Inside AGB

Governing Board Independence and Leadership Statement & Toolkit

In December 2023, AGB published the AGB Board of Directors’ Statement on Influences Impacting Governing Board Independence and Leadership (https://agb.org/agb-statements/agb-board-of-directors-statement-on-influences-impacting-governing-board-independence-and-leadership) with an associated toolkit (https://agb.org/influences-on-board-independence-and-leadership-toolkit). The statement and toolkit offer core principles, leading practices, templates, and other resources to help public, private, system, or foundation governing boards enhance their capacity to address the role of constituent influence.

The statement provides context, guidance and recommendations, and a series of appendices with practical resources. The context addresses the importance of academic freedom and the role that governing boards play in protecting it. The statement highlights how fulfilling fiduciary responsibilities—a legal requirement for governing board members—compels boards to weigh the perspectives of all stakeholders while ensuring that they make their decisions with the best interests of their institutions in mind.

The appendices, as well as the toolkit, equip boards to implement the statement’s recommendations and leading practices. For example, one appendix describes common sources of tension and offers recommendations for addressing each one. The toolkit includes both “pre-reads” and “perspectives” to help boards explore these topics in a dedicated session.