AGB Publishes the Principles of Trusteeship
AGB has published a new resource entitled the Principles of Trusteeship: How to Become a Highly Effective Board Member for Colleges, Universities, and Foundations. The publication outlines nine actions and attributes that individual board members should develop to better serve their institutions, systems, or foundations. While AGB has historically focused on the work of the board as a whole, since authority rests with the full governing body, Principles of Trusteeship serves as a guide for individual board members to strategically navigate an evolving higher education landscape and drive successful outcomes. The nine actions are grouped into three fundamental functions of effective trusteeship, which include understanding governance, thinking strategically, and leading by example. A full discussion of what is included in the book is described in the cover story of this issue of Trusteeship, “What Kind of Board Member Are You?” by Marla J. Bobowick, a governance consultant who served as the project director for the AGB Principles of Trusteeship project.
“Although it may seem evident that boards are only as strong as their individual members, it remains critically important that board members understand their individual responsibilities,” said Merrill Schwartz, senior vice president for content strategy and development at AGB. “We convened experts from across higher education who have served on multiple boards in various capacities and asked them to identify the most important characteristics for effective board membership. This book distills decades of experience into something that’s easily understandable.”
The Principles of Trusteeship is the first result of a year-long initiative to identify the characteristics and conduct that define exemplary board member behavior. It lays the foundation for additional content that will dive into these actions and characteristics via webinars, podcast episodes, Ask-the-Expert discussions, and AGB events. Visit www.agb.org/principles-of-trusteeship/.
AGB Releases its Latest Survey of Board Professionals
AGB is excited to unveil the results of the 2020 AGB Survey of Board Professionals. The quinquennial survey is intended to offer insight into the role of the board professional, the primary planners for the board and the critical liaisons between the board and other campus leaders.
Overall, the study showed a marked progression in respondents’ perceptions of the job’s complexities and responsibilities compared with five years ago, in part due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on higher education. Specifically, when asked whether or how the complexity of their role had changed over the past five years, respondents’ most common response was that their boards had requested an increased level of information (58.8 percent). The next most common answer was “increased number of responsibilities for the role” at 54.8 percent. Some respondents used the free response comment area to outline the impact COVID- 19 has had on their workload, including quickly adapting to the virtual meeting environment. Other reasons included a greater emphasis on shared governance and increased expectations from board members for the board professional to provide guidance on complex governance matters. Only 7.9 percent believed that the level of complexity in their job had remained the same.
Among other findings, the board professional role remains mostly homogenous in terms of demographics. Consistent with previous surveys, the majority of respondents were women (84.3 percent), White (84.1 percent), and older (59.5 percent of respondents were over the age of 50). At the same time, board professionals appear to have arrived at the role from across the institution, hailing from academic-related positions, administrative/special/executive assistant positions inside and outside higher education, and legal staffing positions, among others. A majority are recruited from within the institution; only 8.1 percent of respondents said they were recruited from a national search. AGB hopes this information will encourage higher education executives to broaden their applicant pool so that institutional leadership can better reflect an ever more diverse society.
“The data suggest that while women are well-represented overall, institutional hiring pools need more critical examination in terms of who is included—and who is not included—in them,” said Lesley McBain, AGB director of research. “The board professional position tends to be held by long-serving and experienced employees but does not have a clearly defined career pathway, unlike tenure-track faculty positions. So, while individual board professionals’ career backgrounds vary widely, the demographic results’ consistency over the last several surveys suggest the lack of diversity in the role has systemic roots instead of being unique to the board professional position.”
The survey, conducted every five years, is intended to offer data and insight into the role of the board professional across large, small, public, private, four-year, and two-year institutions, as well as institutionally related foundations and public university systems. In 2020, more than 220 active board professionals responded to the survey, a 19 percent response rate.
AGB Members can download the 2020 AGB Survey of Board Professionals.
AGB Releases a New Statement on Justice, Equity, and Inclusion
AGB recently published the AGB Board of Directors’ Statement on Justice, Equity, and Inclusion and Guidance for Implementation. It challenges higher education governing boards of all types to incorporate the values of justice, equity, and inclusion (JE&I) into their daily practices. The statement’s guidance is organized in the form of recommendations, key questions, strategies, and an appendix of important definitions. The three strategies for implementing JE&I governance work include:
- Developing and applying an equity lens in the board’s governance structures and processes;
- Applying a justice, equity, and inclusion lens throughout the institution; and
- Contributing to social justice and equity in the communities where the institution is located.
“We’re all in,” said Henry Stoever, president and CEO of AGB. “Showing leadership on these issues is key to the sustainability and viability of our institutions and is a critical part of the board’s fiduciary responsibilities.”
The AGB Board of Directors’ Statement on Justice, Equity, and Inclusion and Guidance for Implementation is the latest resource from AGB as part of its Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (JDE&I) Initiative. Other materials include an FAQ guide, a toolkit to assist boards in having relevant conversations in the boardroom, and Trusteeship magazine articles. AGB Consulting has also launched a practice area to provide tailored support to the specific needs of individual institutions. JDE&I was also a focus of several sessions at the recent 2021 National Conference on Trusteeship, which was held in April 2021.
Welcome New AGB Members
AGB welcomes new members that have joined since December 7, 2020.
American College of Education
Bastyr University
Bryant & Stratton College System
Clinton College
Coastal Carolina University
College of Lake County Foundation
H. Lavity Stoutt Community College
Holyoke Community College
Maryland Institute College of Art
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Nightingale College
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
Prairie View A&M State University Foundation
Stephen F. Austin State University Foundation, Inc.
Tarrant County College Foundation
The Ohio State University Alumni Association
Ultimate Medical Academy
Universidad de Las Americas (Ecuador)
Universidad Zamorano, Honduras
University of Saint Francis
University System of Georgia Office
Washington College
Hebrew Union College- Jewish Institute of Religion
Miles College
Mount Tamalpais College
Northland College
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Queens University of Charlotte
Quest University
Saint Augustine’s University
Southern Arkansas University Foundation
Union College
University of Wisconsin-Platteville Foundation
Van Andel Institute Graduate School
*This list is accurate as of April 8, 2021
Upcoming Events
Increasing Academic ROI at Public Higher Ed Institutions: Session 3 of the Strategic Transformation Workshop Series
May 19, 2021 Workshop
http://www.agb.org/ increasing-academic-roi
Rethinking Campus: Costs, Consortia, and Connected Learning
May 20, 2021 Ask the Expert
https://agb.org/events/ask-expert/may-20/
Membership Navigator
June 10, 2021 Webinar
http://www.agb.org/membership-navigator
How to Grow Your Best Resource: Board, Leadership, and Faculty Development
June 17, 2021 Ask the Expert
https://agb.org/events/ask-expert/jun-17/
High-Impact Practices and Preparing Engaged Citizens in the Context of Work-Ready Graduates
June 23, 2021 Webinar
http://www.agb.org/high-impact-practices
Optimizing Administrative Spend at Public Higher Ed Institutions: Session 4 of the Strategic Transformation Workshop Series
June 30, 2021 Workshop
https://agb.org/optimizing-administrative-spend
See AGB.org/events
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President Henry Stoever @henrystoever AGB @AGBInsights
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