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A Guide to Strategic Board Retreats in Higher Education
Edited by R. Barbara Gitenstein
PRINT EDITION
$90.00
(Member Price $60.00)
PRINT EDITION
$90.00
(Member Price $60.00)
About:
The current higher education landscape poses a multitude of challenges both old and new that require governing boards to understand their fiduciary roles and act with strategic insight. Board retreats represent an often-underutilized opportunity—removed from everyday operational concerns—to focus on an institution’s long-term strategic direction in a way that leverages a board’s tremendous talents. AGB offers this book as a pragmatic tool to increase the effectiveness of board retreats. This manuscript features a group of authors who are some of the most respected and talented experts on the salient issues in contemporary higher education. Each chapter describes a key process or topic for a board retreat, common challenges boards face, and specific recommendations for improvement.
Also included are four appendices providing key governance principles for all board members, presidents, and board professionals involved in planning and executing successful higher education board retreats.
Contents:
- Introduction: Basics of a Successful Board Retreat (R. Barbara Gitenstein)
- Setting Strategic Direction in Today’s Higher Education Environment: The Board Retreat (Mark A. Heckler)
- Financial Sustainability: Avoid Magical Thinking (Lawrence R. Ladd)
- Strategic Board Retreats for Justice, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Freedom of Speech (Carlton E. Brown)
- Governance as a Retreat Topic (Carol A. Cartwright)
- Board and Presidential Assessments: Connecting Performance to Strategy (Theodore E. Long)
- Shared Governance: Clarifying Roles and Responsibilities across Campus (Steven C. Bahls)
- External Influences: Managing Constituent Engagement (Jill Derby)
- Advancing Student Success for Governing Boards (Kemal M. Atkins)
Title Information:
- A bulk discount is available for orders of 10 or more copies.
- Publication Year: 2025
- ISBN: 978-1-951635-46-6
- 176 pages
About the Editor:
R. Barbara Gitenstein has over 40 years of experience as a college professor and administrator in both public and private institutions. She is president emerita of the College of New Jersey, where she served for nearly 20 years, and is the first woman to serve as president of the College of New Jersey in its 160-year history. Gitenstein came to the College of New Jersey from Drake University, where she served as provost and executive vice president. From 2021 to 2023, Gitenstein also served as senior vice president for AGB Consulting.