The Selection of Public College and University Foundation Board Members

Introduction: Why the Foundation Director Selection Process Matters

Higher education serves essential public purposes, including workforce and economic development, research and innovation, and civic education. Across its century of work, AGB has maintained that these purposes are best promoted by independent governing boards whose citizen members are committed to their institutions’ missions to serve their students, community, states, and nation.

Today higher education institutions face serious pressures, including affordability and access issues, negative enrollment trends, and declining public confidence. Most foundation boards recognize that their host institutions are confronting greater competition, financial urgencies, and public scrutiny than ever before. Foundation boards are also grappling with growing demands from their host institutions, donors, and the public to provide greater financial assistance to the institutions, manage their assets well, and derive the greatest possible benefit from philanthropic investments.

Foundation board members are intermediaries between institutions, donors, and the public. Effective board members bring public concerns into boardroom conversations while also protecting the foundation from interference that could undermine its mission and support for the affiliated institution. They also serve as advocates for the broader value of higher education, including the societal and economic benefits of university research and innovation, and the civic education of students. An effective foundation requires a skilled and experienced foundation board guided by a competent governance committee.

For self-perpetuating foundation boards, choosing new members (that is, board-member selection or board composition) is one of the most important responsibilities. Foundation governing boards are only as strong as the character, expertise, competence, and dedication of their members. Therefore, nomination and selection processes should prioritize merit, experience, ability, and care for the institution, over partisan political or ideological considerations. Board leaders must recognize that the selection of new board members is one of the most important levers for supporting and enhancing vigorous higher education institutions.