Through its Institute for Effective Governance® (IEG), the American Council of Trustees and Alumni conducts board retreats specifically designed to help college and university trustees understand the fundamental issues that make governance in higher education a unique challenge.
IEG’s seminars for governing boards leverage ACTA’s decades of expertise as a national voice in higher education governance, and they draw upon the knowledge of our extensive network of college and university leaders.
Ideal for orienting new board members to their responsibilities, or for boards undergoing a transition of leadership, this seminar provides an overview of university board governance based on ACTA’s landmark publication Governance for a New Era.
Topics include:
• Articulating the Mission: Examines the mission statement of the institution for clarity and looks at the board’s role in evaluating how effectively the institution achieves its mission and goals.
• Protecting Academic Freedom: Offers various perspectives on the importance of academic freedom and campus freedom of expression and suggestions for how the board can help protect these core values of higher education.
• Setting the Educational Strategy: Examines institutional offerings with respect to curricular requirements and looks at the proper role of the board in reviewing academic policies.
• Transparency and Performance: Discusses strategies for measuring performance and ensuring transparency.
• Selecting and Evaluating the President: Offers strategies and templates for effective techniques of search and selection and provides guidance on how the board can be most effective in oversight and evaluation of the president.
Crafted for boards engaging in strategic planning, this seminar places contemporary issues in American higher education in their historical and philosophical context.
Topics include:
• History of Higher Education: Examines the history of higher education in the United States, its European models, and its foundational vision, including the views of the Founders, the rise of land-grant and research institutions in the 19th century, expansion after World War II, and higher education’s changing role in American society.
• The Basics of the Higher Education Act: Offers an overview of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and its subsequent reauthorizations, especially how it has shaped the higher education landscape since its passage.
• The History and Function of Accreditation: Examines accreditation, including how it came to be what it is, how it affects institutional budgets, how it works, and ideas for reform that create more efficient, cost-effective quality control.
• Current Issues and Trends: Discusses current hot topics in higher education, including legislative actions at the state and federal level and policy actions by the Department of Education.
Tailored for boards seeking to bring clarity to their college or university’s academic mission and identity, this seminar provides an overview of the theory and practice of higher education through the lens of philosophy, sociology, political theory, and history.
Topics include:
• Theories of Education: Examines various theories of education, old and new, as put forth in classic texts ranging from Plato and Aristotle through John Dewey, as well as contemporary authors, including Mortimer Adler, Jacques Barzun, Derek Bok, and Peter McPherson.
• The Idea of a University: Offers a look at the nature of higher education as presented in John Henry Newman’s The Idea of a University in light of contemporary debates on the roles of professional training and general, liberal education.
• Education and Democracy: Examines the relationship of education and democracy and looks at the ways in which education helps sustain democratic political cultures and societies and the responsibilities of colleges and universities for civic education and understanding.
• The Purpose of Liberal Education: Discusses the nature and purpose of liberal education and why it remains an important component of education in the 21st century.
IEG can customize any retreat from a selection of these topics described above, or include others of interest on request. Typical modules include:
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Governance for a New Era, a blueprint for higher education governance, is the product of a summit facilitated by ACTA and chaired by Benno Schmidt, past president of Yale University and former board chairman of the City University of New York. Signatories to the statement, a diverse group of 22 distinguished national leaders, include college […]
Trustees face complex choices related to costs and efficiency as they navigate new accountability policies, financial headwinds, and a changing global marketplace for college education. The latest release in a series of trustee guides from ACTA’s Institute for Effective Governance, Bold Leadership, Real Reform 2.0: Improving Efficiency, Cutting Costs, and Expanding Opportunity identifies innovative approaches college […]
There are few positions that offer challenges and rewards comparable to those of a college trustee. As a trustee, you have the legal and fiduciary obligation to ensure the academic and financial health of your institution—while serving the best interests of the state. This brochure, a new edition, will help you do your job.
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