ABSTRACT

The Board of Trustees of Boston University had earlier acted similarly with respect to its President, Adelphi Trustee John Silber, often referred to as Diamandopoulos's mentor. There are other parallels between the Diamandopoulos and Silber presidencies. The Adelphi case is best viewed in a broad context. Those with power can use it to attain their ends, good or bad, benign or ill-intentioned. Suggestions heard from time to time about what might be done to limit the problems lay governing boards too often create are usually ignored or precipitously rejected as idealistic extremism. The institution of lay governing boards has more supporters among academic administrators and others who wish to continue to dominate American higher education than among faculty. Shared governance, by which faculty, the administration, and the governing board are expected to work, together making decisions and policies, is nearly universal in American higher education.