Table of Contents 

Features 

Making Metrics Matter: How to Use Indicators to Govern Effectively
By AGB

Trusteeship asked three college leaders how they use indicators to govern their institutions. Clyde Allen, chair of the Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota System; Lawrence S. Bacow, president of Tufts University; and Laura Skandera Trombley, president of Pitzer College, shared their views.

Board Complacency and the Experienced President
By Steven C. Bahls

College and university boards, and their presidents, are particularly at risk for a culture of complacency when a president has served his or her initial term and has been appointed to a new term. The antidote to an arrogance of excellence is continued (and revived) board engagement.

Freedom to Fail? The Board’s Role in Reducing College Dropout Rates
By Stan Jones

Today more than 70 percent of young Americans pursue advanced education within two years of graduating from high school. But only about half of those who begin a four-year degree full-time finish it within six years. What can boards do to en-courage more students to graduate and obtain their degrees?

Online Education: Where Is It Going? What Should Boards Know?
By Kenneth C. Green and Ellen Wagner

Nearly a third of all students at colleges in America took one or more online courses last year. Online learning has slowly but steadily re-emerged from the ashes of the over-hyped capabilities and unrealistic expectations of the dot.com era a decade ago.

Board Budget Decisions: Protecting and Building Your Institution’s Assets
By Dennis Jones

If ever there were a time for college leaders to think creatively about allocating their resources, it is now. The pressure to graduate more students is relentless. The situation demands that institutions be more focused on goals and make much more strategic use of their available resources.

Departments

T’Ship 101 
Autonomy and the Pursuit of Innovative Solutions
By Susanne Svizeny and Eleanor V. Horne

Legal Standpoint 
Why Do the New Financial Industry Regulations Matter to Higher Education?
By Pamela J. Bernard

Focus on the Presidency 
Do Ask, Don’t Tell-The Proper Board Recipe
By Edwin H. Welch

View from the Board Chair 
The Impact of State Disinvestment on Board Responsibilities
By David Miles

Datafile 
Higher-Education Chief Executives and Service on Corporate Boards
By Merrill P. Schwartz

A Question For … 
What Should Boards Know About the Common Core State Standards?
By Michael Cohen