegate some specific powers and duties to others. The board of trustees is responsible for developing and approving the school’s mission, strategic goals and objectives, and establishing policies related to programs, services and capital expenditures, including construction. In a structure of shared governance with the faculty, the board approves certain academic actions such as creation and/or closure of programs, faculty promotions, and specific kinds of academic policies, though the primary authority for such policies rests with the faculty. The board approves the annual budget and sets major fees including tuition, room and board, and supervises the university endowment.