Dive Brief:
- A new report from Public Agenda includes insights from trustees and presidents who oversee 143 public, non-research universities, finding tensions are high and roles are changing.
- Inside Higher Ed reports trustees used to see their role as limited to hiring a president and approving building plans, but since the recession, they seem to have taken on greater responsibilities of reining in spending, limiting tuition increases, and forcing a higher level of fiscal prudence.
- Trustees who don’t want to simply rubber stamp staff recommendations feel like they don’t have enough objective information or trust in administrators, and these university presidents are concerned about trustees who want to micromanage, caring too much about details rather than big ideas.
Dive Insight:
The Public Agenda report also found many trustees at public institutions tend to be put off by open meetings act regulations. They don’t feel like they can have the conversations they need in order to come to the best decisions, especially when journalists are in the room. Lawmakers in Michigan and Washington are among those considering expanding their open meetings laws to require more of public universities, amid a wave of distrust from legislatures.
Some trustees, who seem to be becoming more wary along with elected officials, would like an independent staff person for the board who can have full access to institutional information and pass along objective reports to the trustees. The trend of distrust is something administrators surely need to address as part of their leadership plans.