a president is only as good as his/her board a board is only as good as its chair
TRANSCRIPT
A PRESIDENT IS ONLY AS GOOD AS HIS/HER BOARD
A BOARD IS ONLY AS GOOD AS ITS CHAIR
Building an Effective BoardDr. Carol CartwrightPresident Emeritus, Kent State UniversitySenior Consultant, AGB
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• Respect the public trust
• Ensure that public purposes are served
• Advocate for the value of public higher education
• Reflect institution’s best interests—even in the face of competing forces
• Debate vigorously—speak with one voice in public
Public Trusteeship
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An Effective Board
• Understands and respects the difference between governing and managing.
• Balances advocacy and oversight
• In spite of differing views, speaks with one voice
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An Effective Board
• Observes the highest ethical standards–no conflict of interest
• Balances the institution’s interests with state needs
• Listens to all constituencies without giving any veto power
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• Monitors to ensure the quality of the educational experience for students
• Is committed to due process and academic freedom for students and faculty
An Effective Board
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• Pursues board education
• Is informed of national trends in higher education—both state and regional needs
• Makes decisions that are data driven
• Regularly assesses its own performance and its governance capacity
An Effective Board
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Board Performance
• Board and institutional performance are closely related.
• Boards have major impact-positive or negative
• Reputation Counts in Higher Education
• Donors
• Recruiting Faculty & Best Students
• State Funding
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Board Leadership Board Performance
• Boards Must be Self Regulating
• A president cannot police the board
• Challenge: Governance is a team sport but boards are mostly composed of quarterbacks
• A Team of Equals
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High-Performing Boards
• Engaged and Informed
• Support Presidential Leadership
• Balance Oversight and Advocacy
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Oversight and Delegation—Where is
the Balance?
• Cannot delegate ultimate fiduciary responsibility
• Delegate to the President abundant authority to manage
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• Clearly convey to the President about expectations
• Hold President accountable
• Establish conditions for success for President
Oversight and Delegation—Where is
the Balance?
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• Clear expectations
• Shared vision
• Mutual agreements about priorities/plans
• Roles of key stakeholders
• Climate of trust and candor
Board-President Partnership
