This article explores governors' perceptions of the role played by school principals in the democratic governance of secondary schools in South Africa. The South African Schools Act No. 84 of 1996 has mandated that all public schools in South Africa must have democratically elected school governing bodies, comprised of the principal (in his or her…

Georgia, like many other states, is facing a budget shortfall of about $2.5 billion, according to the Georgia Budget & Policy Institute. To help cope with its money woes, the state's university system alone has to make at least $200 million in cuts, if not more. As the Georgia Senate chairman of the Higher Education Committee, Seth Harp…

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…

In the last decade, the university sector in many European countries has undergone manifold changes in relation to the design of governance structures and processes. Accordingly, a board of governors with far-reaching competences was implemented by the latest reform of the Austrian higher education system in 2002. Drawing on an empirical research…

Even by the standards of higher education, presidential search committees are odd concoctions, combining the dynamics of the governing board, the faculty, the administration and staff, and the students in an environment that is, at best, unusual and, at worst, adversarial. Ultimately, however, that committee's work is vital to the future of the…

Almost half of large nonprofit groups make insider deals with board members, and one-third of those deals occur without the prior approval of other board members, according to a new study by the Urban Institute. The study, which is described in a report released on Monday, "Nonprofit Governance in the United States: Findings on Performance…

This article reports how New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer is dangling billions of dollars in extra aid and the promise of universal prekindergarten in front of his state's public schools--along with the prospect of mandated performance contracts for districts, and the threat that local boards and superintendents could be ousted and hundreds of schools…

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…

Discusses why, though well-intentioned and in some states mandatory, policies that reserve board seats for campus interest groups produce conflicted boards of trustees. (EV)

Drawing from Indiana University's experience with coach Bob Knight, asserts that trustees are responsible for ensuring that the athletics department, like any enterprise in the university, reflects the values of the institution. Describes steps trustees should take to ensure that the athletics system is firmly anchored within these values. (EV)

An open admissions policy for the City University of New York was approved by the University's Board of Higher Education in 1969, ushering in a new era of greater access to college for the city's poor and working class Blacks, Latinos, and white youth. This policy change was made in response to demands from students, civil rights organizations,…

The Board of Governors continues to be committed to achieving excellence in the tripartite mission of its state universities--teaching, research, and public service--for the benefit of Florida's citizens, their communities, and the state economy. In light of the velocity with which the 21st century is moving ahead, however, the Board of Governors…

A history of the achievement levels for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) could be documented in different ways. A chronological history might be the obvious approach, but in the author's view, that could miss the most salient aspects of setting student performance standards on an assessment like NAEP. Further, new initiatives…

The context in which boards are making endowment spending decisions has changed remarkably in the past year. In January 2008, Senators Max Baucus and Charles Grassley, chair and ranking minority member, respectively, of the Senate Finance Committee, cited "explosive college endowment growth" as evidence that college and university boards should…