The University of Utah’s governing board approved new firewalls this month for when a president’s spouse or partner can join business trips — and when such travel can be reimbursed with public funds.

The new rules come after The Salt Lake Tribune reported that the U. had spent thousands on travel expenses for Janet Randall, who has joined her husband, U. President Taylor Randall, on many business trips since he took the helm in August 2021.

Janet Randall is not employed by the university. But as the president’s spouse and an alumnus of the school, she travels with him as an “official ambassador for the institution,” the school said in a previous statement.

At the time of the Tribune’s reporting, Janet Randall had joined roughly half of Taylor Randall’s official out-of-state visits, annual travel audits showed.

For the past two years, the U.’s expenses for her to join him, including airfare and meals, tallied up to more than $35,000 — funded by a mix of taxpayer money, donations and other university funds.

It is not possible to determine the specific total of public dollars spent only on Janet Randall based on the audits. But going forward, under this new policy change, those totals will need to be delineated.

The U.’s previous policy granted its university president unilateral authority to approve personal — and spousal — business travel.

The U.’s board of trustees voted unanimously Aug. 11 to change that. There was no opportunity for public comment before the vote.

According to the updated policy, the university’s president will still be able to approve personal “travel and travel reimbursements.” Those will continue to be reviewed on an annual basis with a state-required report of expenses.

But now, if a spouse or partner accompanies the president, there must be a “bona fide business purpose” for that. That is defined as “a significant role that is essential to a function supporting the mission of the university.”

That may include, but isn’t limited to, the definition continues: “institutional development, alumni relations, presentations at business meetings, or officially hosting an event where the partner’s attendance is required.”

That mirrors language previously approved by the overarching Utah System of Higher Education, which each public college and university is required to adopt. That state change came after The Tribune asked USHE whether it had any policies or guardrails on presidential spousal travel.

The U.’s policy additionally notes: “A bona fide business purpose does not include duties of a clerical, secretarial, or medical nature, nor travel the primary purpose of which is familial, social, tourist, or incidental.”

The purpose for a president’s spouse or partner’s travel must now be clearly documented and submitted for approval to the university’s chief financial officer “prior to reimbursement.”

The president “may not approve reimbursement of their partner’s travel,” the policy adds.

The U. previously said that travel is key to Taylor Randall’s many roles as the university’s leader, including CEO, chief donor relations officer and top ambassador for an institution with a $9 billion annual budget.

As a U. ambassador, Janet Randall also has a significant role in attending “Utah Athletics competitions, donor visits, alumni gatherings and official academic meetings,” the school has said.

The changes follow similar steps taken at Utah State University, where Tribune reporting showed former President Elizabeth “Betsy” Cantwell spent more than $660,000 in public funds during her brief 18-month tenure.

Those costs covered travel, cars and an apartment in Salt Lake City. The Logan school’s trustees have since vowed to more closely monitor its president’s spending and trips.