AGB History final highres - March/April 2021 - ABG48

AGB Today and Tomorrow

A

GB IS PASSIONATE about empowering board members to serve

as strategic thought partners with their presidents and leadership
teams, focusing on such important matters as student success and
institutional vitality in the post-COVID19 world. As AGB celebrates its
100th year, AGB President and CEO Henry Stoever provides insights into the
significance of the association's role in the ever-changing landscape of higher
education and its priorities for years to come.

TRUSTEESHIP: Why do you think

AGB is so important to higher
education governance?
STOEVER: AGB is critically important to
higher education governance. Given that
many board members come from outside of
higher education where decision-making is
typically very different, AGB provides them
with important knowledge and understanding about the best higher ed governance
practices. We also offer boards abundant
resources about issues of importance to
colleges, universities, and higher education
foundations. We suggest proven approaches
to problems facing our member institutions. Our consulting and search practices
make available to the higher education
community unparalleled expertise. In addition to our focus on board members, we are
equally committed to working productively
with presidents and their leadership teams,
including board professionals, who work
closely with and depend on the expertise
and the support of their boards.
TRUSTEESHIP: What is one of the key
ways in which AGB helps educate
trustees about governance?
STOEVER: One of AGB's primary areas
of focus is fostering an effective board
chair-president partnership. A healthy
chair-president relationship ensures that
board agendas are focused on the most
significant strategic matters facing the
institution. This partnership also reassures

the other board members
that they are being fully
informed about and can raise
questions about matters of institutional
importance as they consider both the institution's challenges and its opportunities.
And, of course, such knowledge is essential
for board members if they are to fulfill their
fiduciary responsibilities. It also goes without saying that when board members are
appropriately informed, they are far more
likely to support the president.
TRUSTEESHIP: What is the most
important challenge that higher
education boards face today?
STOEVER: I think most of us would agree that
the single most important issue that higher
education institutions need to address is
their financial sustainability. Many colleges
and universities have for years been experiencing declining net tuition revenue, caused
most notably by changes in the college-going population and by increasing tuition
discounts. Many public institutions have
seen a cut in state support. The pandemic
has intensified these problems. It is now
commonly understood that the business
model for higher education is no longer sustainable. Therefore, redefining that model
must become a high and immediate priority
for institutional leaders and board members.
This is another area where AGB can provide
boards, presidents, and leadership teams
with important expertise and resources.

48 AGB: A CENTENNIAL HISTORY | March 2021

TRUSTEESHIP: Why are

boards of trustees
important not only to
institutions but also to
society at large?
STOEVER: Board members
need to be focused on the
long term so that their institutions can continue to fulfil
their important missions
and thrive over time. Higher
education is an incredibly important asset
that contributes to the well-being of our
country, our society, and our economy, not
just in the United States but also around
the world. Securing the future of these
valuable institutions may in fact be the
most critical trustee responsibility.
To ensure the long-term vitality of each
institution, my colleagues at AGB and I
believe that in addition to fulfilling their
oversight function and thinking about strategic matters, trustees need to understand
and focus on student success. They must
encourage and support efforts to give students the knowledge, understanding, and
tools that will enable them to fulfill their
own personal and professional aspirations
and become educated citizens.
TRUSTEESHIP: What are AGB's
priorities to help boards now
and into the future?
STOEVER: AGB has three strategic priorities:
(1) to advance higher education's focus on
justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion; (2) to
encourage boards to understand and adopt
the tenets of our forthcoming book, the
Principles of Trusteeship; and (3) to support
boards, presidents, and their leadership teams
as they undertake strategic transformation.
Justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion
are essential values that we at AGB believe



AGB History final highres - March/April 2021

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

Contents
AGB History final highres - March/April 2021 - ABGCover1
AGB History final highres - March/April 2021 - ABGCover2
AGB History final highres - March/April 2021 - ABG1
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AGB History final highres - March/April 2021 - ABG48
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