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

Leadership in Times of Crisis

Trusteeship
January/February 2022
David V. Rosowsky, Stephen M. Gavazzi, and E. Gordon Gee

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.

Webinar On Demand
The War in Ukraine: Implications for College and University Endowment
May 3, 20220 - Watch this Webinar On Demand for a discussion on how the Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to calls for colleges and universities to divest their endowments and pension funds of Russian assets.
View Webinar
Trusteeship Article
News in Brief
Institutions Respond to Ukrainian Invasion Colleges and universities across the United States have been providing support to Ukraine in the wake of the invasion by Russia. They are offering a variety of services for students and faculty members, advocating for government …
Read Article
Upcoming Webinar
How to Ensure Good Decision-Making During a Crisis
Join this virtual workshop, which will bridge the work of governing boards and accreditation to shape institutional possibilities in challenging times.
View Webinar
Book
Top Strategic Issues for Boards 2022–2023
This biennial publication frames the most pressing challenges currently facing colleges and universities—those that demand the board’s strategic oversight, vision, and accountability to govern with confidence. The coronavirus pandemic has had profound effects on the operational and financial health of …
View Book
Trusteeship Article
Leadership in Times of Crisis
Takeaways Higher education leaders need to adopt new strategies to successfully navigate future crises in the so-called post-pandemic era. Crises of the post-pandemic era will be greater, more complicated, and more intersectional than ever before. Therefore, higher education leadership will require new …
Read Article
Trusteeship Article
The Role of the Board in Reducing Reputational Risk
The ivory tower simply isn’t what it used to be. Long gone are the days when academics, the administration, and even the board could simply focus on intellectual, philosophical, and esoteric pursuits happily disconnected from the rest of the world. …
Read Article
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 …
Read Article
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
On My Agenda
On My Agenda: Refocusing on the Horizon
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

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