The executive board of the college or university governing board has the central purpose of strengthening the board's performance by helping it function efficiently and effectively. Because the executive committee can undermine trustee morale by abusing its authority, the entire governing board must decide the extent of the powers delegated to the…

Responsibilities of the college or university governing board's student affairs committee include representing students' interests in all policy decisions, ensuring provision of adequate financial resources to support a comprehensive student affairs program, ensuring that board policies keep pace with students' diverse and changing needs, and…

The traditional role of a college or university finance committee is to oversee an institution's financial operations, ensure that a viable long-range fiscal plan is in place, and recommend financial policies to the governing board. The finance committee may assume additional responsibilities in response to changing needs and expectations of the…

The investment committee of the college or university governing board is charged with determining, overseeing, and assessing the policies and processes by which institutional funds are invested. The committee has fiduciary duty to ensure that the terms of investment of donors' gifts are met and to maximize investment returns within an appropriate…

A college or university governing board's development committee (or foundation board in a public institution) has both oversight of and broad responsibility for institutional fund-raising activities. Committee members have an additional role that colleagues on other committees do not--active participation in fund-raising. The committee sets goals,…

The college or university academic affairs committee of the governing board holds the primary responsibility for defining, overseeing, and modifying the "policies" that fulfill the institution's academic mission, including: ensuring that the academic program is consistent with the institution's mission and strategies; ensuring that the academic…

In many colleges and universities the responsibility of the governing board's audit committee is to arrange and oversee regular audits of financial activities, comply with donor restrictions on gifts, adhere to laws and regulations, and conform to established board policies. Membership of three to five is usually sufficient, and while the…

In independent colleges and universities, the committee on trustees is most important to the institution's long-term effectiveness. The charge to this committee should include the following responsibilities: helping the board determine desired board composition; populating the board with able, dedicated trustees and maintaining a candidate list;…

These guidelines for college and university governing boards concern the selection of and relations with interim college presidents, and are based on interviews with 52 interim presidents, including some who have served in that position more than once, and 20 other college and university personnel in 20 states. An introductory section outlines…

A self-study survey for state postsecondary education planning and coordinating boards are presented. The first section (topic 1) allows respondents to rate 13 general postsecondary education goals on a 4-point scale (i.e., high, medium, low, or no importance/priority for the board). Under topic 2, respondents can rate the role of the state…

The committee on buildings and grounds of a college or university governing board is charged with the broad responsibility for overseeing an institution's physical assets: land, buildings, and equipment. Specific tasks include ensuring the adequacy and condition of capital assets, developing and periodically reviewing policies, advocating for new…

Fund-raising is one of the college or university governing board's most basic and important responsibilities: The annual fund is the platform from which all other fund-raising activities flow, and the board plays a key role in planning, implementing, and monitoring comprehensive campaigns, which are major efforts, focused on long-range financial…

The guide presents facts and issues concerning drug and alcohol abuse so that college and university administration and governing boards can make informed decisions about programs, policy, and procedures to minimize their occurrence on campus. Chapter 1 examines issues related to substance abuse on campus: risk factors in the campus community; the…

The guide examines the role and responsibilities of college and university governing board members in institutional fund-raising activities. Results of a national survey of members of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges concerning fund-raising policies and practices are highlighted throughout the text. The first six…

The guide is designed to inform college and university administration and governing boards about facts and issues concerning crime on campus so that they may develop policies and procedures for addressing it. After an introductory section that defines the trustees' role in managing institutional response to campus crime, Chapter 2 outlines…