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Research and Reports

Research & Reports

Featured Report

Public Confidence in Higher Education

AGB is pleased to share this fourth publication in a series of informational briefings developed as part of The Guardians Initiative: Reclaiming the Public Trust, an effort to educate and engage trustees as advocates on key issues in higher education.

A number of recent reports—some from partisan sources, others from well-regarded independent surveyors such as the Pew and Gallup organizations—suggest that public trust in colleges and universities has declined. In today’s politically fraught climate, such reports...

2017

The 21st-Century Presidency: A Call to Enterprise Leadership

The 21st-Century Presidency: A Call to Enterprise Leadership is the latest in a series of periodic reports from AGB to examine the nature of the presidency and governance.
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2017

The AGB 2017 Trustee Index

The AGB 2017 Trustee Index is the first in a series of three annual surveys, conducted by Gallup under the direction of AGB, to assess trustee perspectives on the state of higher education.
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2017

The Business of Higher Education

AGB is pleased to share this first in a series of informational briefings developed as part of The Guardians Initiative: Reclaiming the Public Trust, an effort to educate and engage trustees as advocates on key issues in higher education.
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2017

The Small College Imperative: From Survival to Transformation

Small colleges and universities serve a profoundly important role in American society. They provide the rigorous, personalized experience that is the hallmark of the best of higher education. In the process, they build opportunity and encourage civic engagement among a new generation of citizens.
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2016

2016 State Governance Action Report

This report focuses on state legislation and higher education proposals affecting institution and system governance and leadership in states for the years 2015–2016. At the heart of these actions and ongoing dialogues is:
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2016

Consequential Board Governance in Public Higher Education Systems

As a central component of the sector, public higher education systems enroll more than half of all postsecondary students in the United States—upwards of 10 million students each year. These systems are essential drivers of state and national economies and of our democracy. The vastness of their reach also means they hold enormous responsibility.
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2016

Governing Board Oversight of College Completion

The issue of college completion has become a hot-button topic for higher education and the public in recent years. While completion is not a new issue, several national and state-level efforts, including President Obama’s 2020 college-completion goal to increase the number of college graduates to 50 percent of the population, have brought increased attention to this issue.
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2016

Shared Governance: Is OK Good Enough?

Shared governance—the principle that acknowledges the final institutional authority of governing boards and distributed authority to the administration and faculty—is a basic tenet in higher education. When working well, it brings a wealth of ideas to critical conversations and creates a sense of inclusiveness that strengthens support for decisions.
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2016

Transitioning from the Presidency to Retirement: Advice from Presidential Retirees

The role of college president comes with many challenges, requiring deft maneuvering in many different contexts and considerable planning. While focused on the daily business at hand, however, a university leader may not invest in the requisite level of thinking, planning, and strategizing that is needed to leave the presidency when it comes time to retire.
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2015

2015 Survey of Board Professionals: Who They Are, What They Do, and Their Important Role in Governance

Board professionals provide critical support, planning, and coordination of important board functions. Their work is often unheralded and conducted behind the scenes, but it is critical to the success and performance of the board.
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2015

Financial Aid and Enrollment: Questions for Boards to Consider

This white paper encourages board members to take a step back and think about long-term strategies for ensuring that financial aid policies are consistent with institutional mission at the same time that they serve fiscal and enrollment goals.  While board members can determine financial aid and enrollment policies only at the broadest level, it is important that they understand the issues, pro
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2015

Growing the Greater Campus: The Use of Institutionally Related Foundations in Real Estate Activities

Public colleges and universities have long turned to institutionally related foundations (“IRFs”) to raise private support and manage endowments and other financial assets.
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