Questions for Boards

Recommended Resources

All Resources

Why this is important.

Orientation is an indispensable introductory tool for new board members and an essential refresher tool for continuing board members.

Comprehensive orientation programs provide trustees with critical knowledge about higher education governance, essential board responsibilities, fiduciary duties, and boardroom culture. AGB empowers our members to deliver engaging board orientation programs that provide all trustees with foundational knowledge key to successfully serve their institution.

Source: Board Member Orientation, AGB

Questions for boards.

Click below to reveal key questions for your board to consider:

Board and Institution Fundamentals

Consequential Questions:

  1. How well are our new board members oriented to their fiduciary responsibilities and expectations of board service?
  2. When was the last time we updated our board member orientation model?
  3. Does our orientation program include training and education on legal issues that impact board work?
  4. Does our orientation program have clearly defined, realistic expectations and goals?

Sources:

Board Member Orientation, AGB
“To Improve New Board Member Orientation, Flip It!” Julie E. Wollman and Katie Herschede, Trusteeship January/February 2020
Higher Education Governing Boards: An Introductory Guide for Members of College, University, and System Boards, AGB 2019

Board Discussions

Consequential Questions:

  1. How well are our continuing board members educated about current issues and future concerns affecting the foundation and the institution?
  2. Is our current orientation dynamic? Do we invite speakers? Are our orientation activities engaging? Do we provide opportunities for engaging in thoughtful dialogue?

Sources:

Board Member Orientation, AGB
“To Improve New Board Member Orientation, Flip It!” Julie E. Wollman and Katie Herschede, Trusteeship January/February 2020
Higher Education Governing Boards: An Introductory Guide for Members of College, University, and System Boards, AGB 2019

Board Relationships

Consequential Questions:

  1. Have our new and continuing board members completed AGB’s New Board Member Orientation, which is complimentary for AGB members?
  2. Does our orientation program include an opportunity for participant feedback? If so, have we utilized this feedback to improve our orientation program?

Sources:

Board Member Orientation, AGB
“To Improve New Board Member Orientation, Flip It!” Julie E. Wollman and Katie Herschede, Trusteeship January/February 2020
Higher Education Governing Boards: An Introductory Guide for Members of College, University, and System Boards, AGB 2019

We carefully curated these staff-picked resources for you:

Board Member Orientation

Program
AGB

Higher Education Governing Boards Book Cover

Higher Education Governing Boards: An Introductory Guide for Members of College, University, and System Boards

2019
AGB

AGB FAQs Board Orientation

Board Orientation

FAQs
AGB

AGB Trusteeship Magazine, January February 2020

To Improve Orientation, Flip It!

Trusteeship magazine, January/February 2020
By Julie E. Wollman and Katie Herschede

IRF Cover

Institutionally Related Foundation Boards: An Introductory Guide for Board Members

2019
AGB

Welcoming New Board Members: 15 Tips for Better Orientations

Trusteeship magazine, January/February 2013
 By Stephen G. Pelletier

All resources.

Trusteeship Article
Foundations of Consequence: First 100 Days of a Foundation CEO
Action Items for Your First 100 Days 1. Go on a listening tour. Meet early and regularly with the institution’s president/chancellor. Get to know your staff. Meet individually with the foundation’s directors; selected former board members; the institution’s governing board members; community …
Read Article
Blog Post
AGB President & CEO Update: Enhancing Your Board’s Orientation and Ongoing Education
July 05, 2023 - You are viewing the Institution version of this CEO Update. Institutionally Related Foundation and System versions are also available. By now you are aware of yesterday’s groundbreaking Supreme Court decision that race-based admissions practices violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth …
Read Article
Video
Best Practices for Investment Committee Orientation
Members of investment committees have special responsibilities. In this video, David Bass, AGB director of philanthropic governance is in conversation with Nikki Krauss, Strategic Investment Group chief client officer. They discuss what information higher education foundation boards need as a whole, …
Watch the full conversation.
FAQs
Board Orientation
Deliver a comprehensive and engaging board orientation to new trustees. New board members have a lot to learn, from the responsibilities of trusteeship to understanding the vision, mission, values, and day-to-day operations of the institution. This guide provides general guidelines for the features and …
Download now
Orientation
Board Member Orientation
New board member online orientation is an indispensable tool for introducing board members to higher education governance, essential board responsibilities, board composition, and boardroom culture. There are three discrete versions of this online program designed for board members from independent …
Learn More
Webinar On Demand
Virtual 2020 Workshop for Board Professionals - Elevating our Orientation Through a Flipped Orientation Model
April 14, 2020 - Watch this Webinar On Demand where you’ll learn how to take the best principles and practices from flipped teaching and apply them to your board’s orientation and meetings. Why do this? Orientations and meetings aren’t effective …
View Webinar
Blog Post
How Can You Become an Asset to Your Board?
January 17, 2020 - Your professional experience and ability to think critically are essential to your service as a trustee. In fact, lacking these, you likely would not have been appointed in the first place. You will apply the insights they produce throughout your …
Read Article
Trusteeship Article
To Improve New Board Member Orientation, Flip It!
For those of us engaged in higher education, our business is learning. We are committed to creating condi-tions for active, lasting learning. And we are continuously researching and improving how we engage learners. So why not use that information to …
Read Article
Briefs
Building Public Governing Board Capacity Through State-Level Education Programs for College and University Board Members
State policymakers and the public at large have a vested interest in the successful governance of their higher education system. The citizens who are appointed or elected to serve as trustees and regents of the state's colleges and universities oversee …
Read Article
Book
Higher Education Governing Boards: An Introductory Guide for Members of College, University, and System Boards
Intended both to orient and to guide, Higher Education Governing Boards provides a detailed overview of the essential responsibilities of governing boards—public and independent—and the fiduciary duties of board members. Also included are questions intended to promote reflection by individual …
View Book

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