Hong Kong Baptist University is proposing to change the composition of its governing body, slashing the number of internal members by eight and adding an extra outsider.

The suggested change would reduce the number of university members of the council to nine, and boost the number of those from outside campus to 19.

The university also wants to change the way the body's student representative is chosen, scrapping the practice of a place automatically going to the president of the student union. Instead, it wants full-time undergraduates to elect their representative.

It also suggests that the council's student representative be excluded in future from any disciplinary action against individual students.

The university said the number of external members on its board is lower than other subsidised universities and the revamp would improve governance.

It added that it has set up a task force to review the campus ordinance and has invited staff, students and alumni to submit views on the proposals by January 7.