Information on the full range of trustee responsibilities--from institutional planning, fund raising, resource management, academic program review, tenure and personnel decisions, and faculty bargaining to selection and assessment of administrative leadership--are offered in this comprehensive handbook. Individual chapters are written by J. L. Zwingle, John W. Nason, Robert L. Gale, John J. Corson, Rhoda M. Dorsey, Martin Meyerson, among others. Part One, Significance of Trusteeship, provides background perspectives on an institution unique to the United States with emphasis on recent developments that have changed the role of governing boards. Part Two, Effective Board Management, offers principles of effective board organization such as trustee selection and orientation. Part Three, Effective Institutional Oversight, examines the various issues confronting trustees, including policy-making, institutional planning, overseeing academic programs, and selecting a chief executive. Part Four, Resource Development and Management, offers guidelines for strengthening the board's ability to secure resources and advice on contending with liability risks. Part Five, Performance Assessment, offers evaluation methods that can assess leadership and management. The resources in the last section include: trustee audit; self-study criteria for private college and university boards; bylaws for independent colleges; statement on conflicts of interest; and recommended readings. Provided are references and an index. (LC)