In a long-simmering national fight over compensation for public-college presidents, the State of California emerged this year as the primary battleground. More than any other institution in recent memory, California State University has publicly and sometimes bitterly wrestled with a vexing question for higher education: How much does a public…

As president of the University of Miami, Donna E. Shalala answers to dozens of trustees, many of whom are captains of industry. But two of those board members also answer to her. Ms. Shalala's uncommon role reversal is a product of her lucrative service on the boards of two different companies headed by members of Miami's Board of Trustees. In…

Bob Kerrey's rocky tenure as president of the New School may seem a fading memory, but the recent disclosure that he earned $3-million from the institution last year could rekindle resentments on campus and raise questions about Mr. Kerrey's continuing and lucrative role at the college. Under fire from New School faculty over turnover in the…

In a daylong meeting broadcast online this month, David B. Ashley, the president of the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, was repeatedly grilled, and then publicly demoted, during a contentious gathering of the university system's Board of Regents. The dressing-down followed months of public disputes over the conduct of Mr. Ashley's wife and…

This article reports that a pair of university presidents is among the people feeling the heat from the collapse of the investment bank Bear Stearns. Henry S. Bienen, president of Northwestern University, and the Rev. Donald J. Harrington, president of St. John's University, in New York, were among the 12 members of the Bear Stearns Companies'…

A "contract" is, in its essence, a collection of legally enforceable promises that are intended to satisfy the desires of two or more parties. In the sphere of university presidents, employment contracts normally are in writing and contain both the agreed-upon economic terms and the hopes and dreams of the individuals involved. Those contracts are…

Congress and other watchdogs have grilled colleges in recent years for what some regard as the excessive pay of their chief executives. This article reports that a "Chronicle" analysis has found that presidents and chancellors are a minority of the highest-compensated college employees. Chief executives accounted for only 11 out of 88…

University presidents are attractive candidates for corporate boards. Their credentials and their university's name lend an air of academic prestige to the companies they oversee. Presidents are typically well compensated for their service on boards of directors, earning at least six figures each year in cash fees and stock awards. The role can…

Today, many colleges and universities, both public and private, are in serious financial straits. What kind of leaders then are needed in this challenging higher-education environment? The Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges issued a report a couple years ago that introduced the concept of "Integral Leadership." The report…

For at least four decades, the University of California has been the international gold standard in public higher education. The system's 10 campuses are magnets for top-notch faculty members and students. With an annual budget of $18-billion, the university includes five medical centers and three national laboratories. And one of every 10 members…

The president and governing board at the College of William and Mary have parted ways in an unusually public split with a deeply partisan undercurrent. Gene R. Nichol says that the Board of Visitors forced him out for defending free speech and diversity on the campus, and that he turned down a generous severance package to go quietly. Board…

The Supreme Court of Virginia has ruled in favor of Randolph College in two lawsuits brought by students and alumnae donors upset that the institution, formerly Randolph-Macon Woman's College, went coed last fall. In one case, the court ruled against a group of students who argued that the decision to enroll men was a breach of contract. The…

At a time when the public and politicians are demanding more of colleges, many members of governing boards feel ill prepared for the job. Their lack of readiness and knowledge touches almost every corner of a college's operations, like campus politics and fund raising, and is often the source for strained relations with the institution's…

When the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education named James E. Rogers, the system's largest benefactor, as state chancellor in May 2004, they were looking for a strong leader who could stanch a torrent of ethics problems, end backbiting among the state's eight public colleges and the board's own members, and repair the system's…

Many college board members blunder when they either lionize or trivialize their presidents, or work as soloists rather than as ensemble players. To avoid pitfalls of governance, trustees must assume responsibility for their collective performance and subject themselves to periodic self-evaluation.