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.

Click below to reveal 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

AGB FAQs Crisis Leadership

Crisis Leadership

FAQ
AGB

AGB FAQs Crisis Communications

Crisis Communications

FAQ
AGB

Be Prepared

Blog Post
Carol A. Cartwright

AGB Roundtable Discussion: Board Responsibility for Organizational Values and Communication amid Global Conflict 

Webinar On Demand
Facilitated by Cristin Toutsi Grigos, Ellen Chaffee, Thomas Hyatt, and Mary Papazian

Navigating Communication and Cultural Challenges on Campus

Podcast
Featuring Morgan Alexander, Simon Barker, and Erin Bossen

All resources.

Trusteeship Article
Post-COVID-19 Leadership Holds Promise for Renewal in Higher Education
Takeaways Leaders who engaged their boards of trustees, faculty leadership, staff, and students are reshaping their institutions in sweeping and exacting ways. Key strategies emphasize: dramatic shifts in enrollment management Greater availability of hybrid student services, including adjustments in mental health and telehealth delivery Partnerships …
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Baker Tilly
Strategic Conversations for Business Model Vitality: What Small College Boards, Presidents, and CFOs Need to Know—and Discuss
March 7, 2023 - Watch this Webinar On Demand and learn about the essential conversations board members, presidents, and CFOs should engage in to kick-start strategic thinking and sure-handed action that together can rejuvenate the vitality of the institution’s business …
View Webinar
Trusteeship Article
News in Brief
Emerging Public Attitudes Toward Higher Ed How does the public view the value of a college education today? In an episode of Inside Higher Ed’s “The Key Podcast,” three experts explored recent research on the topic. Sophie Nguyen, a senior policy analyst …
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Trusteeship Article
News in Brief
Biden’s Student Debt Cancellation Trains a Spotlight on the Future The top concern among parents about their children entering college is affordability, according to a recent survey from EAB, a consulting firm specializing in education institutions. Thus, many were pleased when …
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On My Agenda
On My Agenda: Institutional Vitality in an Era of Student Debt Crisis
President Biden's decision to cancel $10,000 in student loan debt ($20,000 for Pell Grant recipients) has intensified the debate around college access, accountability, and affordability, and has sparked countless conversations about potential solutions. The ongoing debate over who should pay …
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Trusteeship Article
News in Brief
Foreign Investments and Gifts Under Fire Proposed new legislation in the US Congress would require colleges and universities to rid their endowments of any financial investments in Chinese and other foreign entities that “have been deemed any unacceptable national security risk,” …
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Trusteeship Article
American Democracy Is in Jeopardy
Download the PDFWatch the Video American democracy and our nation’s role as a beacon of hope and leader of the free-market economy are in jeopardy. Our place in the world has …
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Blog Post
Preparing Your Faculty and Administrators for the Future
August 11, 2022 - The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated a shift in what students think of higher education. This is the final in a series of three posts from Six Red Marbles looking ahead to these possibly seismic shifts and how to prepare your …
Read Article
Trusteeship Article
News in Brief
Higher Education Offers Support to Students from Ukraine and Russia In the wake of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, students from both countries who are enrolled in American colleges and universities continue to grapple with significant challenges, including pressing financial issues. …
Read Article
Trusteeship Article
Pandemic Leadership: Lessons Learned at Six Institutions
Takeaways In a crisis, quickly establish alignment among administrators, board members, faculty, students, and other stakeholders. Ensure that messaging is consistent, clear about challenges, and builds trust. Form special task forces to focus on discrete, urgent recommendations. Be sure each task force …
Read Article

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