To function effectively, a college board of trustees should act as a single body rather than as a group of individuals, should attempt to work on the basis of consensus, and should avoid the development of factional activity. Perhaps the most important method of ensuring that a board of trustees is operating effectively, both as individuals and as a single entity, is through an evaluation process that constructively confronts current concerns and challenges. This evaluation process should seek to improve performance, to review and establish goals, and to provide an example of evaluation for other constituency groups. To achieve these goals, a reviewing partnership should be maintained between the board and the college president--a partnership based on shared responsibility for evaluation, a clear delineation of roles and responsibilities, and an understanding that board and presidential leadership are inseparable. The evaluation process itself may take a variety of forms, including periodic informal meetings or retreats, utilization of the assistance provided by professional associations or consultants, or a self-assessment questionnaire followed by subsequent board meetings. Whichever process is chosen, the results should be integrated into the rest of the board's efforts. Given increasing financial and personnel problems, self-evaluation by college boards is especially important as a means of demonstrating trustee accountability. (HB)