Effective Committees

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, …

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, …

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 …

The governance committee (also known as the “committee on directors,” the “nominating committee” or the “committee on trustees”) is arguably one of the most important committees an institutionally related foundation can empower. As state investments in public higher education are …

Today’s colleges and universities are under great stress as they work to sustain and expand the resources needed to fulfill their missions. That, in turn, requires finance committees to assume even greater responsibilities. In this publication, author Ingrid Stafford discusses why …