As representatives of their college and in working with the college community, community college trustees enter into numerous relationships, each of which has associated roles and responsibilities. Responsibilities of the board chairperson, for example, include working with the president to set meeting agenda, appointing committee members, serving as the official spokesperson for the board, overseeing other trustees, providing counsel for the president, and initiating periodic board evaluations. In addition, trustees in many colleges employ or appoint the college president and it is important that a friendly trustee-president relationship exist. With respect to trustees' relationships with college administrative staff and faculty, the fundamental responsibility of the board is to provide them with adequate policies, rules, and regulations for the effective operation of the institution. Faculty and staff, for their part, are directly responsible to the president and should conduct their business with the board through the president. While the role of state governing boards differs, in North Carolina the state board has full authority to adopt all policies, regulations, and standards deemed necessary for the operation of the system but traditionally grants maximum autonomy to the colleges. In North Carolina, individual trustees have limited direct communication with state-level administrators but are the most powerful group of lobbyists, advocates, and public relations professionals that community colleges have in working with the State Assembly and Congress. (TGI)