Michael Horn and Jeff Selingo discuss the role of the college board of trustees with Chris Romer from Colorado Mountain College and Jane Scaccetti from Temple University, who talk about their experiences and the importance of trustees’ diverse perspectives.
Chris highlights the importance of tying college programs to community needs and maintaining strong community partnerships. Jane underscores the importance of diversity on boards. Both note the challenges of governing, not managing, and emphasize the need for trustees to stay focused on governance, particularly in times of crisis. Jeff and Michael conclude by reiterating the significance of clear strategic plans and the need for trustees to occasionally dive deeper into specific issues.
Chris Romer: “But boy, that line between governance and management can’t be a thin line. It needs to be a dark, bold, distinct line. We need to remember, and we need to be trained in our orientations, and we need to be trained by our board chairs, that boards govern, and exactly what that means, and staff manages.”