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.

Moderator:
Jill Derby, member, American University of Iraq, Sulaimani, Board of Trustees; former chair, Nevada Board of Regents; senior fellow and senior consultant, AGB

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
Tomikia P. LeGrande, president, Prairie View A&M University
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
Lamont O. Repollet, president, Kean University

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

Empowering Student Trustees Through Leadership and Governance Workshop

Student trustees have a unique role in university governance—to bridge the gap between the student body, the governing boards, and institutional leaders. In addition to keeping the board connected to the needs and priorities of the student body, ensuring that boards are aware of students’ perspectives, student trustees have the full responsibility of board members. Because of their essential role in institutional governance, AGB has launched the Empowering Student Trustees through Leadership and Governance Programs Project, to study the experience of student trustees on university governing boards. This project is funded by a grant from the Hewlett Foundation.

The purpose of this session is for AGB senior consultants and researchers to understand how student trustees experience their roles in university governance, including how they perceive their influence, challenges, and development as leaders. Additionally, this interactive session will provide student trustees with a leadership development experience centered on governance, influence, and systems thinking.

This workshop is designed to:

• Generate high-quality insights into student trustee experiences.
• Foster participants’ growth as emerging leaders in governance.

All student trustees, directors, or regents who serve on institutional/system governing boards are invited to this session with AGB leaders to share their insights and strengthen their leadership skills. Immediately after the session, participants will have the opportunity to build on their newly established relationships with their peers and AGB leaders during a networking reception.

Can We Say That?: Free Speech Fundamentals  

State laws, executive orders, and federal regulations are increasingly dictating what may be included in syllabi, classrooms, websites, and grant proposals. These mandates raise complex questions about the First Amendment rights of institutions, faculty, and students—the freedoms of speech and inquiry that underpin higher education. At the same time many colleges and universities have been tightening policies regarding free expression on their campuses; everything from protest rights to sidewalk chalking has been constrained. This session will help trustees understand the foundations of free expression, how it is essential to the mission of higher education, the legal and governance implications of recent policy actions, and the board’s essential role in safeguarding First Amendment rights.

Speaker:
Kristen Shahverdian, program director of campus free speech, PEN America
Additional speakers to be announced.

Governing for Inclusive Excellence: Aligning Mission and Values in a Changing Policy Landscape 

In today’s rapidly shifting higher education environment, boards of trustees are called to provide steady, mission- and values-driven leadership. In this session panelists will offer trustees actionable strategies to sustain inclusive excellence through governance, policy, and mission alignment.

Moderator:
Eileen Wilson-Oyelaran, president emerita, Kalamazoo College; trustee emerita, Pomona College; chair, United States International University–Africa Board of Trustees; senior fellow and senior consultant, AGB

Panelists:
Paulette Granberry Russell, president, National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education
Tom Hyatt, general counsel, AGB; senior fellow and senior consultant, AGB

Just Ask the Students!

Located in the southwest corner of Colorado, Fort Lewis College (FLC) has discovered the power of leveraging student voice and innovation to improve the student experience. Over the past five years, students representing a wide range of campus constituencies have met regularly with the board of trustees to identify key factors affecting student success and retention. These conversations emphasize collaborative problem-solving and the exploration of viable, actionable solutions.

Following each session, student input is synthesized and routed to the relevant trustee committees or administrative leaders for review and implementation. This structured process has led to meaningful, measurable improvements across campus.

In this interactive session, the FLC student body president and members of the board of trustees will share insights from this model and offer a replicable framework for achieving comparable outcomes.

Speakers:
Mary Rubadeau, member, Fort Lewis College Board of Trustees
Asa Worthington, student representative, Fort Lewis College Board of Trustees; president, Associated Students of Fort Lewis College

Navigating State Policy Change: How Trustees Can Leverage Regional Compacts for Institutional Success

State higher education policy is evolving rapidly as institutions navigate demographic shifts, workforce demands, and financial pressures. This session will provide boards of trustees with a strategic understanding of the state policy dynamics shaping public higher education and the vital role of regional compacts such as the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education and the New England Board of Higher Education. Trustees will explore how states are addressing affordability, talent development, cross-state credentialing, and the expansion of flexible learning pathways. Presenters will offer practical insights into how governing boards can anticipate policy shifts, strengthen institutional competitiveness, and leverage regional partnerships to expand access and reduce unnecessary duplication. Attendees will leave with a clearer perspective on how boards can collaborate effectively with state agencies and regional compacts to drive innovation, advance student success, and support mission-aligned, sustainable growth.

Speakers:
Scott Jenkins, emeritus member, Illinois State University Board of Trustees; member, AGB Board of Directors
Demarée Michelau, president, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education
Michael Thomas, president and CEO, New England Board of Higher Education

Presidents and Boards Working Together to Enhance a Culture of Campus Well-being

At a time when campus communities face growing academic, social, political, and economic pressures, campus leaders play a pivotal role in shaping a culture of well-being that extends to students, faculty, staff, and administrators alike. This session will explore strategic actions boards and presidents can take to champion holistic wellness as an institutional priority. Participants will examine how board-level decisions—ranging from resource allocation and policy development to presidential evaluation and campus climate oversight—directly influence mental health, belonging, workload balance, and overall community resilience. Learn how presidents create a culture of shared commitment, goals, and mutual support through practical frameworks and case examples, and how boards can ask the right questions, support data-informed initiatives, and reinforce a shared commitment to equitable support systems. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of how governance can foster environments where all members of the campus community feel valued, supported, and empowered to thrive academically, professionally, and personally.

Using Constructive Dialogue to Strengthen Board Resilience Amid Disruption

Higher education boards face mounting pressures: shifting business models, ideological divides, and high-stakes reputational risks. Many governance challenges stem not from a lack of expertise but from unaddressed values conflicts and unstructured debate. This session will provide a roadmap for purposeful training in constructive dialogue that equips boards to navigate disagreement, avoid decision relitigation, and maintain strategic clarity when it matters most. Constructive dialogue introduces a practical framework for strengthening board norms, building core dialogue skills, and using values-based listening to improve deliberation.

Speakers:
Mylien Duong, chief impact officer, Constructive Dialogue Institute
Terrance MacTaggart, former chancellor, University of Wisconsin–Superior, Minnesota State University System, and University of Maine System; senior fellow and senior consultant, AGB