2026 National Conference on Trusteeship: Schedule

Navigating the New Athletics Landscape: Strategic Challenges Across NCAA Divisions 

College athletics is being transformed by the House v. NCAA settlement, revenue sharing with athletes, and name, image, and likeness (NIL). Discover how these (and other) seismic shifts impact your institution’s mission and financial bottom line—from Division I’s new competitive realities to Division II’s and III’s enrollment and retention challenges.

Speaker:
Karen Weaver, adjunct assistant professor and academic director of the Collegiate Athletics Certificate Program, University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education; host, Trustees and Presidents: A Podcast for University Leaders on College Athletics; author, Understanding College Athletics: What Campus Leaders Need to Know about College Sports

Academic Freedom: From Professional Norm to First Amendment Right 

This session will examine academic freedom as both a professional norm and a First Amendment right, offering trustees a clear framework for understanding their institutions’ obligations and risks. We will begin with the American Association of University Professors’ foundational 1915 Declaration of Principles on Academic Freedom and Academic Tenure, whose core ideas still shape policies across U.S. colleges and universities. The session then will trace the courts’ recognition of academic freedom as an individual First Amendment right for faculty beginning in 1957, and its later extension to institutions in the 1970s. We will conclude with a discussion of how these legal principles apply to current federal and state interventions in university teaching, research, and governance, and what they mean for board-level oversight and stewardship.

Speaker:
David Rabban, professor of law, University of Texas School of Law

The Future of Accreditation and Educational Quality

Accreditation is the backbone of higher education quality and public trust—and it’s changing fast. Federal reforms and new accreditation models are challenging long-standing assumptions about how colleges and universities demonstrate excellence and accountability. What will these shifts mean for institutional reputation, governance, and student confidence? In this interactive session, trustees will explore the future of accreditation, gain insights into emerging trends and regulatory expectations, and discuss how boards can lead proactively to ensure quality, integrity, and strategic advantage in a rapidly evolving landscape.

Speaker:
Jamienne Studley, president emerita, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Senior College and University Commission; past president, Skidmore College

The Changing Credential Landscape in Higher Education: Impact on Trustees and Institutions 

As questions about the value and purpose of higher education intensify, boards of trustees play a critical role in guiding institutions through a rapidly shifting credential environment. Colleges and universities are reexamining how short-term, skills-focused credentials—offered both within higher education and by external providers—fit into their missions, academic portfolios, and financial models. This session will explore an accreditor’s approach and how institutions are adapting their strategies in response. Trustees will gain insight into the opportunities and risks associated with alternative credentials, helping boards make informed decisions about program development, partnerships, and long-term positioning.

Speaker:
Barbara Gellman-Danley, president, Higher Learning Commission

Colorado Trustee Network: Shared Learning and Advocacy in Public Institutions of Higher Education

The Colorado Trustee Network (CTN) is a first-of-its-kind statewide initiative designed to support, connect, and mobilize the governing boards of Colorado’s public colleges, universities, and systems. Founded on the belief that informed, equity-minded trustees are essential to higher education’s future, CTN provides a trusted space for board members to learn, collaborate, and lead with purpose. Since its launch, CTN has become a national model for elevating governance to meet pressing challenges—strengthening enrollment, aligning with workforce needs, improving outcomes for students furthest from opportunity, and rebuilding public trust. This panel will examine CTN’s progress, highlighting early successes in shared professional development and the ongoing challenges of collective action, with trustees discussing how CTN supports their leadership in a complex higher education environment.

Moderator:
Landon Mascareñaz, chair, State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education, Colorado Community College System; convener/chair, Colorado Trustee Network

Panelists:
Elaine Gantz Berman, chair, Trustee Network; convener/chair, Colorado Trustee Network; past member, Metropolitan State University of Denver Board of Trustees
Alison Griffin, member, Colorado Mesa University Board of Trustees; member, Colorado Trustee Network
Stephen Jordan, vice chair, University of Northern Colorado Board of Trustees; member, Colorado Trustee Network
Russell Noles, trustee and past chair, Metropolitan State University of Denver Board of Trustees; member, Colorado Trustee Network

Embracing the Arc of Time as a Tool for Change Management

In this era of profound change in higher education, governing boards must adopt a perspective that embraces the long arc of time. Many administrators are focused on the current crop of high school seniors and urgent matters. Presidents, however, should be focused on eighth graders (five years from college) and governing boards should be focused on elementary school students (10 years from college). The most effective and enduring change we see in higher education occurs through assimilation over long periods of strategy formation and implementation. Institutional leaders receive an inheritance from previous generations, and we all work for our successors. The churn of presidencies, stop-and-start strategic planning, and recursive decision-making is dissipating time, energy, and funding. The temptation is to react, not respond. Governing boards must set a confident tone that facilitates the assimilation process and manages through the rigidities of conventional wisdom and conformity.

Speakers:
Mark Putnam, president, Central College; author, Leading Across the Arc of Time: Commitment and Change in Higher Education
Bryan Alexander, senior scholar, Georgetown University

What Governing Board Should Know About Going Global  

Tightened student visa vetting, H1B restrictions, and scrutiny of international partnerships threaten U.S. leadership in global education and the financial health of many institutions. If students can no longer come to America, colleges must take American higher education abroad—through branch campuses, joint degrees, and strategic partnerships. What roles should governing boards play in addressing these challenges? How can they anticipate risks and sustain global engagement and revenue? This session will explore the shifting geopolitical landscape and examine how boards can assess, authorize, and oversee international strategies that strengthen mission, impact, and institutional resilience.

Speakers:
Richard Joseph, former president, Babson Global, Inc.; consultant, AGB
Jason Lane, special adviser, University of Illinois System Office of the President; past president, National Association of System Heads

What Governing Boards Need to Know About Student Success 

How can the work of the governing board and its policies and practices influence and enable changes that increase student success? What are the levers that have made a difference in retention, progression, completion, and success at institutions with large percentages of students who are first in their family to attend college, Pell Grant eligible, or underrepresented in higher education? Hear from the leaders of several institutions highlighted in AGB’s Gates Foundation-funded project and report, From Oversight to Impact: How Governing Boards and Administrators Advance Student Success.

Panelists:
Kemal M. Atkins, trustee, San Francisco Bay University; former vice president, Keene State College and Delaware State University; consultant, AGB
Merrill P. Schwartz, co-author, Assessing Board Performance (AGB, 2018); former senior vice president for content and program strategy, AGB; consultant and senior fellow, AGB

Colorado on the Cutting Edge: Statewide Collaboration for Workforce Ready Education

As public trust in higher education declines and employers question graduate readiness, Colorado is advancing a model that better aligns education with workforce needs. This session will explore how state leaders are fostering collaboration among K–12, higher education, and industry to build stronger, more relevant pathways for students. Through a recent executive order, Governor Jared Polis has directed state agencies to develop a unified credentialing system that connects learning to careers in high-demand fields such as cybersecurity and business principles. Through bipartisan legislation and innovative partnerships with College Board to launch Career Kickstart—a new AP offering that allows students to earn college-level credit plus a workforce-ready credential—Colorado is creating new opportunities for learners statewide.

Trustees and governing board members will gain insight into how they can guide and support institutional policies that strengthen talent pipelines, align programs with employer needs, and expand access to meaningful postsecondary pathways.

Moderator:
Alyssa Chudnofsky, executive director, strategic reach and workforce partnerships, College Board

Panelists:
Danen Jobe, director of academic affairs, Colorado Community College System
Gillian McKnight-Tutein, senior educational impact officer, Colorado Department of Higher Education