Effective governance requires high levels of trust and mutual respect among trustees who must commit to serving as stewards of the college's resources. This chapter describes rogue trustees, their tactics, and their negative impact on the governing process and college culture. The chapter includes strategies to mitigate the disruptive and…

The chapters in this volume of "New Directions for Community Colleges" highlight the intended roles of boards of trustees and illustrate areas in which board relations often go awry. This final manuscript brings together the themes of the volume, highlights lessons learned and presents recommendations moving forward. The challenges…

This chapter provides an overview of the important work of community college trustees and includes best practices as well as the contrasting challenges of rogue trustees and activist boards. Whether a board is made up of trustees who are elected, appointed, or a combination of the two, there are things that colleges should, and could do which…

According to John Carver (1990), no single relationship in an organization is as important as that between the board and its chief executive officer. That relationship, well-conceived, can set the stage for effective governance and leadership. However, the line between governance and administration in community colleges is not always as clear as…

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 reviews social and organizational theories that influence governance to contextualize new ways to think about the roles of boards of trustees. This chapter discusses how various organizational theories help define the roles of boards of trustees, the CEO, and other stakeholders with respect to governance. Using this backdrop, reforms…

Community college boards of trustees are not highly visible, but they play a vital role in college and student success through governance and oversight of the mission of open access higher education. The stakes are high as community colleges compete for scarce resources in state budgets making the local and state-level trustee/governing role as…

Boards of trustees provide the policy, strategy, and accountability that set the direction for community colleges, all while being accountable to the states, regions, districts, and local areas they serve. One of those particular mission areas of community colleges is the preparation of the workforce to meet the needs of local economies and the…

Community college leadership, including governing and foundation board members, must have an ethical framework while using philanthropic fundraising to increase revenues available for community colleges to realize their heroic mission.

Prevailing research tends to narrow the starting view of most authors, including those who write about community colleges and their governing boards in common terms of organizational structure, management style, roles and responsibilities, personality issues, and so forth. But this essay focuses more on one particular topic: the unique…

Jane Knight is most often credited with establishing the term "internationalization" as a process in higher education. Her seminal works in the 1990s established internationalization not as a state to be achieved, but as an ongoing process by which colleges could strive to increase the global learning of students (Knight, 1993, 1994). Many…

In settings across the United States, governing boards, state officials, and campus leaders are intensely examining, refining, and reprioritizing post-secondary education missions and spending to optimize value-added economic and social returns. In this article, the authors discuss the nation's changing research and innovation context, the…

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.

While community college foundations may be the new kids on the fundraising block, they are well positioned to build private-sector support. This chapter discusses ways foundations can achieve success by developing a platform for expanded philanthropic growth.

Briefly reviews the author's observation of board meetings at nineteen southern California community colleges and presents helpful suggestions for improving such meetings. (DC)