The role and actions of the University of Michigan Board of Regents in planning for retrenchment and reallocation of resources during a 1980 financial crisis are chronicled. Reactions of faculty, administrators, and others are discussed. (MSE)

Ten important goals for trustees during the 1980s include: long-range planning; educational diversity; public relations; self-regulation; selection of chief executive officers; role of policy making; fully informed governing boards; facing crises; use of incentives to reach institutional goals; and keeping the individual campus as the…

Trustees, it is suggested, should take an active role in the development of objectives, planning, and financing of an institution. The most important conclusion from the court's opinion in the Wilson College Case was that trustees should make sure that they are fully informed. (MLW)

Davidson College's two-day program of trustee involvement is presented as a model for others. Activities involved: inviting spouses for the program, small group sessions, creating conflict, simulation exercises, and entertainment in the form of a game show with teams handling questions about the college. (MLW)

A model for long range planning is discussed including: identification of institutional strengths, establishing mission and goals, resources needed, resources available, resource allocations, periodic evaluation, and revising plan based on evaluation. Presidential leadership and faculty involvement are necessary for completing the task. (MLW)