An educator with broad experience in both administration and governance of Catholic institutions outlines some of the differences between seminary and nonsecular board and trustee responsibilities and discusses some special concerns of church-related colleges. (MSE)

The important role played by trustees of seminaries and the recruitment of these leaders are considered. The serious financial problems facing the board of directors has focused attention on the role and scope of seminary trusteeship. Leadership is needed by trustees to address issues of declining enrollments, curricula that address theological…

Guidelines for college governing boards who are searching for the chief executive officer for a seminary, school of theology, or divinity school are presented. The seminary president will assume most of the tasks of a president in a private postsecondary institution. In addition, important considerations for a seminary president are: attending to…

The 1991 book "The Effective Board of Trustees" presents a model of governing board effectiveness, based on an empirical study of 22 private liberal arts and comprehensive colleges. Since the book was published, various nonprofit organizations, including seminaries and theological schools, have used this model in presentations, educational…

This survey of theological schools collected information on institutional type, board membership, board organization, governing board-president relationships, pressing issues, board development activities, and relationships with other theological schools. The survey population included 161 member institutions of the Association of Theological…

This book offers 30 papers on the continuing discussion of the nature of a Catholic university. The papers are: "Introduction: The Challenge and Promise of a Catholic University" (Theodore M. Hesburgh); "Reflections on the Mission of a Catholic University" (Harold W. Attridge); "The Difference of a Catholic…

Theological school trusteeship is addressed in 12 articles and appended information. Titles and authors are as follows: "The Responsibilities of Stewardship" (Robert Wood Lynn); "Trusteeship and Administration" (Larry L. Greenfield); "Organization of the Board" (Henry W. Sherrill); "Trustee Selection,…

Criteria for self-study by theological school governing boards are presented. For each criterion, questions are presented, along with three response options: "yes,""no," and "do not know or can not judge." A response option for judging the board's overall performance on each criterion is also included. In addition, brief introductory comments for…

This paper summarizes the specialized requirements for management information of boards of trustees of theological seminaries. The well-designed information system is seen to take advantage of member skills, board structure, agenda setting, and both formal and informal information flows. Inadequacies of poorly-designed systems include: (1)…

This paper addresses issues unique to theological schools, which face challenges associated with changes in the composition of student bodies, faculties, and boards; increased pressures on administrators; and reduced funding. The discussion is organized around five major issues: (1) distinguishing features of theological schools, which…

This paper explores the interaction between church-related institutions and the way in which they shape society and are shaped in turn by the environment in which they operate. Like all schools they face operational challenges such as improving educational quality, promoting greater cultural diversity, coping with aging individuals and…