Does your board need a strategic reset?
Refresh the tone. Recharge the culture. Refocus on what matters.
An annual board retreat is a governance best practice—an opportunity to step back, realign around mission, and strengthen leadership collaboration. Whether you are navigating change, setting new priorities, or focusing on board development, an AGB-facilitated retreat provides the structure and expert guidance to help your board move forward with clarity and purpose. Retreats provide time and space for the board to step back, build trust, and recommit to its most important responsibilities. Consider a retreat when:
- The board needs to sharpen its focus or improve meeting effectiveness.
- The board wants to assess its performance or update governance practices.
- The institution or foundation is navigating disruption, financial stress, or
major change. - The board experiences turnover, a need for onboarding, or a culture reset.
- The board determines it’s time to revisit strategic priorities or align
leadership around shared goals.
AGB’s experienced facilitators—former presidents/CEOs, board chairs, and governance experts—design and guide retreats tailored to your priorities. Backed by the insights in AGB’s A Guide to Strategic Board Retreats in Higher Education, each session delivers practical outcomes that strengthen governance and leadership alignment.
AGB members can start this process by initiating a conversation with the AGB consulting team to get started planning their board retreat.
Backed by the insights and practices in AGB’s
A Guide to Strategic Board Retreats in Higher Education. Each chapter describes a key process or topic for a board retreat, common challenges boards face, and specific recommendations for improvement.
This manuscript features a group of authors who are some of the most respected and talented experts on the salient issues in contemporary higher education.
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“The AGB consultant was amazing during our board retreat. He delivered a very impactful message to the team based on real-life experience and examples. The consultant was able to illustrate why it is vitally important to maintain clear boundaries between board and institutional leadership responsibilities.”
–South Carolina State University
“AGB took us way beyond the typical ‘check the box’ exercises
and provided thoughtful and actionable recommendations.”
–University of Toledo Foundation