Association of Governing Boards

Trusteeship Articles By Topic: Public Policy

Rethinking Higher Education: Beyond the Iron Triangle
Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education
September/October 2009

For most of the last century, the United States has been recognized as having the best system of higher education in the world. No other nation has a postsecondary system that has been as successful in advancing knowledge and innovation, while also making college accessible to its citizens regardless of their financial circumstances. Yet today, higher education institutions in America face stiff challenges. If the United States is to retain its preeminence in the global economy, America's universities, liberal-arts colleges, and community colleges need to become more accessible, affordable, and successful--and in a hurry.

Can We Achieve Our Higher-Education Goals?
William Kirwan
September/October 2009

In response to Obama's emphasis on edu­cation in his State of the Union address in February, Molly Corbett Broad, president of the American Council on Education, noted that "no president in modern times has used an address to a joint session of Con­gress to make such a clear case for higher education's role in providing the solutions America needs to compete in the world economy."

Aligning Higher Education with a Renewed Public Agenda
Gerald L. Baliles
September/October 2009

In the 21st century, the United States will need a much more highly educated population to sustain its economic and civic vitality and restore its economic standing. Globalization, demographic change, the rise of a knowledge-driven society, and the unrelenting advances in technology are among the major forces intensifying the need for a more highly skilled and educated U.S. population.

A Call to Public Purpose
Richard Legon
September/October 2009

This special issue of Trusteeship focuses on the national agenda  seeking dramatically increased college graduation rates and how that goal will guide boards' engagement in setting institutions' strategic direction and priorities. We are especially pleased that U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and former Virginia Governor Gerald Baliles, along with a number of other distinguished leaders, have contributed thoughts to Trusteeship about the nation's higher-education priorities.

Perspective on the News
September/October 2009

A sampling of national media coverage of higher education in the last two months.

Getting By Isn't Good Enough for Higher Education
Geanie Morrison and Denise Merrill
July/August 2009

The economic meltdown has hit our college campuses, and higher education is on the chopping block in state budgets, with cuts totaling hundreds of millions of dollars already approved and hundreds of millions in more cuts on the way. As veteran legislators, we have seen this story play out before in previous recessions.

What are the College Prospects for Young Non-Citizens?
Helen Aguirre Ferré
July/August 2009

A recent portrait of undocumented immigrants by the Pew Hispanic Center reveals that most children of undocumented residents living in the U.S. are actually citizens. According to "A Portrait of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States," 73 percent of children in undocumented or mixed-status families (with a parent or sibling undocumented) were born in the U.S. That adds up to approximately four million young people, contrasted with a million and a half undocumented youths.

Perspective on the News
July/August 2009

A sampling of national media coverage of higher education in the last two months.

What's Ahead for Community Colleges?
Jill Biden
November/December 2009