AGB History final highres - March/April 2021 - ABG40

duties and discourage people from serving
on boards. After a successful three-year
campaign by AGB, ending in 2013, the SEC
decided to exempt college and university
board members from the commissions
oversight rules that changed the definition
of a " municipal advisor. "
" It was such a minute issue in terms of
awareness among panoply of other public
policy issues that it just didn't resonate,
didn't get much attention, but we saw
it, " said Legon, who was serving as AGB
president at the time. " I take great pride
in how AGB stepped up, showed courage
that our own board of directors recognize
that at a certain level, prevailing on this
policy debate would have a great deal to do
with the future of volunteerism, especially
in higher ed. And that it was a debate we
could ill afford to lose. And we fought that
battle for nearly three years, constantly
with a dedicated support of internal staff,
external experts and our board until we
ultimately prevailed. "

AGB also recommitted to the unique
mission of Historically Black Colleges
and Universities (HBCUs) and increased
its HBCU-specific offerings in 2013 (and
beyond). One of these offerings in 2013
was a meeting of more than 20 presidents,
board members, and other leaders from
the community for a discussion about
the vision for HBCUs in 2020 and what
governance and leadership was needed to
achieve it.
" A piece of work that I think AGB needs
to take pride in, is its constant commitment
to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, " said Legon. This is a unique sector.
the establishment of our early HBCUs
at a time when setting up or establishing
historically black institutions was not
optional because it was the only place that
African American kids could even have the
most remote chance of a higher education
and things have evolved and wonderfully,
there's greater opportunities today for
African Americans to benefit from a higher

education at any institution they choose to
go. But these HBCUs, which have declined
in number because of those opportunistic
reasons for the most part, have a history
that's often related to some challenges in
board governance. And AGB, with multiple
projects and commitment and staff and
just a recognition that we couldn't afford
to lose, the impact of the HBCUs that are
still with us, spend a lot of time and energy
on helping Historically Black Colleges and
Universities to strengthen and improve and
have a continuous program of education
for the men and women serving on their
boards. "
In 2013, AGB expanded its services to
presidents to strengthen the partnership
between boards and presidents. AGB, with
AGB Search, launched a program in 2014
that was exclusive to presidents called
the Presidential Initiative. This program
aimed to strengthen presidential leadership
through successful governance.
Throughout the 2010s a growing wave

AGB Consulting
Throughout its history,
AGB has recognized that
colleges, universities, and
institutionally related
foundations continuously
evaluate their missions,
processes, and business
models as they seek to
become more sustainable
in the increasingly
competitive higher education
marketplace. To help serve
the needs of its members,
AGB started its Board
Education & Consulting
Service (BECS) in 2006. BECS
evolved to become AGB
Consulting to offer a broader

range of customized member
services.
Today AGB's team of
advisors provides institutions
and foundations-and
their governing boards and
leaders-with support,
solutions, tools, and thought
partnership to enable them
to make sound, strategic, and
transformational decisions
in the face of complex and
evolving challenges. AGB
Consulting helps institutions
accomplish the following:
(1) build capacity for justice,
diversity, equity, and inclusion
(JDE&I); (2) adapt, transform,

40 AGB: A CENTENNIAL HISTORY | March 2021

and innovate to achieve
financial sustainability and
growth; (3) develop highperforming, strategic boards;
(4) develop highly effective
presidents, CEOs, and leaders;
(4) build foundations that are
effective, strategic, long-term
partners for their institutions;
(5) engage in strategic and
financial planning; (6) evolve
their business models to
align to the market; (7) lead
equitable and innovative
shared governance initiatives;
(8) establish and implement
high-performing practices and
policies.

AGB Consulting's advisors
conduct more than 150
successful engagements each
year for public and private
higher education institutions,
systems, and institutionally
related foundations. AGB
Consulting advisors are
experts in higher education.
As experienced board
members, presidents, CEOs
and subject matter experts,
our advisors are intimately
familiar with higher education
trends, the administration
and operation of institutions
and foundations, and the
dynamics of the boardroom.
AGB History final highres - March/April 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AGB History final highres - March/April 2021
