The Leadership Dynamic in Public College and University Systems

Societal pressures, scarce financial resources, and heightened requirements for accountability and transparency demand that system board members, system heads, and campus chief executives work together in concerted and productive ways to achieve their individual and collective purposes. There is a need for a clearer articulation of how a state system board, a system executive, and individual campus chief executive officers can engage one another most effectively. What are the respective responsibilities of these players within a state system? What are the rules of engagement—the procedures and guidelines to ensure that a system and its campuses work together effectively and are accountable for their performance? How can the leaders of a collection of higher education institutions—often characterized by differences in mission, size, and programmatic strengths—function most effectively together in a combined strategy to serve a state and its citizens in exchange for state financial and political support?

It was to address such questions as these that the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB), the National Association of System Heads (NASH), and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) convened a special session to focus on characteristics of effective public college and university systems. The AGB-NASH- AASCU discussion sought to identify key principles and practical strategies to guide system board members and their chairs, system heads, and campus chief executives in achieving an effective working relationship to help advance the needs of states and their communities. The discussions from this event yielded a clearer delineation of the responsibilities of the system board, the system head, and campus chief executives within a public college and university system of higher education.