Earlier this week Virginia’s House and Senate unanimously passed an act which would provide continuing education for trustees. This bill revised an existing statute which requires that new trustees receive training on topics ranging from “best practices of board governance,” to institutional ethics, to setting tuition and fees, to their “primary duty to the citizens of the Commonwealth [of Virginia].”
By strengthening this statute, the Virginia legislature continues to model how state officials can support trustees in their role as public fiduciaries. The continued support of Virginia’s legislators will go a long way towards ensuring that trustees can be in the words of former Harvard president Derek Bok, “a mediating agent between the interests of the institution and the needs of the surrounding society.”
“Trustees serve the public just as state legislators do. The main difference is that trustees serve the public through the institution which they govern,” said Michael Poliakoff, president of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. “As the requirements of leadership evolve it is important for trustees to be educated, so that they may continue to govern as effectively as possible. ACTA salutes the state of Virginia for taking steps to improve further on their storied institutions of higher learning.”
MEDIA CONTACT: Connor Murnane
EMAIL: media@goacta.org
PHONE: 202-798-5450
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