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Stay true to your mission while making the decisions the moment demands.
Independent colleges and universities face increasing pressure to adapt financially, academically, and strategically. Boards are being asked to make difficult decisions while staying grounded in mission.
AGB Consulting helps your board make better decisions, operate more strategically, partner effectively with your leadership team, and move your institution forward with confidence, even in moments of uncertainty and change. Grounded in deep experience working with independent institutions, our experts—former presidents, trustees, and higher education leaders of institutions like yours—work alongside your board, president, and leadership team to clarify options, align leadership, and move from discussion to action.
Strengthen Governance and Leadership →
Find opportunities to strengthen structure, culture, or leadership relationships and improve how your board operates.
Build Capability →
Equip your board and leaders with the knowledge, alignment, and confidence to lead effectively.
Drive Strategy →
Guide your institution through complex decisions about strategy, sustainability, and the future.
Strengthen governance and leadership.
AGB helps you identify what’s getting in the way and put stronger practices in place.
Boards work with AGB to evaluate and assess.
Conduct a comprehensive board assessment: identify strengths and gaps, resulting in a board development roadmap.
Use the Board Performance Survey: Complete your complimentary annual check-in. Understand short-term board needs with a brief self-assessment, best conducted between comprehensive board assessments.
Evaluate your president’s performance: Ensure their ability to lead into the future through an impartial 360-degree assessment. Prepare for contract negotiations, identify ways to support your president, and build on leadership strengths.
Plan for future leaders : assess your cabinet’s and other leaders’ readiness to step into more advanced roles. If they’re not quite ready, build a plan to help them rise to the moment.
We also help boards address foundational governance issues.
Strengthen shared governance: Foster academic innovation and build mutual trust between the board and faculty by defining roles, understanding the employment context, and leveraging each other’s unique expertise.
Review governance practice: Not sure what’s wrong, but know something isn’t right? Conduct a structured, impartial third-party evaluation to improve overall governance and respond to governance crises.
Foster effective committees: Evaluate whether you have the right committees doing the right work to achieve the institution’s goals.
Update your governing documents: Get expert advice to improve your foundational documents, including bylaws, committee charters, affiliate memoranda of understanding, and more.
Build capability.
When trustees need a shared understanding of their role and the challenges ahead, AGB helps your board prepare to act.
Boards often start here:
Schedule a One-Hour Governance Consultation, a complimentary annual benefit included with AGB membership: Seek outside perspective on a governance, leadership, or strategic challenge from one of AGB’s experts.
Design a retreat: Custom retreats support your goals and cover the topics you need, led by a facilitator with just the right expertise.
Plan a Principles of Trusteeship Workshop: Strengthen fiduciary understanding and board engagement.
Plan a Higher Education Landscape Workshop: Connect institutional strategy with market realities, regional context, and financial sustainability.
Ongoing advisory support includes:
President or Board Chair Advisory Services: Regular advisory sessions with a board chair or president who has led a private college or university like yours.
President–Board Chair Alignment: Strategic, data-driven planning designed to foster a common vision between the president and board chair.
Drive strategy.
When your institution faces critical choices, AGB helps your board evaluate options, align stakeholders, and move forward with clarity.
Host a strategic retreat: Engage the board as a partner in strategy. Understand your current business model, envision a future model, and conduct scenario plans for emerging futures.
Engage in strategic planning: Develop a plan to achieve your mission while supporting financial sustainability.
Create a merger and partnership strategy: All colleges and universities need a data-driven partnership strategy to identify and act on opportunities. Prepare with a national or international scan for best-fit partners.
Transform your business model: Assess whether your current operating model can sustain mission, financial health, and student success in a rapidly changing higher education landscape.
Measure institutional performance: Align the board on key performance indicators, set goals for the institution’s leadership, and monitor success.
Align real estate to strategy: Understand how to leverage your real estate to help achieve your strategic goals.
Start a conversation with us.
Talk with an AGB expert about what your board is facing and what steps could help you move forward.
Complete this form to get started.
Or begin with tools included with AGB membership.
Many boards start here before engaging in deeper consulting work.
One-Hour Governance Consultation
Get an outside perspective on a governance, leadership, or strategy challenge. In a focused, one-on-one conversation, an AGB expert will help you clarify the issue, share relevant leading practices, and identify practical next steps.Learn more →
Board Performance Survey
Understand how your board is performing today. This short assessment highlights strengths, surfaces areas for improvement, and provides a starting point for conversations about your board’s effectiveness.Learn more →