ABSTRACT
University trustees need to be trained in the complexities of higher education governance, financing, quality controls, government regulations and legal requirements, financial aid policies, and other issues if they are to be effective in their roles. One of the ironies of university governance in the United States, especially when compared to corporate boards in business, is the trustees’ lack of knowledge about higher education. Some state higher education institutions are governed by boards of regents that have authority over all institutions. As higher education in the United States has evolved over time, so has institutional governance. In response, defenders of higher education complain about the imposition of corporate or managerial models of governance and evaluation methods on academic institutions, and point to the damaging effects of reductions in state funding, often as a consequence of tax cuts. Support for shared or participatory models of governance has declined for several reasons.
