This report is part of the Finance Committee Chair Toolkit, a resource that highlights a variety of perspectives, including how to assess disruptive scenarios and what types of actions to consider. This white paper encourages board members to take a step back …

Attaining access to higher education is as important as nearly any other challenge facing young people today. We and they know the great value in a college education. We know the opportunities available to those who complete their degrees. We …

The president of Saint Leo University in Florida, Arthur Kirk has extensive background as an administrator and CFO and an interest in seeing that his institution and others run as efficiently as possible. Trusteeship asked him about the high cost …

Created in a time of segregation and discrimination to educate students of color, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have played a pivotal role in transforming the landscape of higher education in the United States. Today, in an era of …

One of the most important functions of governing board of a college or university is to ensure that it sustains financial health so it can effectively carry out its mission. Like all major expenses, institutional financial aid, when done well, …

The first decade of the 21th century has been a time of increasingly progressive rhetoric yet increasingly regressive action with respect to financial-aid practices in America. While our higher education institutions profess a commitment to improving access and making college …

With more students accumulating more student debt, Trusteeship consulted economist Sandy Baum to ask what it means, whether it’s as bad as it seems, and what boards can do about it. Much has been written in the news media about student …

From tuition to textbooks, from compensation to campus construction, there’s a big national conversation these days about containing college costs. President Obama, in his recent State of the Union address, put colleges and universities “on notice,” saying the federal government …

Last fall the board of the University of Charleston voted to reduce undergraduate tuition by 22 percent. The decision was made quickly, but the preparation for it took much longer. Ideally, a strategic decision is a process, not an event. …

Every year, almost all boards have an action item on their agenda to approve their institution's tuition and fees for the next year. Yet few of them are involved in discussions about the values and policies embedded in what they …