An Untapped Resource: Keeping Emeriti Trustees Engaged

When trustees complete their service on a college or university board, institutions often face a delicate question: how to sustain the connection with these seasoned leaders whose wisdom, networks, and generosity have been so integral to the institution’s success? Too often, emeriti trustees fade from view—grateful for the honorific but left without meaningful avenues to contribute. At Gettysburg College, we saw both a challenge and an opportunity: could we create a structure that allowed emeriti trustees to remain engaged in ways that mattered to them and to the board, while also strengthening our culture of governance and philanthropy?