Sexual harassment continues to be a problem on college campuses, and no institution is immune. The best defense is to develop a good policy and educate the community. (Author/MSE)

For college presidents, concerns about job security reduce freedom to participate in public life. Many presidents seek a low profile. The key to liberating a president to serve society as a public intellectual is for the governing board to explicitly endorse that role. This public role is an appropriate matter for discussion during the…

Implementation of new college and university accounting standards for financial statements do not change the need for institutional accountability and, therefore, for fund accounting. The new standards will, however, change the level and appearance of external reporting. (MSE)

A college governing board can become more directive without resorting to micromanagement. This requires a strategic plan providing focus and direction, a disciplined monitoring of the plan, a close working relationship between trustee committee chairs and administrative counterparts, and an atmosphere encouraging trustees to ask the right…

Four recent and proposed changes in national school accounting standards have significant policy implications for colleges and universities. These changes address (1) standards regarding postemployment benefits other than pensions, (2) depreciation, (3) financial report format, and (4) contributions and pledges made to the school. Governing boards…

For governing boards and college presidents to function effectively, a statement of mutual expectations is needed. A good statement forms the basis for future evaluations, helps the president know the board's specific expectations for performance, and focuses the board and the president on the same issues. (MSE)

A trustee argues that public institutions have more, not less, obligation to support free expression. A growing climate for suppression in the United States is feared. The discussion is in the context of the controversy at Nassau Community College (New York) over college production of a play. (Author/MSE)

Cost control in higher education is hampered by the failure of governing boards to focus on the value and quality of academic programs, and barriers to board priority-setting are significant. However, boards must understand the need for reform, identify responsible administrative leadership, reaffirm institutional mission, define what constitutes…

Counters the criticism of the statement by the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges on governance and suggests that the critics have misconstrued the statement an attack on shared governance. Suggests that what was intended was an affirmation of governance principles and standards of good practice that reflect a governing…

Urges governing boards at public colleges and universities to support budgeting for performance as a means of assuring public accountability while protecting academic autonomy. Considers performance incentives, the role of performance indicators, the distinction between performance funding and performance budgeting, possible problems, and the role…

Reviews existing legal guidance and precedents for governing boards of colleges and universities considering extending or denying domestic-partner (both homosexual and heterosexual) benefits. Considers work force demographics, legal issues, examples of policy implementation, and long- term financial impact of such policies. (DB)

Describes New Zealand's school reform as a possible model for the United States. New Zealand abolished its central education bureaucracy and turned over the running of each school to locally elected boards of trustees dominated by parents. Parents also have the right to choose which school their children will attend. Positive and negative effects…

Discusses how a policy statement on board philanthropy can clarify fundraising expectations of all governing and foundation board members. Describes essential components of such a policy statement: mission and vision, recognition of board responsibility for fundraising, specific expectations, and commitment to project and campaign goals. Also…

Legislative statutes are passed by political majorities which support structures that insulate the implementing agency from its political opponents over time. Political actors also respond to different constituencies. Depending on the broad or narrow base of these constituencies, actors favor different kinds of governance structures. We apply this…

Replacing the association's longtime leader, David G. Imig, Sharon P. Robinson knows she has a weighty and sometimes unenviable task in front of her. Politicians and education leaders have new expectations of the nation's teacher-preparation programs. It's not enough that they run aspiring teachers through a specified number of courses during…