Few of us in academia give deep and consistent thought to higher education governance. We tend to take it for granted until something significantly changes. And rarely, unfortunately, is the change easy and well received. It is understandable, for academic governance can be somewhat of an abstract concept. We are all somewhat familiar with the governance structure at the institution at which we work, and possibly at the prior institutions at which we worked. But who makes academic governance a site of inquiry? That’s not common.
Thankfully, there are places to turn. AGB, or the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, is probably the nation’s foremost organization when it comes to understanding and promoting higher education governance. Founded more than a century ago, AGB was a relatively small membership group until the 1960s. Since, AGB has aligned itself with other education-related organizations, built a professional staff and a national reputation, and become an increasingly important component of the higher education ecosystem. The history of AGB demonstrates an organization that has committed to changing with changing times. With its extensive professional development programs, advocacy arm and consultancy, AGB is the place to go when trying to learn more about academic governance. The AGB knowledge center is extraordinarily helpful.
Moving beyond the web, I recommend Policies, Practices, and Composition of Governing Boards of Colleges, Universities, and Institutionally Related Foundations as a valuable resource. The book is what the title purports: the results of a survey to gain a better picture higher education governance boards across the United States. The survey looks at all manner of things, from board membership to board topics to average length of meetings. It is a very good way to get a handle on who are higher education’s trustees at our 4,000 or so colleges and universities. The data, too, serves as a reminder of where we are. For example, the 2021 version (what I consulted) makes it clear that regardless of pressures to diversify boards of trustees in academia, most are mostly male and mostly white. Average length of board meetings? The book has an answer, broken down by type of institution. It is a very good map to the broader ecosystem.
Moreover, Policies, Practices, and Composition hints at the deep isomorphic pressures that shape higher education across sectors. While each of us may work at a “special” college or university, we are all wrestling with familiar problems, challenges and opportunities. When charting a course, knowledge of the bigger picture is just so very, very useful.
A big thanks to AGB for their important work on governance.
David Potash