The Board of Trustees is comprised of nine voting members, two ex-officio National Trustees, and two ex-officio Student Trustees, and a representative of the Alumni Association Board.
The Board's members are appointed by the Governor of the State of Ohio with the advice and consent of the Ohio Senate. All of the nine voting members must be residents of Ohio, and five of them must be graduates of Ohio University. The voting members serve a nine-year term and must wait four years before they can be reappointed to the Board. The two student trustees serve staggered two-year terms.
Two National Trustees, who are distinguished out-of-state University alumni, are invited by the Board to sit and participate in its deliberations and the life of the University.
Student trustees are appointed by the governor of Ohio from a group of five candidates suggested to the governor. A committee of student leaders annually reviews applications and forwards its nominations to the Office of the President for referral to the Governor's Office.
The chair of the Faculty Senate Finance and Facilities Committee is invited by the Board to serve as an ex-officio non-voting faculty representative to the University Resources Committee and chair of the Faculty Senate Curriculum Council is invited to serve as an ex-officio non-voting faculty representative to the University Academics Committee.
Currently there are four standing committees of the Board: Resources, Finances, and Affordability; Academics and Student Success; Governance and Compensation; and Audit and Risk Management.