In the September/October issue of Trusteeship, just in time for football season, read about how rising athletic expenses are becoming a destabilizing force for many institutions. William E. “Brit” Kirwan and R. Gerald Turner show you how the game is changing. There are new rules and new roles in the accreditation process; Ralph Wolff will walk readers through them. AGB President Rick Legon sits down with current AGB Board Chair James M. Weaver and immediate past Chair Cynthia A. Baldwin to talk about leadership and board responsibility. It could be the most important decision your board makes: the selection of a new president. James P. Ferrare and Theodore J. Marchese tell you what you need to know. And finally, Rita Bornstein shines a light on presidential succession planning and the importance of looking at internal candidates.
William E. "Brit" Kirwan and R. Gerald Turner
The trends do not look good. Last year, the 10 public FBS institutions with the most expensive athletics programs spent an average of $98 million on athletics; by 2020, that amount is projected to rise to $254 million, given the rate of growth from 2005 to 2009.
Under the mantle of assuring that federal dollars are well spent, government oversight has expanded from ensuring the integrity of the use of federal funds to involvement in the evaluation and very definition of institutional effectiveness and academic quality.
A conversation with AGB's chair, Jim Weaver, and past chair, Cynthia Baldwin.
If done well, in addition to generating a pool of highly competent and interested candidates, the institution can use this public announcement as a positive marketing strategy -- informing the greater education community of the quality of your institution, its programs, and faculty.
Succession planning should not be a one-time event. Plans should be reviewed regularly, with special attention to institutional goals and leadership needs that may have changed.
We saw the opportunity to say goodbye to board books once and for all, including the thousands of dollars spend each year on paper, printing, binding, and mailing, plus the aggravation of handling the cumbersome volumes.
When an employee posts a comment about an internal management squabble on Facebook using a university computer, should the policy give the institution the right to obtain access to that account from Facebook?
According to a 2010 report by the National Association of College Stores, students spent an average of $667 on required course materials in the past 12 months. Other studies estimate the annual cost for students of textbooks and supplies at closer to $1,100.
In today's climate, trustees at liberal arts institutions have been reminded of another equally crucial responsibility: to help shield the college's mission from the potentially most damaging vagaries of economic crises -- the short sighted mindset of the moment.
Colleges and universities have a long history and culture of providing a residence, often located on campus, for the president. The value of this benefit, whether taxable or nontaxable, must now be disclosed in Form 990.
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