Board Professionals Newsletter: Winter, 2011

Message from the Chair

The beginning of any new year is often a time to reflect on the past year and make resolutions for the new one. With additional budget cuts looming for higher education in most states, as well as increased demands for accountability, it is easy to become consumed with the work on our desks and the pressures of supporting our institutions in difficult times. However, there are significant steps that we can take to ensure that, despite the external pressures, we continue to explore ways to enhance our work every day and grow as professionals.

College Student Suicides

When issues of this gravity arise and are scrutinized by the media, presidents and governing boards should become directly engaged in managing the immediate crisis and examining the institutional policies, programs, and procedures that may impact student mental health.

Workshop for Board Professionals: April 1-3, 2011

The 2011 Workshop for Board Professionals is fast approaching and it promises to be our best yet! Come join us April 1-3 in sunny Los Angeles to enhance your expertise, build new skills, and network with colleagues from public and independent institutions across the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean.

Board Mentorship

Successful board mentoring and orientation need to go hand in hand when someone steps into the role of a new board member. Formal mentoring should start right away.

American University: A Model of Transparency

Mary Kennard, vice president, general counsel, and secretary for the board at American University, and member of the program committee of AGB’s Board Professionals Leadership Group, recently sat down for a Q & A with Mitzi Norton, director of the office of the president, Adler School of Professional Psychology, and member of the marketing and membership committee of AGB’s Board Professionals Leadership Group.

The IRS Form 990 and the Five W's

The IRS’s new 990 reporting requirements have put an entirely new emphasis on family reunions—the focus is no longer catching up on family activities and looking at family photos; rather, there is an interest in identifying ownerships, directorships held, and looking at income tax forms.

DIY With AGB's Knowledge Center

Do you need to find information fast? The AGB Knowledge Center is now available on AGB’s Web site with easily accessed resources on governance, offering a variety of quick answers to your important governance questions.

This periodic E-bulletin is intended to inform debate and discussion, not to represent or imply endorsement by the association or its members. We welcome your feedback on the features you find useful in this newsletter, what you would like to see in future newsletters, or any other comments. Copyright ©2010 Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. All rights reserved.

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Editor: Nancy Asin, assistant secretary, University of Michigan, and member, Marketing and Membership Committee, BPLG. Newsletter Coordinator: Merrill Schwartz, director of research, AGB. Officers of the AGB Board Professionals Leadership Group (BPLG) are: Heather Fehn, chair, BPLG and executive assistant to the president and secretary to the board of trustees, The University of New Jersey; Beth Hilliard, vice chair, BPLG and senior executive assistant to the president, Kentucky Community and Technical College System; Ann Cieslak, immediate past chair, BPLG and executive director and corporate secretary, University of Minnesota Board of Regents; Anne Shaw, secretary, BPLG and associate secretary of the regents, University of California; and Merrill Schwartz, AGB liaison, BPLG and director of research, AGB.