Board Responsibility for Equitable Student Success

Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Toolkit
AGB, 2021 | Toolkit
AGB believes that addressing matters of social and racial justice is a national imperative. Removing barriers to student success; creating a stronger sense of belonging for all students, faculty, and staff; and contributing to the communities in which we live and work are critical to the success of our colleges and universities and our nation. To support your board and institution in addressing these issues, AGB has developed this Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (JDE&I) Toolkit. It includes materials you can customize to work with your board to develop a common understanding of JDE&I issues, assess institutional needs, and prioritize and pursue your goals. Take the following steps to get started.
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AGB Board of Directors’ Statement on Justice, Equity, and Inclusion and Guidance for Implementation
AGB, 2021 | Board Statement
As many institutions today carry out the difficult and critical work of studying their historical relationships with Indigenous, Black, Brown, LGBTQ, and many other groups too long marginalized in American society, it is painfully clear the U.S. system of higher education—both public and private nonprofit—has never been the level playing field some imagine it to be. The AGB Board of Directors recognizes the urgency for governing boards to examine and address barriers to justice, equity, and inclusion (JEI) in their own work, at all levels of the institution, and beyond the borders of the campus. Undertaking this work will be challenging and complex and the AGB Board of Directors’ Statement on Justice, Equity and Inclusion serves as a critical resource for boards in their efforts to implement this important governance work.
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Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Consulting Service
Justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion (JDE&I) are now imperative for the sustainability and vitality of higher education institutions. Boards must promote student success, institutional integrity, openness, and respect. They can only provide that leadership when they fully integrate JDE&I into their roles, responsibilities, agendas, policies, and practices. Becoming a champion for JDE&I is a complex, demanding journey. But it is completely essential to fulfilling the roles of higher education in supporting democracy, contributing to society, and serving the public good.Our experts will help you assess how your history, culture, assumptions, and biases are shaping your policies, practices, operations, and impacts. Then we’ll help you identify priorities, define an action plan for incorporating JDE&I into your boardroom operations, develop your board members and leadership, measure your progress, and make adjustments so you can stay on course.
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Today’s College Students : What Boards Need to Know
Lisa Foss, Trusteeship magazine, September/October 2022
We often think of today’s college students as if there is a single way to describe them. We picture a “traditional” student (18-22 years old, attending full-time, financially dependent on parents, and living on campus) with the same goals, motivations, values, and lived experiences. But a look at the data on who is attending our colleges and universities reveals there is no one single profile of individuals attending our institutions and a single description could not be further from the truth.
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Strategic Board Leadership for Justice, Equity, and Inclusion
Podcast, aired June 22, 2021
What is the board’s strategic role in advancing justice, equity, and inclusion? AGB’s own board of directors considered this question and recently published the AGB Board of Directors’ Statement on Justice, Equity, and Inclusion and Guidance for Implementation to guide governing boards in their efforts to implement this important governance work. In this podcast, AGB President and CEO Henry Stoever speaks with the organization’s board chair, Shauna Ryder Diggs, and board member Leo M. Lambert about the process, anticipated outcomes, and key to success as boards examine and address barriers to justice, equity, and inclusion in their own work, at all levels of the institution, and beyond the borders of the campus.
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Board Leadership for Racial Justice
Podcast, aired October 15, 2020
Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Board of Trustees recently voted to establish a Committee on Sustainable Racial Justice. This standing committee will provide board-of-trustee oversight of the university’s efforts to eradicate systematic racism. In this podcast, MSU Denver’s Board General Counsel and Secretary David Fine discusses the work behind the new committee with trustees Mario Carrera and Albus Brooks, the board members who called for the formation of this committee.
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A Balancing Act for Boards and Chief Executives: Free Speech and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion on Campus
Webinar on Demand | October 4, 2022
Tensions are increasing on campuses between the core values of freedom of speech and the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion, both of which are integral to institutional missions. Unfiltered, unbridled social media have further eroded respect for civil discourse and thoughtful deliberation. With extremist elements more willing to say abhorrent things, the angry rhetoric and ensuing clash of viewpoints can lead to unrest, even violence. Leaders must be able to articulate how the First Amendment protects people from oppression and violence. Watch AGB counsel Tom Hyatt and higher education leaders as they discuss practical and proactive steps boards and leaders can take to model respectful civil discourse around campus flashpoints.
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