This document surveys the matters to which boards of trustees address themselves and analyzes the degree and detail of attention devoted to various types of decisions in a broad array of subject classifications. The research concentrated on the boards of four-year institutions of public (state)higher education. It employed a nonreactive…

This paper identifies the problems observable in the organization and operations of Harvard University's Governing Board and President's office. It poses issues requiring decisions and in some instances makes recommendations. The report first examines the Board of Overseers: the issues of power, such as lay control over universities, and the…

This short review examines the recent literature describing the trustee, his views, the board and its functions, and gives suggestions to improve the performance of governing boards. Included is a discussion of (1) authority and duties of governing boards, (2) presidential selection, (3) the trustee and his views, (4) arguments about the role of…

With the traditional college market declining, new clienteles uncertain, old pricing and funding mechanisms upset, new rules and new demands for accountability; statewide coordination has emerged. It is suggested that the most beneficent form of it is the independent board, which represents a "challenge with promise." (Author/LBH)

An Interview Record Sheet and a Comparison Chart, both described and illustrated in this article, can help members of a selection committee ask the right questions of a potential administrator and keep track of the answers. (Author/LBH)

Results of a survey of statewide boards for four-year colleges show that the typical new member is appointed, gets little indoctrination, has previous experience on boards, sees finance as the main issue, and gives two to four days a month on board work. (Editor/LBH)

Trustees have the responsibility of helping clarify and develop the educational program and also of making sure academic employment policies are equitable and sensible. (Editor/LBH)

In an informal poll of administrators and experienced board members, two short checklists were used. One consisted of trustee actions that might be considered invasions of administration, the other of presidential actions that might be thought to encroach upon trustee responsibility. (LBH)

Some basic college fund-raising fundamentals are identified: build a base of trustee support, build the case, assess staffing needs, develop a plan and resources, recruit a compelling leader, fix a goal, engage all trustees, secure advance gifts, and sell the public (MLW)

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 president of Ramapo College in New Jersey recruited business leaders and set up a quarterly seminar to advise his board members about the strategic planning process. (Author/MLW)

The minority presence on boards of trustees is too small to have a significant impact on redirecting policy and funding support programs for minorities. Minority trustees have a responsibility to prod members to increase the minorities on campus and to make trustees aware of the implications of new demographic projections. (MLW)

College and university governing boards must take three steps to establish a positive learning environment for minority students: acknowledge the cultural diversity of the nation, accept racism as a reality that can manifest itself in the educational process, and address problems created by overt and subtle racist practices. (MLW)

Seven characteristics of an effective outcomes assessment program are identified: Outcomes assessment is a curricular rather than a measurement issue, yields information useful to decision-makers in gauging the quality of the curriculum, institutional purpose drives decisions on how outcomes are assessed, etc. (MLW)

Options available to presidential search committees in recruiting appropriate candidates are outlined, and aspects of the committee's responsibility in the search process are discussed. (MSE)