Enhance the Productivity of Your Board
The work of boards is grounded in the work of board committees. When committees work in tandem, they enhance the productivity of the board and advance the purpose of the institution. While there is no one ideal structure for the board, certain principles, practices, and procedures help committees ensure the board’s effectiveness.
Join Board Members and Campus Leaders to Discover New Ways to Optimize Your Work
Through the two-day workshop, you will:
- Gain a better understanding of the responsibilities of committee members.
- Explore best practices for fulfilling specific committees’ fundamental purposes.
- Develop new perspectives and innovative approaches to organizing the work of the board.
- Gather with peers to discuss solutions to common challenges.
Because successful committees require the full engagement of all members and the administrators who support and advise them, we encourage institutional teams to attend together.
Many thanks to our generous sponsors:
SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES
1) Preconference Workshop for Presidents and Board Leaders: Developing Leadership for a High-Performing Board
High-performing boards enable presidents to lead boldly, but how does a board become high-performing? In partnership with the chief executive, a governing board’s leadership must attend to the development of the board over time. This workshop, inspired by AGB’s highly regarded institute for presidents and board chairs, will focus on the essential elements of a productive relationship between the CEO and board leadership.During this half-day workshop, you will:
- Develop a working understanding of the complementary roles of board leadership and chief executive.
- Examine mutual expectations that lead to high performance.
- Explore practical approaches to strengthening board culture and structure for improved effectiveness.
- Consider initial steps toward an overall governance action plan for your institution.
Facilitator: Richard Legon, president, AGB; board member, Spelman College
Must register a board chair and president/chancellor to attend this program. Additional board leaders are encouraged to attend as part of the team (e.g., board officers and/or committee chairs).
2) Complimentary Optional Session on New Committee Structures
In this session, participants who did not participate in the track on Restructuring Your Board Committees will have an opportunity to join an informal conversation about how board and committee structures are changing, why, and what lessons could be applied to their own boards and committees to achieve strategic objectives. Session concludes by 4:00 pm.
Facilitators: Richard Legon, president, AGB; board member, Spelman College; Susan Johnston, executive vice president and chief operating officer, AGB; board member, Radford University and Rollins College
COMMITTEE TRACKS
Participants must select from one of five committee tracks for the duration of the workshop. The tracks provide deeper dives on fulfilling the fundamental fiduciary and committee responsibilities, operating strategically, and embracing the forward-thinking perspective required in today’s complex higher education environment.
Traditional Committee Tracks
The academic affairs committee ensures that policies and practices are in place to support the academic mission. This track addresses the board’s role in assuring the quality of the academic program, aligning academic priorities with current and future programs, supporting shared governance, and ensuring student success.
Facilitator: Dan Currell, board member, Gustavus Adolphus College and Midland University
The finance committee ensures that the institution is operating in a fiscally sustainable manner, balancing long-term and short-term financial obligations. This track considers ways to support entrepreneurial activities while maintaining revenue for institutional operations and fulfilling obligations for expenditures.
Facilitator: Duane Kilty, former chief financial officer, Indiana Wesleyan University
The governance committee is responsible for recommending prospective members and promoting strategies for board effectiveness. This track discusses best practices for board composition/structure, defining members’ roles, assessing individual and full board performance, board member orientation, and continuing education.
Facilitators: Karen Bearden, board chair, Kentucky State University, and member, AGB Board of Directors; and David Maxwell, president emeritus, Drake University, and senior fellow, AGB
The student affairs/student life committee enhances the board’s focus on student welfare and student success, and ensures that students remain at the center of board considerations and decisions. This track addresses the board’s role in understanding students of today and tomorrow, and the programs and services that create conditions for student learning, student well-being, student engagement, and degree completion.
Facilitator: Larry Roper, former vice provost for student affairs, Oregon State University, and board member, Heidelberg University
Restructuring Your Board Committees
Many boards have completely transformed their committee structures or are considering doing so to improve board effectiveness, including eliminating, adding, and combining committees. Participants will explore alternative ways to align board committees to address institutional and governance needs while increasing board engagement, promoting greater accountability, and enhancing contributions to the work of the board.
Facilitators: Susan Johnston, executive vice president and chief operating officer, AGB; board member, Radford University and Rollins College; and Kristen Hodge-Clark, director of research, AGB
