This booklet for trustees of institutions of higher education offers guidelines to enable trustees to fulfill their fundamental responsibility of ensuring the financial health of the institution. Introductory sections address: challenges of the financial environment in which trustees must make decisions; specific responsibilities of the…

This booklet for trustees of institutions of higher education addresses the role of boards of related non-profit fund-raising foundations. The booklet begins with an explanation of four advantages of such foundations to host institutions, such as separating gift funds from public funds. Suggestions for making foundation boards more effective…

This booklet for trustees of institutions of higher education offers guidelines for strategic financial decisions required in light of the financial challenges higher education faces in the 1990s and beyond. "Strategic response" is defined as a decision that requires changing a major policy, program, or practice and involves some risk. Five…

This booklet, intended for trustees of institutions of higher education, offers some instruction on the principles of risk management. Introductory information provides a definition of risk management, which is seen as a planning and strategic function, not solely as a financial or safety assessment. Individual sections then address the following…

This report presents results of a national survey of college president assessment policies and practices and describes a "typical" presidential assessment process constructed from the most frequent survey responses. Respondents included 1,348 presidents and 535 board chairs. The typical assessment process lasted about a month; information was…

This report presents results of a national survey of college and university governing board assessment policies and practices, and describes a "typical" board assessment process constructed from the most frequent survey responses. The survey included 1,348 presidents and 571 board chairs. The typical assessment includes the following: the board…

This report presents results of a 1997 survey of the governing boards of independent colleges and universities conducted to identify trends in membership and board policies and practices. Among the highlights are the following: (1) boards average 30 members; (2) 46 percent of boards had conducted a review of their own performance within the past…

This report presents results of a 1997 survey of the governing boards of public colleges and universities to identify trends in their membership and board policies and practices. Among highlights are the following: (1) boards have an average size of 11 members; (2) nearly half of board members are selected by gubernatorial appointment; (3) 41…

This guide for trustees and search committee members who are involved in the process of selecting a college or university president provides background information and questions to ask when interviewing search consultants, as well as a directory of search consultants. An introductory section on selection guidelines covers how a search consultant…

This report presents findings of an 18-month study to find out how state political and education leaders gauge the performance of citizen boards of trustees and to assess the overall condition of academic governance. The study included interviews with more than 250 state officials and education leaders, site visits to seven states, and an…

The traditional role of a college or university finance committee is to oversee an institution's financial operations, ensure that a viable long-range fiscal plan is in place, and recommend financial policies to the governing board. The finance committee may assume additional responsibilities in response to changing needs and expectations of the…

The college or university academic affairs committee of the governing board holds the primary responsibility for defining, overseeing, and modifying the "policies" that fulfill the institution's academic mission, including: ensuring that the academic program is consistent with the institution's mission and strategies; ensuring that the academic…

The committee on buildings and grounds of a college or university governing board is charged with the broad responsibility for overseeing an institution's physical assets: land, buildings, and equipment. Specific tasks include ensuring the adequacy and condition of capital assets, developing and periodically reviewing policies, advocating for new…

Responsibilities of the college or university governing board's student affairs committee include representing students' interests in all policy decisions, ensuring provision of adequate financial resources to support a comprehensive student affairs program, ensuring that board policies keep pace with students' diverse and changing needs, and…

A college or university governing board's development committee (or foundation board in a public institution) has both oversight of and broad responsibility for institutional fund-raising activities. Committee members have an additional role that colleagues on other committees do not--active participation in fund-raising. The committee sets goals,…