In the wake of the financial crisis, trustees of many endowed nonprofit institutions realized that their portfolio was riskier than they thought and their own ability to tolerate loss wasn't as strong as they imagined. What can board and investment committee members do to improve their ability to assess their--and their institution's--capacity for…

This publication is part of an Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB) series devoted to strengthening the role of key standing committees of governing boards. While there is no optimum committee system for institutions of higher education, certain principles, practices, and procedures prevail. The best practices…

This report by the Kentucky Department of Education states that "the school council shall have the responsibility to set school policy consistent with district board policy which shall provide an environment to enhance the students' achievement and help the school meet the goals established in KRS 158.645 and 158.6451." The report's 18…

Discusses two methods of curriculum policymaking in Great Britain. In the first method, a "philosophically competent" person who serves as the central authority figure makes decisions. The second method involves a participatory decision-making process. The author argues that a committee, following national educational guidelines, will…

Carleton's new governance experiment to bring together all elements in the college community in a combination of localized decision-making and coordination. (Editor/IR)

A rejoinder to Smithson's article, "Curriculum Policy-Making at the School Level: Two Approaches" (v15 n2 p215-28 1981). The author stresses that competent philosophical reasoning contributes to better decisions in curriculum policymaking. Such competence is necessary regardless of whether the decisions are made by administrators or…

The utility of a particular citizen participation planning approach as applied to educational facilities planning is described. With the aid of a clear-cut decisionmaking procedure, citizens could participate effectively in the development of specific planning policy statements. Such statements could be used to discuss planning priorities, focus…

In recent years, as students and faculty have become more involved in decisionmaking, the number of meetings of committees and subcommittees on college campuses has grown by leaps and bounds. This has led many people to believe that the amount of time and energy devoted to committee meetings is far greater than is justified in terms of…

The educator today often makes decisions in the face of uncertainty. Although many of these decisions have widespread implications, all too often these determinations are made without benefit of an appropriate decisionmaking procedure. The educator should identify those variables important to arriving at decisions about students' grades, student…

A research program at Trinity College in Ireland is reported that focused on the decision-making process, particularly the committee structure. Described are the role of individuals within committees, centralized versus decentralized decision-making, costs, sources of rigidity, and problems of the concentration of power. (Author/LBH)

The Waubonsee Community College Ad Hocracy model of governance incorporates the concept of a streamlined, flexible organizational structure which allows for voluntary participation in problem-solving and decision-making. Central to this model is the concept of open meetings which provide for the consideration of all views and the reaching of…

This paper, part of a larger study on the emergence of the Joint Big Decisions Committee (JBDC) in higher education management practices, focuses on how the JBDC has functioned in light of existing organizational governance models. The paper begins with a literature review which presents and discusses various management model types. These model…

Building an effective board requires attention to trustees' roles and responsibilities, selection of new trustees, board organization, and criteria for measuring trustees' performance. Full participation is essential for effective decision-making, and six committees can be helpful: executive, nominating, finance, development, academic affairs, and…

Results of interviews with presidents and trustees of 10 private liberal arts colleges concerning the president-trustee relationship include observations about the presidency as a political office, the president's role as a bureaucrat, the committee system, presidential evaluation, and prospects for presidential leadership. (MSE)

Examples are given of points hospitals must consider when adopting and implementing infant bioethics committees, including committee functions (educational, policy development, and consultative), structure, membership, jurisdiction, recordkeeping, and legal issues. (MSE)