In April, the "New England Journal of Higher Education ("NEJHE") launched its "New Directions for Higher Education" series to examine emerging issues, trends and ideas that have an impact on higher education policies, programs and practices. In this installment, Philip DiSalvio interviews Richard Legon, president of the…

Colleges and universities looking to recruit leaders from within the faculty ranks will face more and more difficulty. From their respective positions--as a provost (Janel) and a search consultant (Dennis)--they often hear senior executives in higher education say that building a new generation of faculty leaders will be a major challenge in the…

While much research on quality assurance in higher education has centred on issues related to the impact on teaching and learning and academic staff, there is a significant gap in the area of quality assurance and academic governance. Within Australia the roles of university academic boards (also known as academic senates or faculty senates) have…

These are perilous times for community colleges. State and federal departments of education are pressing the nation's two-year career and technical colleges to be accountable while the colleges experience reductions in state funding and try to streamline services. That pressure is intensified by a growing national expectation that community…

Controversies over higher education governance are in the news these days. The most recent occurred this summer when several members of the board of the University of Virginia asked the president, Teresa A. Sullivan, to resign, only to be forced to reinstate her after protests from students, faculty, donors, alumni, and others. That situation…

Gettysburg College President Janet Morgan Riggs and Board Chair Robert N. Duelks are both members of the Gettysburg class of 1977, but did not know each other as students. As a member of the college's board of trustees, Duelks chaired the presidential search committee that selected Riggs as Gettysburg's 14th president in 2009. Then, one year after…

The challenges with which college and university boards must grapple promise to become only more complex in the coming years, placing ever-greater demands on the leaders of those boards. This article presents a conversation between Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB) President Richard D. Legon and two AGB leaders who…

The work of state higher education system boards is changing. By "system boards," the author means governing boards for all of higher education in a state, governing boards for certain kinds of institutions (such as the Louisiana Community and Technical College System and the California State University system), and state coordinating agencies…

Faculty members typically have few opportunities to understand the full scope of trustees' responsibilities and the work they do for institutions. But the author argues that when faculty can appreciate the work of trustees and trustees appreciate the role of faculty, an important framework for bridging worlds can be established. Furthermore,…

One of the particular gifts in history for the present generation, is the increasingly large opportunity afforded to universities and corporations to be mutually supportive, not exploitative, of one another. As the federal Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 has imposed new challenges on management of all stripes, this anti-corporate-fraud law also has…

This document contains 20 essential questions that were answered by various community college board members. The following are a few of the questions: (1) Are you prepared to lead your college into the future?; (2) Do you realize the responsibility you carry as a trustee?; (3) Are your Board's practices?best practices?; and (4) How do you avoid…

This paper makes the case for establishing recruitment and screening panels to help governors appoint public college and university trustees. It offers ideas that can be adapted to the diverse traditions and cultures of state governments and public higher education systems. It also provides illustrative lists of the responsibilities of public…

An effective and stable school district requires a superintendent and board who work well together. Such collaboration builds positive momentum and public confidence. It also minimizes the turnover that can slow district progress, encourage "flavor of the year" reform agendas and impede academic achievement. Too seldom school governance…

In this paper, the author describes what might happen if a college got rid of its board of trustees and the faculty became voting partners in running the "corporation." What if there was no board of trustees composed mainly of outsiders? What if the president was chosen by and responsible to the faculty? What, in short, if the faculty owned the…

The rankings of colleges and universities in a recent news magazine are meaningless, confusing, and dangerous, encouraging the kind of competition that puts higher education at risk. (Author/MSE)