Table of Contents 

Features 

The Power of Strategic Thinking
By Carol Christ

Smith College’s experiment with a strategic-thinking process led to lessons that can be helpful to board members at many other colleges and universities.

The Common Core State Standards: Closing the School-College Gap
By Jacqueline E. King and Allison Jones

The most significant impediment to success in college is inadequate academic preparation, but new collaboration between K–12 and higher education could help students meet expectations.

Protecting and Enhancing Campus Facilities: 6 Principles for Boards
By Harvey H. Kaiser

As fiduciaries, boards must ensure that physical assets are protected and enhanced over time. But how to do so effectively when growing internal and external pressures on higher education institutions make that more challenging than ever before?

Bringing to Life Transformative Ideas
By Janet Whitman

An interdisciplinary teaching museum has become a signature element of both Skidmore College’s educational program and public persona. The process of its creation has, in many ways, become a blueprint for the board for collaborating on any major facilities project.

Higher Education Endowments Return
By David Bahlmann, John Walda, and Verne Sedlacek

The 2011 NACUBO –Commonfund Study of Endowments brings good news, with a few caveats, to higher education. David Bahlman, president and CEO of the Ball State University Foundation, talks with NACUBO President and CEO John Walda and Commonfund President and CEO Verne Sedlacek about the results.

Departments

Thorny Issue
The Dominating Trustee
By Adele Phelan

T’Ship 101
Going Beyond Graduation Rates
By Maurice C. Taylor

Legal Standpoint
The Principles of Indemnification, and Why Trustees Should Care About It
By Lawrence White

Trustee Spotlight
Ted Leonsis, Georgetown University
By AGB

Heat Map
Protecting Minors on Your Campus
By Janice Abraham

Focus on the Presidency
Cost Containment in Higher Education
By Kevin P. Reilly

View from the Board Chair
Governing by Consensus
By Robert Rabinovitch

Datafile
Challenging Times for the Investment Committee
By Merrill P. Schwartz

A Question For…
Michael J. Worth
How Is Fundraising for Public Higher Education Changing?