Support for Each Board Role

Resources to support your specific duties.

Each role on the board plays an important part in contributing to strategy and effective oversight. We help board members understand their role on the board and prepare to lead effectively in that role. Browse a selection of AGB resources curated for:

Each role on the board plays an important part in contributing to strategy and effective oversight. We help board members understand their role on the board and prepare to lead effectively in that role. Browse a selection of AGB resources curated for:


Board Chair

  • Learn what constitutes an effective board chair.
  • Understand how to cultivate a strategic board.
  • Enable development opportunities for your full board and individual board members.
  • Strengthen the partnership with your president/chief executive and provide guidance on developing an action plan for your board.
  • Identify the top strategic issues that demand your board’s oversight.
  • Understand leading practices for improving board dynamics.
  • Join an Ask the Expert session for an open Q&A about critical issues and decision making when you need it.
  • Engage with an AGB advisor for strategic and financial model transformation.
  • Engage a governance review and action plan for strengthening governance.
  • Build board capacity for justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • Find qualified presidential candidates for leading your institution in the future.
  • Establish appropriate and effective contracts and compensation for the chief executive.
  • Assess presidential leadership and build stronger performance and a succession plan.
  • Evaluate current and future board composition.
  • Understand current and emerging federal and state policy issues that will affect your institution.
  • Receive guidance for crisis leadership and communicating with stakeholders.
  • Conduct a board performance survey to understand governance challenges and opportunities.
  • Connect with a network of board chairs for sharing knowledge and experience.
  • Gain insight into current and emerging governance issues, delivered by an AGB expert.

Back to Top↑


President/Chief Executive

  • Understand how to work productively with the governing board.
  • Help the board fulfill its role and understand the difference between governance and administration.
  • Get the tools needed for onboarding new board members and ongoing board education.
  • Learn how to anticipate, manage, and lead through crisis.
  • Advance the goals of social and racial justice.
  • Develop the cabinet’s understanding of good board information and appropriate committee support.
  • Prepare for a presidential assessment.
  • Strengthen your partnership with your board chair and develop an action plan for your board.
  • Hone fundraising skills to help your institution prosper.

Back to Top↑


Board Professional

  • Learn how to structure effective meetings.
  • Identify ways to work effectively with committees.
  • Orient new board members to governance.
  • Improve board dynamics.
  • Find needed resources on key strategic issues and increase your value as a trusted advisor to the president and board.
  • Facilitate a board assessment to identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement.
  • Understand leading practices for engaging students, faculty, and staff with the board.
  • Invest in your professional development and enhance your current knowledge.
  • Identify resources to help ensure your board’s commitment to justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • Connect with a community of board professionals to learn from and share ideas.
  • Learn leading practices for managing crises and communicating with stakeholders.
  • Engage an AGB workshop for your board meetings and retreats to provide continuous education and strengthen governance.
  • Benefit from peer mentoring by experienced board professionals for guidance, role modeling, goal setting, and more.
  • Leverage AGB’s dedicated concierge to find relevant pre-reading resources for your board meeting agenda.

Back to Top↑


All Board Members

  • Become a highly effective board member by embodying the Principles of Trusteeship.
  • Discover and save resources curated for your role, institution or foundation, and committee.
  • Learn leading practices for managing crises and communicating with stakeholders.
  • Engage an AGB workshop for your board meetings and retreats to provide continuous education and strengthen governance.
  • Leverage AGB’s dedicated concierge to find relevant pre-reading resources for your board meeting agenda.
  • Learn about committee charters and effectiveness, and how to choose a committee.
  • Find key resources to get up to speed and advance the work of your committee.
  • Understand the appropriate ways to interact with students, faculty, and staff.
  • Determine if the chair/leadership ladder is right for you and how to pursue this path.
  • Oversee an admissions process that is compliant and competitive, and promotes diversity.
  • Understand financial complexities and strategies for making education affordable.
  • Understand the board’s fiduciary role in overseeing athletics programs.
  • Learn how to respond effectively and address unexpected campus challenges.
  • Advance and support inclusive excellence on campus.
  • Learn how to improve institutional financial sustainability and relevance to stakeholders.
  • Oversee an array of operational and strategic risks.
  • Develop a more strategic board.
  • Drive policy that fulfills the needs of students and expectations of the public.
  • Ensure that students are thriving, both physically and intellectually.
  • Balance accountability, participation, and decision making with shared governance.
  • Use technology to innovate education, reduce costs, and stay competitive.
  • Understand the basics of endowments and the board’s role in financing.
  • Learn what board members need to know about Title IX and sexual misconduct.

Back to Top↑


Senior Administrators

Back to Top↑


Board Chair

  • Learn what constitutes an effective board chair.
  • Understand how to cultivate a strategic board.
  • Enable development opportunities for your full board and individual board members.
  • Strengthen the partnership with your president/chief executive and provide guidance on developing an action plan for your board.
  • Identify the top strategic issues that demand your board’s oversight.
  • Understand leading practices for improving board dynamics.
  • Join an Ask the Expert session for an open Q&A about critical issues and decision making when you need it.
  • Engage with an AGB advisor for strategic and financial model transformation.
  • Build board capacity for justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • Engage a governance review and action plan for strengthening governance.
  • Find qualified presidential candidates for leading your institution in the future.
  • Establish appropriate and effective contracts and compensation for the chief executive.
  • Assess presidential leadership and build stronger performance and a succession plan.
  • Evaluate current and future board composition.
  • Understand current and emerging federal and state policy issues that will affect your institution.
  • Receive guidance for crisis leadership and communicating with stakeholders.
  • Conduct a board performance survey to understand governance challenges and opportunities.
  • Connect with a network of board chairs for sharing knowledge and experience.
  • Gain insight into current and emerging governance issues, delivered by an AGB expert.


President/Chief Executive

  • Understand how to work productively with the governing board.
  • Help the board fulfill its role and understand the difference between governance and administration.
  • Get the tools needed for onboarding new board members and ongoing board education.
  • Learn how to anticipate, manage, and lead through crisis.
  • Advance the goals of social and racial justice.
  • Develop the cabinet’s understanding of good board information and appropriate committee support.
  • Prepare for a presidential assessment.
  • Strengthen your partnership with your board chair and develop an action plan for your board.
  • Hone fundraising skills to help your institution prosper.


Board Professional

  • Learn how to structure effective meetings.
  • Identify ways to work effectively with committees.
  • Orient new board members to governance.
  • Improve board dynamics.
  • Find needed resources on key strategic issues and increase your value as a trusted advisor to the president and board.
  • Facilitate a board assessment to identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement.
  • Understand leading practices for engaging students, faculty, and staff with the board.
  • Identify resources to help ensure your board’s commitment to justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • Invest in your professional development and enhance your current knowledge.
  • Connect with a community of board professionals to learn from and share ideas.
  • Learn leading practices for managing crises and communicating with stakeholders.
  • Engage an AGB workshop for your board meetings and retreats to provide continuous education and strengthen governance.
  • Benefit from peer mentoring by experienced board professionals for guidance, role modeling, goal setting, and more.
  • Leverage AGB’s dedicated concierge to find relevant pre-reading resources for your board meeting agenda.


All Board Members

  • Become a highly effective board member by embodying the Principles of Trusteeship.
  • Discover and save resources curated for your role, institution or foundation, and committee.
  • Learn leading practices for managing crises and communicating with stakeholders.
  • Engage an AGB workshop for your board meetings and retreats to provide continuous education and strengthen governance.
  • Leverage AGB’s dedicated concierge to find relevant pre-reading resources for your board meeting agenda.
  • Learn about committee charters and effectiveness, and how to choose a committee.
  • Find key resources to get up to speed and advance the work of your committee.
  • Understand the appropriate ways to interact with students, faculty, and staff.
  • Determine if the chair/leadership ladder is right for you and how to pursue this path.
  • Oversee an admissions process that is compliant and competitive, and promotes diversity.
  • Understand financial complexities and strategies for making education affordable.
  • Understand the board’s fiduciary role in overseeing athletics programs.
  • Learn how to respond effectively and address unexpected campus challenges.
  • Advance and support inclusive excellence on campus.
  • Learn how to improve institutional financial sustainability and relevance to stakeholders.
  • Oversee an array of operational and strategic risks.
  • Develop a more strategic board.
  • Drive policy that fulfills the needs of students and expectations of the public.
  • Ensure that students are thriving, both physically and intellectually.
  • Balance accountability, participation, and decision making with shared governance.
  • Use technology to innovate education, reduce costs, and stay competitive.
  • Understand the basics of endowments and the board’s role in financing.
  • Learn what board members need to know about Title IX and sexual misconduct.


Senior Administrators

  • Build campus capacity for justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • Get off to a good start with a new president.
  • Ensure that students are thriving physically and intellectually.
  • Support a sustainable and effective admissions process.
  • Understand financial complexities and strategies for making education affordable.
  • Cultivate the appropriate role of the board in the accreditation process.
  • Facilitate strategic board conversations around higher education business models.
  • Support student success.

“AGB gives both presidents and boards the resources to know how to govern in the unique higher education environment. Their information is timely and actionable.”

Elizabeth Davis

President, Furman University