Initiative

Institute for Effective Governance®

Through its Institute for Effective Governance® (IEG), the American Council of Trustees and Alumni conducts board retreats specifically designed to help college and university trustees understand the fundamental issues that make governance in higher education a unique challenge.

Board Seminars

ACTA’s Institute for Effective Governance® (IEG) seminars for college and university governing boards leverage ACTA’s expertise as a national voice in higher education governance since 1995 and draw upon the knowledge of its extensive network of college and university leaders. These structured discussions are ideal for boards seeking to clarify for themselves their proper policymaking role, examine their institution’s mission and identity, or evaluate the board’s own effectiveness in carrying out its fiduciary duties.

Seminar Topics Include:

  • The Basics of Trustee Governance
  • University Curricula: Trends and Opportunities
  • Setting Academic Priorities: How Trustees Ensure Cost-Effectiveness and Academic Quality
  • A Campus Culture of Intellectual Freedom: How Trustees Can Help
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When considering trustee orientation and education options, we wanted our trustees to engage with deeply substantive content relative not only to the general higher education landscape, but more specifically relative to our institution. That’s when we discovered the board workshops that the American Council of Trustees and Alumni offers. Their work in assisting governing boards with advancing their university’s mission is unparalleled. Their attention to crafting a board workshop based on our needs is exactly what my board needed.”
-Dennis Bunker former chair, University of North Carolina-Charlotte Board of Trustees
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Institute for Effective Governance

IEG Advisory Council

Trustees are the change agents who must ensure that students receive a rigorous education at an affordable price on a safe and intellectually diverse college campus. ACTA is committed to providing trustees with the necessary resources to navigate the fundamental issues that make governance in higher education a unique challenge.
In furtherance of this mission, ACTA is pleased to announce the reformation of the Institute for Effective Governance® (IEG) Advisory Committee. ACTA’s Institute for Effective Governance, founded in 2003 by college and university trustees for trustees, is devoted to enhancing boards’ effectiveness and helping trustees fulfill their fiduciary responsibilities fully and effectively. IEG offers a range of services tailored to the specific needs of individual boards, and focuses on academic quality, academic freedom, and accountability.

Meet the Council

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Are you interested in receiving regular updates on the latest tools, resources, and information necessary to be an effective steward of your institution? Click here to sign up for ACTA’s Inside the Walls eNewsletter!

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WEBINARS
<br><strong>Learning from Leaders in Reform: Achieving ACTA’s Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™</strong>


Learning from Leaders in Reform: Achieving ACTA’s Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™

October 20, 2026

<strong>No Two Minds Alike: How Trustees Can Promote Intellectual Diversity</strong>

No Two Minds Alike: How Trustees Can Promote Intellectual Diversity

May 8, 2026

<strong>Big Ten Conference Trustees Discuss Governance Implications of Proposed $2.4B Private Equity Deal</strong>

Big Ten Conference Trustees Discuss Governance Implications of Proposed $2.4B Private Equity Deal

November 17, 2025

<strong>Antisemitism, Academic Freedom, and Board Leadership</strong>

Antisemitism, Academic Freedom, and Board Leadership

April 15, 2024

<br><strong>Student Debt and the Spending Crisis: What Trustees Need to Know to Spend Wisely</strong>


Student Debt and the Spending Crisis: What Trustees Need to Know to Spend Wisely

April 27, 2023

<br><strong>Name, Image, and Likeness ("NIL") in College Athletics - ACTA's Trustee Webinar Series</strong>


Name, Image, and Likeness (“NIL”) in College Athletics – ACTA’s Trustee Webinar Series

April 29, 2022

<strong>Spending for Student Success: Effective Strategies for College Governing Boards to Control Costs</strong>

Spending for Student Success: Effective Strategies for College Governing Boards to Control Costs

October 6, 2021

<br><strong>Learning from Leaders in Reform: Achieving ACTA’s Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™</strong>


Learning from Leaders in Reform: Achieving ACTA’s Gold Standard for Freedom of Expression™

October 20, 2026

<strong>No Two Minds Alike: How Trustees Can Promote Intellectual Diversity</strong>

No Two Minds Alike: How Trustees Can Promote Intellectual Diversity

May 8, 2026

<strong>Big Ten Conference Trustees Discuss Governance Implications of Proposed $2.4B Private Equity Deal</strong>

Big Ten Conference Trustees Discuss Governance Implications of Proposed $2.4B Private Equity Deal

November 17, 2025

<strong>Antisemitism, Academic Freedom, and Board Leadership</strong>

Antisemitism, Academic Freedom, and Board Leadership

April 15, 2024

<br><strong>Student Debt and the Spending Crisis: What Trustees Need to Know to Spend Wisely</strong>


Student Debt and the Spending Crisis: What Trustees Need to Know to Spend Wisely

April 27, 2023

<br><strong>Name, Image, and Likeness ("NIL") in College Athletics - ACTA's Trustee Webinar Series</strong>


Name, Image, and Likeness (“NIL”) in College Athletics – ACTA’s Trustee Webinar Series

April 29, 2022

<strong>Spending for Student Success: Effective Strategies for College Governing Boards to Control Costs</strong>

Spending for Student Success: Effective Strategies for College Governing Boards to Control Costs

October 6, 2021

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Launched in 1995, we are the only organization that works with alumni, donors, trustees, and education leaders across the United States to support liberal arts education, uphold high academic standards, safeguard the free exchange of ideas on campus, and ensure that the next generation receives an intellectually rich, high-quality college education at an affordable price.

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