a president is only as good as his/her board a board is only as good as its chair

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

Thank You

Carol Cartwright ccartwri@kent.edu

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