Multiple direct observations suggest that community college board governance exists today, very much as it has for many decades, often encumbered by outmoded, unchecked, ineffectual practices, and absent clarity of purpose. The absence of a routine assessment of a board's own governance style and efficacy foretells a future inability for…

This chapter provides an overview of board governance, its effectiveness, and changes over more than four decades. The authors also offer strategies for creating partnerships between presidents and trustees that lead to future institutional success.