Trusteeship Fundamentals: The Board’s Governing Functions

This is the first in a series of episodes dedicated to the fundamentals of community college governance. In this series, Jaci King, co-editor of the recently released Trusteeship in Community Colleges: A Guide for Effective Governance, Second Edition, interviews chapter authors about how to govern.

In this episode, King interviews former longtime Washtenaw Community College Trustee and former ACCT Board of Directors Member David Rutledge about the board and its governing functions. Among the topics discussed:
·        Fiduciary responsibilities: What are they, what do they mean, and how are they carried out on a community college board?
·        What elements of the board role do trustees find most challenging? Are there common pitfalls that trustees can avoid? How can a president or board chair best help board members manage these roles and what should they do if a board member is off-track and creating challenges for the board or the CEO?
·        What qualities make a trustee effective? How these characteristics play out when a board is dealing with an issue or challenge?
·        The size and complexity of community college boards—and the fact that most operate under some type of open meetings requirement—is likely quite different from what trustees may have experienced in the private sector. What advice do you have for new trustees as they become familiar with the way their board functions?

To purchase Trusteeship in Community Colleges: A Guide for Effective Governance, Second Edition, visit the ACCT Bookstore at https://www.acct.org/publications.