Questions for Boards

Recommended Resources

All Resources

Why this is important.

Shared governance is a foundational tenet of higher education. This principle “acknowledges the final institutional authority of governing boards and distributed authority to the administration and faculty.”1 Traditionally, governing boards delegate the responsibility of strategic planning and daily management to presidents, while faculty lead educational delivery. Delegation of authority between key constituents on campus strengthens institutions by championing meaningful engagement and inclusive, transparent decision-making.

“Effective shared governance strengthens institutions by serving as a vehicle for necessary change,” and such innovation is essential to confronting today’s uncertain higher education environment.2 Strong shared governance informs decisions. A governing board’s commitment to the practice of shared governance “bears fruit for the institution in the form of mutual trust in challenging times, support for innovation, and shared commitment to goals for building a stronger future.”3

Ultimately, shared governance is one of higher education’s most distinctive values and is key to the institutional success of all colleges and universities. It brings stakeholders together around passion for the institution and “ensures the inclusion of a range of voices and ideas in the formulation of goals, priorities, and strategies.”4 Together, these collaborative voices focus on holistic, strategic directions for the future.

Still image from a video showing a woman wearing a dark suit and purple scarf in front of a purple background that includes the letters A, G, B.

Mary Papazian, PhD, AGB executive vice president, talks about sharing responsibility, creating buy-in, and balancing delegation with accountability.

Sources:
1Shared Governance: Is OK Good Enough? AGB 2016
2AGB Board of Directors’ Statement on Shared Governance, AGB 2017
3AGB Board of Directors’ Statement on Shared Governance, AGB 2017
4AGB Board of Directors’ Statement on Shared Governance, AGB 2017

Questions for boards.

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

Roles and Responsibilities

Consequential Questions:

  1. What are the roles of students and staff in shared governance at our institution? Is the board satisfied with their engagement?
  2. What can the board chair do to demonstrate the board’s commitment to shared governance? What does the president do?

Source:

AGB Board of Directors’ Statement on Shared Governance, AGB 2017

Processes and Alignment

Consequential Questions:

  1. How are new board members, faculty, and senior staff oriented to shared governance?
  2. When did our institution last assess the state of its shared governance? What was the result? On the basis of that assessment, what has changed?
  3. How does the board engage the faculty on matters of consequence?
  4. Are the priorities of the board, president, and faculty currently aligned on critical mission-related matters?

Source:

AGB Board of Directors’ Statement on Shared Governance, AGB 2017

We carefully curated these staff-picked resources for you:

Shared Governance for Agile Institutions

2023
Steven C. Bahls

AGB FAQs Shared Governance

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AGB Board of Directors’ Statement on Shared Governance

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Shared Governance: A Legal Perspective

Trusteeship magazine, January/February 2024
By Lou Guard

Strengthening Shared Governance to Support Strategic Transformation

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Presented by David Maxwell

Shared Governance for Agile Institutions: How to Align Boards, Administration, and Faculty around Strategic Priorities

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Moderated by Jill Derby

All resources.

AGB Reports
2020 AGB Survey of Board Professionals
Board professionals play crucial planning, coordination, and support roles in the day-to-day life of college, university, and foundation governing boards. Their work is often conducted behind the scenes but is critical to board success and performance.
Read the Survey
Blog Post
The Dynamics of Agile and Effective Communications
February 08, 2021 - Changing circumstances require communication.  Being timely, accurate, and transparent with information is critical.  How do we decide what to say, when to say it, and how to deliver such communications?  Today’s quickly changing environment for institutions is testing our ability …
Read Article
Trusteeship Article
View from the Board Chair: Shared Governance and Financial Exigency
One of the more memorable—and perceptive—comments in the interviews of more than two hundred college and university board members, presidents, and faculty that formed the basis of AGB’s white paper, Shared Governance: Changing with the Times,1 came from a university president …
Read Article
FAQs
Shared Governance
Engage your board in achieving a commonly supported mission through shared governance. In higher education’s volatile environment, shared governance is essential. It adds substantial value to institutional progress and innovation. However, effective shared governance is about more than who is responsible for what. This …
Download now
Blog Post
Boards Are All In
November 09, 2020 - Unprecedented levels of board engagement present challenges to and successes in shared governance, reported members of AGB’s Council of Board Professionals at their October 2020 meeting.
Read Article
Blog Post
Zig While Others Zag: Shared Governance in the Time of COVID-19
November 06, 2020 - Several years ago, when consulting with trustees, presidents, and faculty members, I became concerned that shared governance as I thought it should be practiced was being shattered on many campuses. I observed diminished collaboration in those areas in which the …
Read Article
CEO Update
AGB President & CEO Update: Trust as a Strategic Asset
With the fall semester underway for many institutions, I’m aware of the unprecedented challenges confronting your board, leadership team, faculty, and staff as you collaboratively address immediate short-term challenges. At the same time, although I know how significant these challenges are, …
Read Article
Blog Post
Leading without Managing in the Pandemic
September 15, 2020 - Even before the pandemic, many boards had difficulty balancing their strategic governance responsibilities in relation to the management of their institutions. Some were not sufficiently involved in governance and left most things, including major strategic choices, to their presidents and …
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Webinar On Demand
The Value of Effective Consortia and Collaboration
September 14, 2020 - Watch this Webinar On Demand for a conversation about how consortia have come to bear during the current COVID-19 crisis, and other considerations as higher education adapts to the world around us.
View Webinar
Blog Post
Leadership in a Pandemic: The Board—President Relationship
September 09, 2020 - “I can lead with confidence when I know the board chair has my back,” observed one experienced chief executive. “But I’ll hesitate if I think my board members or the chair might second-guess the tough calls demanded by the current …
Read Article

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