A national survey of the individuals who serve as college governing board secretaries revealed highly varied institutional characteristics, job responsibilities, and overall roles in the organization. (MSE)

This article suggests that trustees give the same high level of thoughtful consideration to selecting the board chair as they give to filling the presidency. More than the routine filling of a vacancy, the process for naming the board's next chair amounts to the selection of a governance team. The board's most important responsibility is not only…

When colleges and universities seek new presidents and chancellors, search committee members and consultants usually focus on their responsibility to make judgments about the candidates. The competition for the strongest candidates can be fierce and fast. The search committee will be striving to attract these candidates by telling a compelling…

The responsibilities of university presidents and board chairs have evolved significantly from the early days of public higher education. There was a time when the power of the board was absolute, but those days are long gone, and it remains an open question whether the structures of public boards have kept pace with the complex social…

Educational institutions have become more complex, requiring more comprehensive and deliberate management. Adopting the corporate model will confuse more than clarify the problem. One way to promote institutional renewal is to reclaim academic traditions. (MLW)

The acrimonious disagreement over investment in South Africa is one sign of the collapse of the consensus on the role of a trustee. Some critics hold that trustees are not definers of the institution's good but merely the instruments by which the public's view of that good is carried out. (MLW)

Three university administrators, the president of the Association of Governing Boards, and a legislator/university trustee respond to the question: "In this era of diminishing resources and changing expectations of higher education, will governing boards significantly influence how colleges and universities respond?" All support the potential…

The relationship between statewide boards of education and their constituents is considered. It is suggested that boards of education and college trustees have had little basis for a working relationship, and that colleges have felt suspicion or invasion of turf in respect to statewide boards. One hindrance is that college trustees have been…

While some suggest that tensions between college presidents and their boards are high, it is proposed that most are coping successfully with difficult issues, and that their relationships are fundamentally very sound. Sources of new tension are examined, particularly the affirmative action debate and "activism" among trustees. Trustee selection…

An experienced college president offers sometimes tongue-in-cheek advice to new presidents, including insights into relationships with constituencies, interpersonal skills, the role of the spouse, accepting advice, sharing confidences, persistence, choosing priorities for change, audience awareness in public speaking, development, community…