Recommendations are presented on how to improve trustee selection in public colleges and universities. It is assumed that the health of public institutions depends on the competence of their trustees, that there has been an erosion in the autonomy of public governing boards, and that lack of diversity in board membership limits its perspectives. Types and scopes of existing public governing boards are reviewed, and 18 specific recommendations follow. They include that: trustees be appointed by the governor or other established authority, from a list of nominees screened by a special committee; a nominating committee for each institution with carefully delineated responsibilities be appointed by the governor, taking into account the diversity of the school's audience; search for nominees be continuous; qualified candidates be carefully screened; three nominations be made for each opening; the state senate confirm trustee appointments and give substantive review; new trustees be provided with a systematic, thorough orientation program; elected officials be ex officio members only; political party affiliation not be a criterion for appointment; no residence requirement be imposed; boards have at least nine voting members with staggered terms; terms be limited to six years, and service limited to 12 consecutive years; students and faculty not be voting members of their own institutions' boards; boards adopt a code of conduct for members, specifically dealing with potential conflicts of interest; where trustees are publicly elected, nominating committees judge the candidates' qualifications; and trustee election coincide with other local or general elections. Appended are a list of references, an illustrative trustee code of conduct, a conflict of interest questionnaire, a sample board profile, guidelines for policies affecting potential conflicts of interest, and notes on project origins and methods. (MSE)