Effective Committees

August 24, 2020 - The importance and roles of board committees have significantly evolved through the years including, most recently, during the current pandemic. An understanding of past and current changes, and a preview of the future, will help boards better utilize their committees …

April 03, 2020 - Presidents and senior administration officials across the country are working feverishly to restructure their institutional leadership teams in real time to adjust to the significant challenges brought about by the onslaught of the coronavirus. Boards are also struggling to realign …

The governance committee—also known as the committee on trustees, committee on trusteeship, or committee on directors—is arguably the most important committee that a board of trustees can empower. The committee identifies, vets, and selects trustees who bring the necessary experience, …

October 15, 2019 - The right people, focused on the right issues, with the right relationships—those are the essential ingredients of an effective board, according to AGB’s recent publication An Anatomy of Good Board Governance in Higher Education. But how does a board channel …

Boards need to be just as nimble and adaptive as their institutions must be to meet the shifting challenges they face. The process of committee restructuring has thus become a central feature of effective board and committee practice and should …

While on our campuses, we expect students to work hard and prioritize their studies, engage in service to others, and practice civil disagreement, with the goal of becoming independent, contributing members of our society. According to the successes of our …

Governing boards of universities and colleges are facing an unprecedented tidal wave of change that is creating new opportunities, risks, innovations, and disruptions within and beyond the confines of their campuses. A board’s ability to be both reactive to these …

Numerous faith-based institutions are seeking structural ways to ensure that the religious and social purposes for which they were founded will serve the present generation well and survive for future generations. Mission committees of the board are relatively new structures, …

January 22, 2015 - TAKEAWAYS The number of board standing committees varies by institution type and size; the average number of board standing committees is five at public institutions and eight at independent institutions. Though a board standing committee's charge may be included in the institution's …

The latest installment of the Effective Committee Series covers the duties and responsibilities of the academic affairs committee. It is through the academic affairs committee that the board ensures the institution’s or system’s principal purposes—teaching and learning—are met. A must-read for …