Questions for Boards

Recommended Resources

All Resources

Why this is important.

Crises within the higher education arena were rising both in number and severity well before the coronavirus eruption. Risks that foreshadow crises are often ignored or underestimated. Fast-moving social media platforms convert problems into crises overnight, partisan and ideological conflicts add fuel to the flames, extreme weather events strike without warning, and changing markets and demographics result in sustainability crises for many institutions.

Crises are inevitable in higher education, but dynamic crisis leadership ensures institutional viability through even the darkest of times. Governing boards are uniquely positioned to assist colleges and universities in navigating complex challenges, from the global COVID-19 pandemic to diminishing enrollments, declining government funding, and public skepticism about the value of a college education today.

No matter the crisis, practicing sound governance and scenario planning is the best way to anticipate crises and to resolve them once they erupt. With effective leadership, institutions and their boards can emerge from a crisis with greater awareness, resiliency, and commitment to integrity.

Ultimately, such resilience and adaptability enable governing boards to lead with greater confidence in today’s tumultuous environment.

Source: Crisis Leadership for Boards and Presidents: Anticipating, Managing, and Leading beyond Pandemics, Disruptions, and Ethical Failures by Terrence MacTaggart, AGB 2020

Questions for boards.

These are key questions for your board to consider:

Situation

Consequential Questions:

  1. What is happening in the world around us that might pose risks and threats to us as well?
  2. What are we doing or what are we avoiding that makes us vulnerable to risks, threats, and actual crises?
  3. What lessons are offered by similar colleges in similar situations to this crisis?
  4. What fundamental principles and strategic concerns are relevant here in this crisis?

Source:

Crisis Leadership for Boards and Presidents: Anticipating, Managing, and Leading beyond Pandemics, Disruptions, and Ethical Failures by Terrence MacTaggart, AGB 2020

Leadership

Consequential Questions:

  1. Do we have the right board leadership and administrative competence to deal with this crisis?
  2. Are your board and president prepared to seriously reimagine the college’s business model to meet the new realities in the higher education marketplace?

Source:

Crisis Leadership for Boards and Presidents: Anticipating, Managing, and Leading beyond Pandemics, Disruptions, and Ethical Failures by Terrence MacTaggart, AGB 2020

Planning

Consequential Questions:

  1. Are emergency response plans clear, distributed to the right people, accessible when needed, and periodically tested and updated?
  2. Are the board and president seriously engaged in enterprise risk management (ERM) to help prevent or at least mitigate a large number of potential crises?
  3. Do we have the resources necessary to conduct a postcrisis evaluation?

Source:

Crisis Leadership for Boards and Presidents: Anticipating, Managing, and Leading beyond Pandemics, Disruptions, and Ethical Failures by Terrence MacTaggart, AGB 2020

We carefully curated these staff-picked resources for you:

Crisis Leadreship Book Cover thumbnail

Crisis Leadership for Boards and Presidents: Anticipating, Managing, and Leading beyond Pandemics, Disruptions, and Ethical Failures

2020
Terrence MacTaggart

Risk Management: An Accountability Guide for University and College Boards

2020
Janice M. Abraham with Sarah Braughler, Liza Kabanova, and Justin Kollinger

“In Tough Times, Schools Look to Lawyer Trustees to Lead”

Trusteeship, May/June 2021
Patricia E. Salkin

Crisis Leadership

FAQ
AGB

Crisis Communications

FAQ
AGB

Transforming Crisis Leadership into Community Stewardship: Part 3 of 3

Webinar On Demand
Facilitated by Peter Lake, Terrence MacTaggart, and Rob Buelow

All resources.

Trusteeship Article
The Personal Qualities of Leaders during the COVID-19 Era
Takeaways The COVID-19 era is characterized by the lingering health effects of COVID-19 and its variants, further disruptions caused by its second- and third- order consequences, and reemerging problems masked during the height of the pandemic. Presidents with the right personal qualities …
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Trusteeship Article
Scenario Planning in Three Modes
Takeaways Scenarios of whatever type encourage “open-minded” responses to external challenges or crises by providing multiple, alternative institutional outcomes that necessarily challenge linear, status quo solutions. The coronavirus pandemic required all higher education institutions to quickly provide multiple financial and teaching/ learning …
Read Article
Blog Post
On My Agenda: Refocusing on the Horizon
August 27, 2021 - Over the summer, numerous chief executives and board chairs shared with me their concern about how—after operating in crisis mode for 18 months, in an environment that demanded quick decisions and short timetables—their boards are now struggling with how to plan …
Read Article
Blog Post
Time to Re-Assess
June 29, 2021 - As observers of investment committee behavior for more than 20 years, we have been surprised at how few committees take the time for self-reflection, especially after periods of extreme stress. Strategic Investment Group’s blog post, Time to Re-Assess, provides a …
Read Article
Trusteeship Article
In Tough Times, Schools Look to Lawyer Trustees to Lead
As enormous pressures weigh on all of higher education and many schools fight for survival, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to deal economic blows to the sector. Most schools are heavily dependent on tuition revenues to cover budgeted operations. With enrollment …
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Trusteeship Article
A Question For Paul N. Friga, PhD
Paul N. Friga a clinical associate professor of strategy at the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He also cofounded ABC Insights, a consortium of universities working to become more efficient and effective, which …
Read Article
Trusteeship Article
View from the Board Chair: Leading in Challenging Times, Creating New Opportunities
The impact of our nation’s community colleges has never been more important than now, as our community and nation extricate themselves from the grip of the COVID- 19 pandemic. More than 100 years ago, community colleges were created as the …
Read Article
Trusteeship Article
Governing Higher Education Systems in Perilous Times
Higher education governing boards face a surfeit of challenges. For most institutions, enrollment and financial disruptions add to worsening demographic trends. Competitive pressures grow more intense every year, especially with the dramatic increase in online and remote learning. Now COVID-19 …
Read Article
Webinar On Demand
Protecting Institutions from Existential Cyber Risk
February 16, 2021 - Trustees have a duty to protect their institutions from existential cyber risk. Automating the NIST Cybersecurity Framework provides an effective vehicle for shared communication and assures them that a comprehensive view of risk is being assessed …
View Webinar
Blog Post
AGB President & CEO Update: Crisis Strategies & Exemplary Board Leadership
February 02, 2021 - The violence at the U.S. Capitol building last month was incredibly disturbing. For me, it drove home how critical it is that those in higher education advocate peace, equity, and trust across our communities and around the world. If you …
Read Article

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