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Near the end of the January–March 2026 period, AGB Govern NOW Leadership Academy participants (trustees, board professionals, presidents from diverse institutions) were asked to recommend board strategies for dealing with these volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous times. The following strategies appeared most frequently, listed in descending order of mentions.
Recommendation 1
Reaffirm institutional mission as the primary decision-making framework.
Nearly every participant recommended formally reaffirming the mission as the anchor for all governance decisions.
Recommendation 2
Organize board education and ongoing governance training.
Participants consistently called for sustained trustee education on fiduciary duties, governance boundaries, and academic freedom.
Recommendation 3
Clarify governance boundaries.
Reinforce the distinction between board oversight and academic/management decision-making.
Recommendation 4
Enlist stakeholders and policymakers proactively in a comprehensive communications strategy.
Engage policymakers, donors, alumni, and community partners before crises develop; develop a coordinated public communications plan.
Recommendation 5
Discuss possible scenarios for dealing with inappropriate intrusions.
Structure board discussions around hypothetical intrusion situations to enable measured, strategic responses rather than reactive decisions.
Recommendation 6
Revisit and reaffirm the board’s code of conduct and fiduciary duties.
Formally reaffirm board members’ duties of care, loyalty, and obedience to mission as a unifying governance framework.
Recommendation 7
Engage in collective action and coalition-building with peer institutions.
Coordinate with peer institutions, regional accreditors, and higher education associations to present a unified front.
Recommendation 8
Develop a formal intrusion-response protocol.
Define clear triggers and designate a standing rapid-response team.
Recommendation 9
Strengthen and expand shared governance.
Extend consultation processes to include donors, alumni, faculty members, and students more deliberately, while preserving clear decision-making authority.
Recommendation 10
Issue public statements affirming institutional autonomy and academic freedom.
Publicize proactive, visible public commitments that establish the institution’s position before crises emerge.
AGB Govern NOW Leadership Academy | Compiled for Program Review
AI tools assisted with assembling these recommendations based on about two dozen Leadership Academy members’ essays.
