The Courage to Govern Now

It is a distinct pleasure to write to you in this issue of Trusteeship having recently been named president and CEO by the AGB Board of Directors. While much has been written about the challenges facing higher education, I am also cognizant of the opportunities presented at this unique time and am excited to continue working with our members, our colleagues, and our staff.

Meeting the moment is the overarching goal of AGB’s Govern NOW initiative. Higher education is facing unprecedented attacks on those values that have been at the core of our mission for centuries: institutional autonomy, academic freedom, and independent governance. It is board members who are on the front lines of the fight to protect the system of non-ideological, mission-driven governance that has built a higher education system that is the envy of the world.

Fortunately, board members are not in this fight alone. Everyone who touches higher education has a role to play in protecting our core values, even as we seek to adapt and innovate to the current needs of our students, our society, and our world. To that end, AGB is working to support not only board members and board professionals but also elected officials who are seeking to codify good governance practices in state law. For example, in Virginia, AGB has provided recommendations to the Spanberger administration and legislative leaders that will help meet the shared goal of returning fiduciary duty and advancement of mission to the center of the board member’s role across the Commonwealth.

We have also created an extensive suite of resources for use in the board room as a way to clarify responsibilities, prepare for emerging threats, or navigate complex campus dynamics. How to Govern for Institutional Autonomy: A Practical Guide for Higher Education Boards provides diagnostic tools, checklists, sample resolutions, discussion guides, and other interactive tools that can help boards prepare for and tackle these pressing attacks on academic freedom, freedom of speech, and independent governance.

In addition to boardroom resources, AGB has recently welcomed its first cohort of participants in the Govern NOW Leadership Academy. Designed for public, private, and system board members, presidents, board professionals, and general counsel, this hybrid learning opportunity brings together AGB and PEN America experts on academic freedom, freedom of expression, and institutional autonomy. These sessions will help participants identify and mitigate high-priority concerns stemming from the current higher education landscape. It is our hope that this program, which will conclude with a half-day in-person session at the 2026 AGB National Conference on Trusteeship, will help us create a board development program that can reach many more members and higher education leaders beyond this first cohort.

Additionally, we are working closely with our colleague associations in Washington, D.C., to bring attention to the negative repercussions inherent in allowing political pressures to overwhelm mission. Over the past year, I have had the pleasure of talking about our Govern NOW work with a wide variety of colleagues, including business officers at the National Association of College and University Business Officers annual meeting and the American Council on Education as well as at our own 2026 AGB Foundation Leadership Forum.

This summer, AGB will bring together leading voices for a conversation in Washington, D.C., about institutional autonomy, where higher education has succeeded in pushing back on attacks and where there is still work to do. Board members are crucial to this discussion, as are the voices of presidents and chancellors, faculty, and elected officials. I look forward to sharing more information as event planning progresses.

Lastly, I want to extend my sincere gratitude to the Mellon Foundation for their strong support of Govern NOW, which has enabled us to make this work a primary focus of the organization over the last year. I also want to commend Ellen Chaffee, AGB senior consultant and senior fellow, for her inspired leadership of this initiative and the AGB team that worked to bring these resources to life.

If your institution would like assistance with any Govern NOW resources, please be in touch.

Ross A. Mugler is the president and CEO of AGB.