Chat with AGB Board BotIn the landmark case of Dartmouth College v. Woodward (1819), the Supreme Court affirmed the sanctity of educational charters and the autonomy of private institutions from political interference. Though initially limited to private colleges, the decision came to embody a broader presumption of institutional independence that extended to public institutions. This principle has since safeguarded the ability of higher education to serve society impartially, fostering discovery, innovation, and civic leadership free from transient political pressures.
Today, the independence of governing boards—the foundation of institutional autonomy—faces renewed and expanding challenges. These include not only efforts to condition public funding on political compliance or ideological conformity, but also attempts to control fundamental institutional decisions that are the rightful purview of boards, such as determining whom to admit, whom to hire, and how to fulfill an institution’s mission in service to its students and communities.
We, the undersigned, affirm:
- That governing boards must retain independent authority to fulfill their fiduciary duties without political interference.
- That higher education’s strength lies in its diversity of thought, freedom of inquiry, and insulation from political orthodoxy.
- That preserving institutional autonomy is essential for the vitality of American democracy, economic innovation, and global leadership.
Indeed, it is this very independence of governance and mission that has made U.S. higher education the model for the world. The freedom to govern without political interference has enabled American colleges and universities to lead in research, produce top talent, drive prosperity, and serve as beacons for scholars across the globe.
To preserve the integrity and global standing of American higher education, we call on leaders, advocates, and stakeholders to stand together in the following commitments:
- Defend the independence of college and university governing boards as a cornerstone of constitutional freedoms.
- Reject political interference that undermines academic excellence and fiduciary stewardship.
- Reaffirm the principles of charter sanctity and institutional autonomy articulated in Dartmouth College v. Woodward as vital protections for our nation’s future.
The future of higher education and the democracy it serves depends on our collective vigilance, an unwavering commitment to these principles, and unified action.
Signed,
Ross Mugler
Board Chair and Acting President & CEO
Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB)
Current and Former Presidents, Chief Executives, Chancellors, and Board Chairs
Adelphi University
Robert Scott
president emeritus
Alabama State University Foundation
Gregory Clark
vice president for institutional advancement
Allen University
James Davis
board chair
Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities
Michael Grains SJ
president
Augustana College
Steven Bahls
president emeritus
Aurora University
Susana Rivera-Mills
president
Austin Theological Seminary
José R. Irizarry
president
Bay Atlantic University
Ahu Yildirmaz
board chair
Bennett College
Johnetta Cole
president emerita
Bethel College (KS)
Wynn Goering
chair, board of trustees
Brite Divinity School
Steven Cady
president
California State University Monterey Bay
Dr. Peter Smith
former president
Cascadia College
Eric Murray
president
Cedar Crest College
Elizabeth Meade
president
Robin Ingram
board chair
Central Washington University Foundation
Wendy Iwaszuk
chairman
Chaminade University of Honolulu
Lynn Babington
president
Chatham University
Rhonda Phillips
president
City Colleges of Chicago—Malcom X College
David Sanders
president
Clarement School of Theology
Grant Hagiya
president
Patricia Farris
chair, board of trustees
Clark Atlanta University
Gregory Morrison
chair, board of trustees
Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School
Angela Sims
president
Fred Jeff Smith
Board Chair
College Unbound
Adam Bush
president
Colorado College
Manya Whitaker
interim president
Jeffrey Keller
chairman of the board of trustees
Columbia Gorge Community College
Kenneth Lawson
president
Community College of Vermont
Dr. Peter Smith
president emeritus
Concord University
Kendra Boggess
president
David Barnette
chair
Cottey College
John Ewing
board chair
Delta College
Stacey Gannon
chair, board of trustees
Dominican University of California
Nicola Pitchford
president
Carolyn Klebanoff
board chair
Drake University
David Maxwell
president emeritus
Eastern Michigan University
James Smith
president
Nathan Ford
chairman of the board of regents
Eastern Oregon University
Kelly Ryan
president
Eastern Washington University
Uriel Iñiguez
board chair
Felician University
Mildred A. Mihlon, Ph.D.
president
Grinnell College
Anne Harris
president
Sheryl Walter
chair, board of trustees
Michael Kahn
immediate past chair, board of trustees
Hamsphire College
Ed Wingenbach
president
Hofstra University
Susan Poser
president
Donald Schaeffer
chair, board of trustees
Iliff School of Theology
Lee Butler
president and CEO
Paula Redmond
chair, board of trustees
Illinois College of Optometry
Mark Colip
president
International Agency for Chiropractic Evaluation
Brian Dooley
chair
Kalamazoo College
Eileen Wilson-Oyelaran
president emerita
King’s College
Rev. Thomas Looney
president
Laboure College of Healthcare
Lily Hsu
president
Landmark College
Jim Dlugos
president
Lasell University
Eric Turner
president
Maryland Institute College of Art
Cecilia M. McCormick, J.D.
president
Maryville College
Brian Coker
president
Menlo College
Steven Weiner
president
Methodist University
Stanley Wearden
president
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Janine Davidson
president
Michigan Association of State Universities
Daniel Hurley
chief executive officer
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Heather Perfetti
president
Middlebury College
Stephen Snyder
interim president
Ian Baucom
incoming president
William Truscott
board chair
Misericordia University
Daniel Myers
president
Montgomery College
Jermaine F Williams
president
Gloria Aparicio Blackwell
chair, board of trustees
Morgan State University
David Wilson
president
Mount Saint Mary College
Robert Gervasi
president
Lou Bach
chair, board of trustees
New England Commission of Higher Education
Lawrence Schall
president
New Mexico Tech
Mahyar Amouzegar
president
Newbury College
David Harpool
president
Northwestern Health Sciences University
Deborah Bushway
president & CEO
Notre Dame de Namur University, Belmont CA
Sister Jean Stoner
chair, board of trustees
Notre Dame of Maryland University
Patricia McLaughlin
board chair
Oakland University
Ora Pescoviz
president
Joe Jones
board chair
Oakton College
Joianne Smith
president
Oakton College Educational Foundation
Katherine Sawyer
executive director
Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences
Robbyn Wacker
interim president
Karen Hyatt
trustee and chair emeritus
Paine College
Lester McCorn
president
Peninsula College, Port Angeles, WA
Joe Floyd
chair, board of trustees
Prescott College
Barbara Morris
president
Ramapo College of New Jersey
Robert Scott
president emeritus
Randolph College
Sue Ott Rowlands
president
Riverside Community College District
Wolde-Ab Issac
chancellor
San Diego Community College District
Gregory Smith
chancellor
Seattle Colleges
Rosa Peralta
board chair
Sherman College of Chiropractic
Lisa Lanzara-Bazzani, DC
board of trustees chairman
Spelman College
Johnetta Cole
president emerita
St. Mary’s University
Winston Erevelles
president
Lynda Ellis
chair of the board
Sterling College
Scott Thomas
president
Allison Hooper
board chair
Stockton University
Joe Bertolino
president
Suffolk University
Marisa Kelly
president
Robert C. Lamb, Jr.
chair, board of trustees
SUNY Broome Community College
Kevin Drumm
president emeritus
ACCT consultant
Susquehanna University
Jonathan Green
president
Signe Gates
chair, board of trustees
Talladega College
Walter M. Kimbrough
interim president
The American University of Paris
Sonya Stephens
president
Doris Daughney
chair of board of trustees
The College of New Jersey
Michael Bernstein
president
Carl Gibbs
board chair
Barbara Gitenstein
president emerita
The College of Wooster
Anne McCall
president
Sally Staley
chair of the board of trustees
The Evergreen State College
John Carmichael
president
Miguel Perez-Gibson
board chair
Thomas More University
Joseph Chillo
president
Trocaire College
Bassam Deeb
president
Union Theological Seminary
Serene Jones
president
United Lutheran Seminary
R. Guy Erwin
president
University of Hawaii
Gabriel Lee
chair, board of regents
University of Hawaii System
Wendy Hensel
president
University of Illinois
Jesse Ruiz
chair, board of trustees
University of New England
James Herbert
president
University of Redlands
Krista Newkirk
president
University of Wisconsin System
Kevin Reilly
president emeritus
University System of Maryland Foundation
Leonard Raley
president and CEO
Don Scheeler
chair
Ursinus College
Robyn Hannigan
president
Joseph M. DeSimone
board chair
Valparaiso University
Mark Heckler
president emeritus
Washington Adventist University
Weymouth Spence
president
Wenatchee Valley College
Faimous Harrison
president
Westfield State University
Ali Salehi
chair, board of trustees
Western Oregon University
Jesse Peters
president
Whitman College
Joe Davis
board chair
Wichita State University Foundation
Elizabeth King
president emerita
William Paterson University
Richard Helldobler
president
Michael Seeve
board chair
William Paterson University Foundation
Aaron Van Duyne III
board chair
Wittenburg University
Michael Frandsen
president
Other Supporters
Chris Armstrong
board secretary, Claremont Graduate University
Danielle Atkinson
governor, Wayne State University
Sam Baker
member, board of governors, Concord University Foundation
Cara Baldridge
executive assistant, College of Southern Maryland/CSM Foundation
Mark Brault
trustee, Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences
Carlton Brown
CEO, Strategic Innovations, LLC
Carol Cartwright
AGB senior fellow and consultant
James Conneely
AGB consultant
Jill Derby
AGB senior fellow and consultant
Jane DiFolco Parker
AGB consultant
Daniel Dunbar
alumnus trustee, Pacific Northwest University
Kim Enochs
member, board of governors, Concord University Foundation
Heather Fehn
VP, chief of staff & secretary to the board of trustees, The College of New Jersey
Carlos H. Garcia
chief of staff, CETYS
Karen Griffee
distinguished professor, Concord University
Lynnette Heard
AGB senior fellow and consultant
Thaddeus Jackson
trustee, Bates Technical College
Margaret Jarrell-Cole
AGB consultant
Matthew Kilcoyne
principal, AGB Search, LLC
Cindi Khanlarian
member, board of governors, Concord University Foundation
Richard Legon
AGB former president
Theodore Long
AGB senior fellow and consultant
Terrence MacTaggart
AGB senior fellow and consultant
Matthew McCoy
vice president, Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation
Bill Miller
trustee, WSSU
Richard Novak
AGB senior fellow and consultant
Amy Pitzer
member, board of governors, Concord University Foundation
Alvin Schexnider
managing principle, Schexnider & Associates LLC
Jolene Seda
CEO, Triumph Treatment Services
Nancy Seleski
retired, Montana State University Alumni Foundation
Chris Selvey
board of governors member, Concord University
Eric Silvers
community member, PNWU
Kevin Van Nortwick
vice chair, PNWU
George Watt
AGB senior fellow and consultant
Athena Wilkerson
office coordinator, Sewanee: The University of the South
Gloria Williams
trustee, BOT WSU
foundation board member, Oakton College
List of signatories updated at 11:20 PM ET on May 6, 2025. These signatories have confirmed they have the authority to sign this letter on behalf of their organization.