The response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 necessitated changes in the working practices of many organisations such that online meetings suddenly became the norm. Governing board meetings were no exception. However, little is known about the impact of online meetings on the work of boards. Here we draw on empirical evidence from observations of…

This qualitative narrative inquiry study explored the lived experiences of African American boards of trustees within community colleges around race, barriers, and influencers. Research reveals an underrepresentation of racial diversity among community college boards of trustees that fails to emulate the racial and ethnic diversity of their…

The study sought to learn how governing boards of public university systems located along the U.S.-Mexico border exercise their roles and influence over matters of student diversity. Traditionally, governing boards have been dominated by older white males and have concentrated their attention on high-level financial issues. In addition, the boards…

Given the growing challenges in recruiting and retaining college and university presidents, the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB) provides this report as a resource for higher education boards that are considering or have chosen presidents with military backgrounds. This report provides a data snapshot to help…

Student members of governing boards, commonly called student trustees, came about during the 1960s due to the student activist movement. These students were originally intended to bridge the gap between students and governing boards. The scant literature exploring student trusteeship has ignored what effect, if any, the presence of these…

Financiers have regained preeminence among economic elites, accruing growing shares of income and wealth. Yet network analyses have shown a decline in the bank-based interlocks between corporate boards that were once thought to foster financier power and elite cohesion. We ask if social organizations parallel to the economy provide a circuitry…

This interactive resource provides a comprehensive summary of the various entities that make up postsecondary governance ecosystems in each state and the District of Columbia. It also: (1) Focuses on and provides in-depth information about statewide coordinating boards/agencies and governing boards. If statewide boards do not exist, then…

This article examines the long-overlooked governmental body, the local community college governing board, through the lens of descriptive representation, to assess what variables are associated with minority representation. Higher education governing boards have long lacked diversity, let alone any type of proportional representation, but an…

On July 14, 2021, the Pennsylvania State Universities Board of Governors collectively approved a proposal to merge six Pennsylvania state universities. The three institutions in the West were California, Clarion, and Edinboro. Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, and Mansfield were consolidated in the Northeast. The board then hosted a publicly available…

Boards in higher education organizations (HEOs) play multiple roles. While they govern, boards are also expected to embed HEOs in society. Indeed, recent higher education reforms in Europe have emphasized the embedding role of HEO boards more than their governing role. But, although these reforms are widespread, we still know little about the ways…

In one of the most diverse states in the nation, it is not surprising that public college students in California are incredibly diverse--71% of the student body is racially/ethnically diverse, with nearly half (45%) of students identifying as Latinx and only about one in four (23%) identifying as white. Unfortunately, that diverse representation…

Purpose: This paper aims to draw on insights from team learning theory and stakeholder theory to examine the influence of board composition on firms' stakeholder management practices. The authors posit that board diversity is likely to enhance stakeholder management by shaping organizational goals by placing emphasis on the interests of a wide…

While current higher education literature stresses the importance of equity, diversity, and inclusivity, these imperatives have been mainly absent from conversations related to boards of higher education. In this paper, the authors present a historical overview of the demographic landscape of trustee boards from inception to the present. Using…

Leadership changes can result in confusion for voluntary groups or community organizations. Traditionally, new leaders have received board training or been expected to learn by doing or reviewing existing policies. The National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals (NACDEP) took a new approach, with those in leadership roles…

This two-way, fixed effects analysis examines the relationship between local appropriations and community college state governance structures while examining governance's moderating impact on state-level factors. We find that any type of state-level organization for community colleges does not impact local appropriations, and that in states with…