ACTA Releases New Trustee Guide Highlighting the Critical Questions Every Board Should Ask to Evaluate Institutional Performance 

The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) today released Higher Ed by the Numbers: Critical Questions Trustees Must Ask, a practical guide designed to help governing boards make better-informed decisions by focusing on the metrics that matter most to institutional success.  

As colleges and universities confront enrollment pressures, financial uncertainty, demographic shifts, and growing public scrutiny, trustees face increasing responsibility for ensuring their institutions remain academically strong and fiscally sustainable. ACTA’s guide encourages trustees to ask their administrative leadership a series of critical questions designed to provide a framework for evaluating institutional performance across every major area of campus operations, including applicants and enrollment, financial health, curriculum, and graduation rates.  

Among the critical questions trustees should be asking are: 

• What strategies (if any) has your institution used to increase enrollment? 

• What price is the median student paying, and how does this compare to your peer institutions? 

• What is your institution’s current level of debt? 

• How diverse are the student body’s political viewpoints? 

• What are the requirements to graduate? 

• What is your institution’s graduation rate, both four- and six-year? 

• How many years does it take the average student to pay off their loans? 

The guide also highlights where trustees can find much of the data needed to answer these questions, drawing on publicly available sources such as IPEDS and the College Scorecard, as well as ACTA’s own resources. By pairing key metrics with practical governance questions, Higher Ed by the Numbers helps boards move beyond simply reviewing reports to engaging in more informed oversight and strategic decision-making. 

“Effective governance begins with asking the right questions,” said ACTA’s Senior Vice President of Strategy Armand Alacbay. “By focusing on the metrics that matter most, trustees can move beyond anecdote and gain a clearer picture of their institution’s financial health, academic quality, and long-term sustainability.” 

Read the full guide HERE.  

Published through ACTA’s Institute for Effective Governance® and pulling data from ACTA’s How Colleges Spend Money and What Will They Learn?® projects, this guide furthers ACTA’s commitment to helping trustees fulfill their fiduciary duties and promote academic excellence and accountability.