BY ROBERT A. SCOTT Every state requires hairstylists to receive certifications before they serve the public. There are certification programs for hospital trustees and education programs for corporate directors. Yet few states require training for college and university trustees, individuals who are fiduciaries for the more than $1.2 trillion in operating funds and endowments held…
BY BRIAN C. MITCHELL One of the more disturbing trends in American higher education is the decreasing tenure of senior administrators, especially college and university presidents. Most research finds that presidents serve on average six or seven years. Occasionally, often at faith-based institutions, for instance, the tenure is considerably longer. Hiring Requirements Vary Across Institutions…
BY BRIAN C. MITCHELL In How to Run a College: A Practical Guide for Trustees, Faculty, Administrators and Policymakers, Dr. Joey King and I make a case that colleges must begin to reimagine themselves by rethinking their operating models. Reduce Dependence on Tuition Revenue It no longer makes sense to depend so heavily on tuition…
In our new book — How to Run a College: A Practical Guide for Trustees, Faculty, Staff and Policymakers — Dr. Joey King and I argue that governance is the worst problem affecting American higher education. Most Trustees Unschooled About Institutional Issues Most trustees are notoriously unschooled about the issues that affect their institutions. They…
BY BRIAN C. MITCHELL In our new book – How to Run a College: A Practical Guide for Trustees, Faculty, Administrators and Policymakers – Dr. Joey King and I lay out the case for revitalizing the shared governance structure under which higher education institutions operate. We see governance, especially at the trustee level, as a significant…
BY BRIAN C. MITCHELL America’s colleges and universities are in the early stages of dramatic change. For many, the concentration has been on the development of new academic programs, designed to differentiate academic offerings among institutions and create new revenue streams. For others, efforts to find efficiencies internally or through participation in consortia have improved…
BY MICHAEL DECESARE Administrative encroachment. Governing board overreach. Political interference. In light of these and other ominous trends, the need has never been more urgent for faculty to reclaim a central role in the government of our colleges and universities. The May–June issue of Academe, now available on the AAUP website, is devoted to academic…
BY HANS-JOERG TIEDE Below is the October 10, 2016 letter to the Kennesaw State Board of Regents from the AAUP: Members of the faculty at Kennesaw State University have urged the American Association of University Presidents to take an official interest in the issues of academic governance raised by the recommendation of the board of regents’ Executive and…
BY BRIAN C. MITCHELL In September 2012, I began contributing to the national conversation about higher education by tackling the concept of leadership in one of my first blogs for the Huffington Post. In that first article, I suggested, “the job has evolved, but the national imperative for presidents to lead as well as govern remains…
BY MICHAEL DECESARE In June, delegates to the AAUP’s 102nd annual meeting voted to add Union County College (NJ) to the Association’s list of institutions sanctioned for “substantial noncompliance with standards of academic government.” The unanimous vote was based on a scorching report by Robert A. Gorman, former AAUP president and emeritus professor of labor law at…