At a time when the public and politicians are demanding more of colleges, many members of governing boards feel ill prepared for the job. Their lack of readiness and knowledge touches almost every corner of a college's operations, like campus politics and fund raising, and is often the source for strained relations with the institution's president, according to an extensive survey of trustees conducted by The Chronicle. Over all, fewer than 15 percent of trustees considered themselves "very well prepared" for what they faced when they joined a board. Four in 10 board members described themselves as "slightly" or "not at all" prepared. Among those feeling the least prepared were new and somewhat younger board members, a finding that could point to a looming leadership crisis on governing boards as older and more experienced members leave. Trustees who said they were not ready for their board service were also more likely to feel unfulfilled and less valued and to say they were not interested in serving again. But perhaps the most significant finding about the plight of unprepared board members was this: Just 56 percent reported an excellent relationship with the institution's president, compared with 73 percent of trustees who felt very well prepared. When matched up against a Chronicle survey of campus chief executives from 2005, the trustee survey gives a few insights into why presidents and trustees do not always see eye to eye.