In this highly disruptive and uncertain period for higher education, while governing boards and the senior leadership of colleges and universities may be fulfilling their roles conscientiously, their efforts may not be enough to ensure the long-term viability of their institution's business model. Pre-COVID-19 market forces presented significant…

Higher education endowments are an indispensable resource for covering escalating costs, strengthening financial resilience, supporting important campus initiatives, providing financial aid to students, and keeping higher education affordable. Because of the importance of these assets in the revenue mix, the work of college or university…

This guide outlines the careful considerations and illustrative cases that help board members and campus leaders better understand the flash points surrounding freedom of speech, academic freedom, and the tensions between these free expression rights and diversity, equity, and inclusion in the present campus environment. It offers governing boards…

Accreditation is a critical tool for quality assurance and accountability for higher education, signaling an institution's commitment to academic quality and fiscal integrity. The Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) published this statement to help board…

This biennial publication frames the most pressing challenges currently facing colleges and universities--those that demand the board's strategic oversight, vision, and accountability to govern with confidence. The coronavirus pandemic has had profound effects on the operational and financial health of colleges and universities over the previous…

Every year, more news outlets report cybersecurity?breaches--and higher education is not immune from these sinister trends. Cyberattacks on colleges, universities, and foundations have become more frequent, more sophisticated, and more dangerous. Successful cyberattacks can compromise an institution's reputation, result in substantial financial…

Board professionals play crucial planning, coordination, and support roles in the day-to-day life of college, university, and foundation governing boards. Their work is often conducted behind the scenes but is critical to board success and performance. The coronavirus-necessitated switch by higher education to new modes of operation, often at high…

AGB has been collecting data and tracking trends on the composition of college and university governing boards since the late 1960s, and on the composition of foundation governing boards since 1985. "Policies, Practices, and Composition of?Governing Boards of Colleges, Universities, and Institutionally Related Foundations 2021" and its…

The business model of many U.S. higher education institutions is under serious stress from changing demographics, heightened consumer demands, flagging public confidence, and new competitors for educational credentials. Many institutions are struggling to sustain the suite of amenities and support services that students need or expect given the…

State policymakers and the public at large have a vested interest in the successful governance of their higher education institutions. The citizens who are appointed or elected to serve as board members of a state's colleges and universities oversee valuable public assets that they hold in trust for the state and for current and future…

This report is the eighth in a series of informational briefings developed as part of "The Guardians Initiative: Reclaiming the Public Trust," an effort to educate and engage trustees as advocates on key issues in higher education. This brief shows how America's colleges and universities can benefit from a thoughtful and coherent…

This report is the seventh publication in a series of informational briefings developed as part of "The Guardians Initiative: Reclaiming the Public Trust," an effort to educate and engage trustees as advocates on key issues in higher education. The report shows how academic research generates technological, educational, and cultural…

Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) hold an iconic position within American higher education. But HBCUs are at an inflection point. While HBCUs include iconic liberal arts colleges and leading research universities, many struggle financially and are finding it difficult to perform well in terms of student enrollment, retention,…

The Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB) 2020 Trustee Index is the third annual survey of governing board members regarding matters imperative to the higher education sector, as well as to the colleges, universities, and multicampus systems they hold in trust. This AGB survey, conducted in collaboration with Gallup,…

The Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB) is pleased to share this fifth publication in a series of informational briefings developed as part of The Guardians Initiative: Reclaiming the Public Trust, an effort to educate and engage trustees as advocates on key issues in higher education. The U.S. higher education…