The Trustees We Need Now

College and university trustees are no longer operating behind the scenes. In today’s volatile climate, trusteeship has become a high-stakes, highly visible role — part strategy, part diplomacy, part defense.

The Trustees We Need Now, a new Chronicle report, explores how trustees are trying to steer their institutions toward success.

Many boards are actively remaking themselves or pursuing new market niches and revenue sources — all while justifying their decisions to increasingly vocal stakeholders. Once seen as ceremonial or philanthropic, trusteeship is now a front-line leadership position in a politicized, fast-moving arena.

This critical resource offers strategic insight, legal clarity, and practical guidance for boards navigating tumultuous times.

Readers of this report will learn:

• How trustees can carry out their duties effectively amid the current turmoil.

• Guiding principles to help boards execute their duties nimbly and wisely.

• How expertise matters more than philanthropic potential when scouting and recruiting trustees.

• Why diversity of all kinds remains paramount for the makeup of colleges’ boards.