Governing with Purpose

August 4, 2026
2:00–3:00 PM ET

Two defining hallmarks have long distinguished American higher education: institutional diversity and autonomy. Rather than a single centralized model, the U.S. system includes a wide range of public, private, nonprofit, faith-based, research, regional, community, and mission-driven institutions with the independence to pursue distinct missions. Together, these hallmarks have enabled colleges and universities to serve varied students, advance knowledge, strengthen democracy, and contribute to the nation’s economic prosperity.

Today, these hallmarks face growing pressure from political, regulatory, financial, and public forces. Governing boards have a fiduciary responsibility to safeguard institutional independence, mission, and long-term vitality while upholding public trust.

Learning Objectives

1. Recognize the value of institutional diversity and autonomy as defining strengths of American higher education that enable institutions to serve distinct missions, students, and communities.
2. Examine the pressures challenging these hallmarks, including political, regulatory, financial, and public expectations that may affect institutional independence and long-term vitality.
3. Clarify the board’s fiduciary role in protecting mission, autonomy, and public trust while helping institutions remain resilient, responsive, and aligned with their purpose.

Speaker:

Carlton Brown, EdD, trustee, San Francisco Bay University; consultant, AGB

September 8, 2026
2:00–3:00 PM ET

Higher education is entering a period of significant change, bringing new opportunities for boards to help shape a stronger, more resilient future. Enrollment shifts, affordability expectations, evolving dynamics in intercollegiate athletics, and questions about long-term sustainability are prompting institutions to think more strategically about mission, value, and vitality.

For boards, this moment calls for purposeful, mission-centered governance and a clear understanding of how today’s decisions can strengthen tomorrow’s institutions. This webinar will explore how boards can engage these issues with confidence, curiosity, and a future-focused mindset.

Learning Objectives

1. A future-focused understanding of how enrollment shifts, affordability expectations, athletics, and sustainability considerations are reshaping institutional vitality and creating opportunities for strategic board leadership.
2. Practical governance strategies for asking the right questions, monitoring key trends, evaluating institutional value, and aligning decisions with mission and long-term resilience.
3. Greater confidence in partnering with institutional leaders to anticipate risks, identify opportunities, and build a stronger, more sustainable future for their institutions.

Moderator:

Jackie Gardina, JD, senior director of institution and system programs, AGB

Panelists:

Ali R. Malekzadeh, PhD, president, Roosevelt University

Cynthia Shapira, chair, Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education

October 6, 2026
2:00–3:00 PM ET

Improving student access and success is one of AGB’s 2026–2027 top strategic issues for boards. This webinar will help trustees examine how governance can expand opportunity, strengthen persistence, and support completion. The discussion will address public skepticism about higher education’s value, rising student debt concerns, changing student needs, and workforce uncertainty driven by artificial intelligence. Participants will explore how boards and presidents can align mission, strategy, resources, and accountability to improve outcomes for all students.

Speakers:

Kemal M. Atkins, EdD, trustee, San Francisco Bay University; consultant, AGB

Kathryn Morris, PhD, president, St. Lawrence University

November 10, 2026
2:00–3:00 PM ET

Higher education leaders are navigating political, financial, cultural, and global headwinds that demand stronger governance and deeper leadership support. These headwinds are why developing and supporting higher education leaders is a top strategic issue for boards.  This webinar will provide a practical framework for boards to align with presidents, strengthen leadership capacity, and navigate external pressures to advance resilient, mission-centered leadership.

Learning Objectives

1. A clearer understanding of why developing and supporting higher education leaders is a strategic governance priority amid political, financial, cultural, and global pressures.
2. A practical framework for strengthening board–president alignment, clarifying roles, and building shared responsibility for resilient, mission-centered leadership.
3. Actionable governance practices for supporting presidential leadership, strengthening leadership capacity across the institution, and navigating external pressures while advancing long-term institutional vitality.

Speaker:

Jason Lane, PhD, special advisor to the president, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign

January 12, 2027
2:00–3:00 PM ET

While teaching, research, and service will continue to form the foundation of higher education’s mission, there is no denying that the landscape upon which these activities occur has significantly—and in some ways inalterably—shifted. As political, demographic, economic, and technological forces influence the educational sector, how will colleges and universities adapt; find efficiencies, new partners, and new markets; and perhaps reshape themselves to endure and even thrive. Just as importantly, how will institutional leaders and governing boards prioritize and position institutions for success?