"What Works in Higher Education Reform: A Report from the Front," the twelfth annual national conference of the National Association of Scholars, took place November 17-19, 2006, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. One panel, "Governing Boards: Raising Consciousness," examined the role governing boards do and can play in raising awareness on campus and among the public of the critical issues facing the academy today. In this article, Candace de Russy ("Castles Unguarded"), a trustee of the State University of New York, examines the options governing boards have in addressing the critical decay in academic standards and disintegration of institutional financial discipline. Another panelist, Thomas J. Lucero ("A Regent's Responsibility"), discusses the lessons he's learned as a regent of the University of Colorado about his responsibility to ensure the quality and value of the education of students, forge relationships with faculty, and make informed, effective budgetary and curricular decisions.