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Digital Universe Governance

The Digital Universe is organized into four governing boards that provide checks and balances on each other:

• The Board of Directors
• The Board of Stewards
• The Board of Arbitration
• The Board of Advisors

Presently, only the Board of Directors is active. The Board of Directors constitutes the executive branch of the Digital Universe. It is bound by the Bylaws of the Digital Universe Foundation, and is the only agency with authority to amend those bylaws. The Board of Stewards will constitute the legislative branch of the Digital Universe. Its membership will be drawn from the coalitions of stewards. It will have responsibility for editorial policy, as well as establishing and managing policies for managing the day to day activities within the Digital Universe portals.

Judicial functions will be handled by the Board of Arbitration, which will convene to resolve disputes between coalitions and to hear appeals from stewards concerned about governance decisions by the Board of Stewards.

The Board of Advisors consists of select scholars, experts, and luminaries from the topic areas covered by the Digital Universe portals. Its function is to advise at the request of the Board of Directors to assure that portals, coalitions, and stewards properly represent available expertise in those topic areas, and that portals within the Digital Universe cover the issues most vital in science, history, and society.