Institute for Effective Governance
ACTA's Institute for Effective Governance (IEG) was founded by college and university trustees, for trustees. For too long in higher education, the trustee motto was "go along-get along." Today, the public and parents are demanding greater accountability. Trustees must be stewards of the public interest, helping public and private colleges and universities provide a high-quality education at an affordable price.
Mission
The mission of IEG is to help trustees in higher education realize the promise of effective trusteeship. IEG assists boards of trustees and/or individual trustees in fulfillment of their fiduciary duties and responsibilities enabling them to bring the promise of lay governance into practice.
"The mission of the Institute for Effective Governance is simple; to help university trustees avoid becoming a rubber stamp for the status quo."— In Trustees We Trust, Wall Street Journal, August 1, 2003
Services for Trustees
IEG offers services tailored to the specific needs of individual public and private boards. It helps trustees focus on critical issues of academic quality, academic freedom, and accountability.
Independent Information
Trustees' ability to make independent judgments is limited by the information they receive. The college administration is the primary source. But, to arrive at an independent judgment, a responsible trustee needs alternative sources of information. The Institute responds to requests from public and private boards or individual trustees for help on a wide range of topics and supplies information they can use in making decisions for their institutions, including best practices across the country.
Individualized Consultations
The Institute receives inquiries from trustees on a variety of academic and governance matters. With the help of its network of experts, IEG can suggest effective strategies for working with faculty and other campus constituencies to address pressing issues, including those related to the curriculum.
Meetings and Conferences
IEG can assist states in developing conferences on trusteeship as well as periodic regional meetings focused on intensive discussions of critical issues facing higher education such as teacher education, academic freedom, core curriculum or accountability.
Orientations and Retreats
Trustees are often appointed and asked to act on matters before the board with little or no orientation to their role and responsibilities. ACTA's Institute draws on a broad network of experienced trustees, higher education experts, and college administrators to help boards with the following:
- New member orientations and pre-service training
- Continuing education
- Annual retreats
- Board management seminars (e.g., board structure and decision-making processes, bylaws review, board-administration relations, strategic planning). Topics may include "new trustee orientations" on the role and responsibilities of trustees; board effectiveness and management; policy development and implementation; general education review; budget development, approval and monitoring; academic freedom; and shared governance. The scope and topics of the meeting can be tailored to the needs of the particular board.
Institutional Evaluations
As fiduciaries, trustees are responsible for the academic and financial well-being of their institutions. But often they have little idea of how best to evaluate the education they offer or the effectiveness of their own board.
The Institute offers the following assessments:
- General Education Assessment: examining institutional offerings with respect to curricular requirements.
- Teacher Education Assessment: examining the teacher education program.
- Mission Assessment: examining how well the mission and goals of the institution are being achieved by leadership.
- Board Effectiveness Assessment: examining the board's organization, procedures, and dynamics.
Presidential Search Consulting
There is no more important decision for a board than selecting its president. IEG is able to advise boards on presidential search procedures, including such issues as the role of the faculty and other constituencies and how to cast a wide net to find an outstanding leader. Specific services that IEG provides include:
- Conducting the Executive Search: full search services including advising the board from pre-search processes and candidate identification through contract development and negotiation.
- Structuring Presidential Searches: pre-search consulting services including how to proceed when you need to select a CEO, establishing a search committee, and selecting a search firm.
- Advising During the Search Process: advice, guidance, and assistance during the presidential search including identifying potential candidates, compensation issues, and employment contracts.
Presidential Evaluation
Next to selecting the president, the most important trustee responsibility is to conduct regular evaluation of the president's performance. IEG advises boards of trustees on presidential assessment procedures including development of the evaluation criteria and board survey instrument(s), the president's self-assessment tool, and the appropriateness of and processes for obtaining feedback from university constituencies and others external to the board. IEG works with boards of trustees throughout the evaluation process and provides the board with a final assessment report. IEG also assists the board and president with formulation of a development plan.
"The Institute for Effective Governance--comprised of a group of trustees, not administrators--is a great source of best board practices and the most helpful resource I know for boards of trustees."—Drew Miller, University of Nebraska Board of Regents
Services for Policymakers
The Institute for Effective Governance assists governors and policy staffs in developing trustee conferences that help trustees fulfill their fiduciary duties consistent with the state's higher education policy agenda. In addition, the Institute provides expert testimony and advisory services on public policy issues pertinent to higher education.
Statewide Trustee Conferences
IEG works with the Governor's office, legislative leadership, and statewide planning, coordinating and/or governing agencies to develop and implement customized state conferences on trusteeship. State conferences are tailored to meet each state's specific needs and include such topics as:
- Implementing the state's strategic agenda
- Understanding the state's higher education agenda and funding priorities
- Crafting institutional strategic plans consistent with the state's higher education agenda
- Enhancing performance of state institutions of higher education
- Measuring and assessing student learning
- Effective trusteeship and governance practices
- General expectations of board members in fulfilling their fiduciary duties
Statewide Trustee Orientations/In-Service Board Training
Many state coordinating and governing bodies are responsible for providing orientation and annual board training for boards of trustees. IEG specializes in this service and tailors such sessions to meet the needs of each state. With resources being scarce, IEG provides state agencies with a cost-effective alternative to conducting such training conferences in-house.
Testimony and Advisory Services
IEG is also available to provide expert testimony and advice to higher education commissions, summits, and/or other state policy venues on the importance of effective trusteeship and the ways in which trustees can be utilized to implement meaningful reforms in higher education. Such areas include:
- Reforming teacher education
- Developing and implementing student learning assessments
- Conducting a general education review and reforming the general education curriculum
- Ensuring Intellectual Diversity
"...mobilizing college and university trustees is one of the best strategies I can think of for implementing meaningful reforms in higher education today."—Bill Owens, former Governor of Colorado
IEG Advisory Board*
Kathleen M. Pesile, Chairman, City University of New York
John P. Ackerly, III, University of Virginia
Herman Badillo, City University of New York
James F. Carlin, Massachusetts Board of Higher Education
Celeste Colgan, Mesa State College
Candace U. de Russy, State University of New York
Thomas F. Egan, State University of New York
Robert L. Franklin, Massachusetts Public Education Nominating Council
Jane H. Fraser, Hamilton College
Donald Hamstra, Colorado State University
F. Philip Handy, Florida Board of Education
Dorcas R. Hardy, University of Mary Washington
Judith Richards Hope, Harvard University
Ronald C. Johnson, Virginia State University
S. Susan Johnson, University of California
Elizabeth Kaming, Association of Council Members and College Trustees, SUNY
Phyllis M. Krutsch, University of Wisconsin System
Hans M. Mark, Polytechnic University
Edwin Meese III, George Mason University
Drew Miller, University of Nebraska
Velma Montoya, University of California
Michael Muftic, University of Northern Colorado
Richard O'Donnell, former Executive Director, Colorado Commission on Higher Education
Jane B. Tatibouet, Board of Regents, University of Hawaii System
*Includes former and current trustees.