The way private liberal arts colleges choose to answer the question, "How shall we govern ourselves in the 21st century?" has a great impact on what kinds of institutions that they can and will become. The urgency of this issue is apparent in public criticism, in governance disputes on many college campuses, and in recent publications on governance and the presidency. Criticism of governance is ubiquitous. And not surprisingly, the critics of current governance systems come from all quarters and constituencies. Higher education reports, media criticisms, and exposes from those within and beyond the academy have enumerated the shortcomings of governance in colleges and universities for the past two decades. Off-campus critics (including many trustees) frequently claim that the cumbersome nature of college governance has resulted in the inability of colleges to adapt quickly to external challenges or to make decisions untainted by the veto power of the vested interests of a few. Inefficient or ineffective decision-making is often the result.