Points to the advantages of a long tenure for community college presidents in terms of opportunities for long-range planning and president-board relationships. Suggests ways of maintaining flexibility and enthusiasm throughout a long term in office. (AYC)

When the faculty of the Community College of Philadelphia organized for bargaining in 1970, the board hired two outside experts to negotiate. In the course of four crisis situations the outside negotiators imposed their own solutions, creating tension in the administration and loss of control by the board. (Editor/LBH)

A survey of 80 Nebraska superintendents found that "critical incidents" involving these superintendents and board members can irreparably damage professional relationships and lead to dismissals. Of the 12 categories of incidents, those related to board members' children, relatives, and friends formed the largest category, with role…

Heightened racial and ethnic-group politics and increasingly rocky board-superintendent relations are making the urban superintendency increasingly untenable. The politics of urban school governance can stymie even the best candidates. To survive, big-city superintendents need a thick hide, sensitivity to diversity, charisma, self-confidence,…

Summarizes in-depth interviews with six past and present Canadian superintendents from metropolitan school districts. Discusses school board expectations of superintendents, ways to build an effective working relationship with the board, the political demands of the superintendent's position, and instructional leadership and other aspects of the…

For board members who want to take an active role, understanding the distinction between governing and administering is key to working with the college's president. In addition, personal observation and informal discussions with campus community members can enhance understanding of fiscal practices, conditions, and campus morale. (Author/MSE)

The six most common excuses given by trustees reluctant to raise money are outlined, and positive counterarguments and specific techniques for understanding the excuse's underlying causes are offered. (MSE)

Only by accepting responsibility for ferreting out all the accurate relevant information on an issue can board members trust their decisions. Describes the categories of fundamental, unsolicited, and on-demand information and how best to deal with them. (MLF)

For college presidents, concerns about job security reduce freedom to participate in public life. Many presidents seek a low profile. The key to liberating a president to serve society as a public intellectual is for the governing board to explicitly endorse that role. This public role is an appropriate matter for discussion during the…

Part one of a 10-year study showed that international school heads remain, on average, only 2.8 years in a given position. The second part of the study analyzed why a subset of the group (83 school heads) left their positions. Reasons given included problems involving the board of directors, compensation packages, retirement issues and benefits,…

A college governing board can become more directive without resorting to micromanagement. This requires a strategic plan providing focus and direction, a disciplined monitoring of the plan, a close working relationship between trustee committee chairs and administrative counterparts, and an atmosphere encouraging trustees to ask the right…

Hazards to new superintendents include enemies on the school board, sloppy expense accounting, and romancing school employees. Would-be survivors must be aware of antagonistic board members and the inevitability of making enemies, avoid expense account irregularities, eschew favoritism, admit mistakes, avoid subordinate-confidants, recognize the…

School boards and superintendents must cease their enmity and become allies. The board-superintendent relationship can founder over ambiguous goals, rules, and expectations; mutual mistrust; interpersonal sabotage; bickering among board members; and superheroic expectations for superintendents. Boards should focus on the big picture, identify…

For governing boards and college presidents to function effectively, a statement of mutual expectations is needed. A good statement forms the basis for future evaluations, helps the president know the board's specific expectations for performance, and focuses the board and the president on the same issues. (MSE)