Public colleges and universities have long turned to institutionally related foundations ("IRFs") to raise private support and manage endowments and other financial assets. From the start, however, IRFs have also served as vehicles enabling public institutions to engage in real estate transactions and related entrepreneurial ventures…

"Updating Board Bylaws: A Guide for Colleges and Universities" represents the latest thinking on good governance in higher education by providing a concise deconstruction of the essential clauses in college, university, and system bylaws. Written by Robert O'Neil, former professor of law and president of the University of Wisconsin System and the…

College and university boards are charged with governance responsibility to ensure that students receive a high-quality education from a well-managed institution that fulfills its mission and actively pursues its vision. The student affairs committee places current and future students squarely at the center of its work and must ensure that other…

This publication is part of an Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB) series devoted to strengthening the role of key standing committees of governing boards. While there is no optimum committee system for institutions of higher education, certain principles, practices, and procedures prevail. The best practices…

In this article, the author observes that while university officials believe that strategic planning will help them look past the day-to-day housekeeping and meet the challenges of a volatile environment, much of such planning appears mired in competitive self-replication and is vulnerable to distrust from the public and government. Too often, the…

The responsibilities and problems confronting college and university trustees in the last quarter of the 20th century are considered. The following topics are briefly addressed: increased enrollments after World War II, the growth of community colleges, the establishment of state coordinating commissions, political influences, federal support and…

Most campus building projects are high-stakes ventures that, if not correctly planned, may be accompanied by cost overruns, schedule delays, unhappy stakeholders, diminished political goodwill, delays in new programs, or even the forfeiture of a donor gift. The key to managing complexity, reducing risk, and saving time and money lies in one…

This paper proposes approaches for both strategic and operational reform and restructuring of higher education. An approach to strategic decision making requires a detailed examination of mission, clientele, programs, competitiveness, and strategic objectives. There are operational efficiencies that institutions can obtain with the proper…

In this article, the author proposes and discusses a collection of ten governance habits of boards of trustees that distinguish the average board from those that perform with excellence. They are interconnected, interlocking, and systemic. In the aggregate, the benefits of these habits are greater than the sum of their parts, because they function…