Colleges in Peril Can Be Rescued, but Only if Governing Boards Transform Most boards aren't structurally or culturally equipped to deal with a crisis

[...]despite nine consecutive years of enrollment decline and large numbers of mergers and closures, the leadership of most colleges has failed to enact necessary foundational change. [...]trustees are generally supportive, if not passionate about the institution, but unlike corporate directors, tru...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Chronicle of Higher Education
Main Authors Bills, Michael, Pond, Wallace
Format Journal Article Trade Publication Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Washington Chronicle of Higher Education 22.01.2021
Subjects
Accountability
Alumni
Asymmetry
Bias
College Administration
College campuses
Colleges & universities
COVID-19
Declining Enrollment
Evaluative Thinking
Financial Problems
Governance
Governing Boards
Higher education
Leadership
Optimism
Outcomes of Education
Pandemics
Political Attitudes
Presidents
School Maintenance
Success
Trustees
United States > US
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:[...]despite nine consecutive years of enrollment decline and large numbers of mergers and closures, the leadership of most colleges has failed to enact necessary foundational change. [...]trustees are generally supportive, if not passionate about the institution, but unlike corporate directors, trustees do not have a direct stake in the success of the entity they govern. Because they are not broadly selected for their expertise as it relates to the institution’s operational and strategic needs, the chief executive and executive teams do not benefit from needed input, nor are they actively challenged relative to planning, decision making, performance, prioritization, or strategy. [...]the typical college board is overwhelmingly large, with dozens of trustees, which can improve inclusion but hurts functionality and efficacy. Information asymmetry. Because their work is volunteer and part time, many board members’ awareness of what is going on at their campuses and in the broader landscape of higher education comes exclusively through reports and updates provided at quarterly (or less frequent) board meetings.
ISSN:0009-5982
1931-1362