The financial and legal dimensions of trusteeship stem from the broader conception of trust that emphasizes trustees' responsibility to uphold and protect the integrity of the institution and its programs as a mission-centered institution of higher education. In accepting the mantle of trust, the board pledges the highest degree of responsibility…

College and university boards are charged with governance responsibility to ensure that students receive a high-quality education from a well-managed institution that fulfills its mission and actively pursues its vision. The student affairs committee places current and future students squarely at the center of its work and must ensure that other…

The purpose of this booklet is to reinforce the thesis that the committee on directors of a foundation board must perform with excellence if the board as a whole is to fulfill its responsibilities with distinction. The committees principal responsibilities include assembling the right mix of director talent, training and organizing that talent,…

Now more than ever, college and university leaders are obliged to conduct vigorous and ongoing analyses of their institutional missions and financial underpinnings. For some institutions, this will mean change or upheaval; for others, such intensive monitoring and examination will mean a steady rudder. Regardless, the finance committee of a board…

This paper reviews the history of abuse and reform in intercollegiate athletics and the role of governing board members in encouraging reform. It reviews a 1929 report from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the 1991 report of the Knight Foundation Commission, which both note the systemic nature of abuses in college…

This report, a brief summary of a definitive study on the organizational, administrative, and operational patterns of 283 State Boards responsible for 1,268 institutional units of higher education, presents information on the types of boards in each State, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories and possessions, and classifies the types of…

Strong relationships between presidents and boards are built on communication, education, transparency, and accountability. Boards that are well educated and informed, involved in establishing policy and strategy, and fully aware of new initiatives will support a president through difficult times. This paper offers a comprehensive, knowledgeable…

A "trustee" means different things to different people. Some have suggested abolishing Boards of Trustees and handing all power to the students and faculty. Yet, if the University is to remain a center of learning and free inquiry, it will be easier to preserve this function with the support of a dedicated board of lay trustees. One responsibility…

The development committee of a college or university has both oversight of and broad responsibility for the fund-raising activities of the institution. In this regard--oversight and responsibility--the development committee is like other committees of the board. However, members of the development committee have an additional role their colleagues…

Next to hiring the president, a board's most important responsibility is maintaining the integrity and health of its institution's academic program. The complex division of labor that separates the lines of administrative and academic authority on most campuses means that many conscientious trustees find themselves in a quandary. If they exercise…

Many higher education leaders are adopting measures that may contribute to better governance, but unless they also look at how the phenomenon of culture shapes the way their board members behave as a group, they will miss the forest for the trees. The best trustees and presidents grasp the paradox of assembling a number of highly competent…