Practical Wisdom: Thinking Differently About College and University Governance

by Peter D. Eckel, Cathy A. Trower, Richard Chait (Foreword)

This series of essays written for trustees and administrative leaders of universities and colleges draws on the authors’ extensive consulting experience, research into the dynamics of boards, and service as trustees, to focus on practical insights that will help readers improve governance. The authors have contributed a series of essays on governing well to Inside Higher Education , which formed the inspiration for this volume.

The primary aim of the book is to provide insight that boards can use to enhance their governing practices. The author’s take is not a “how to do” book but rather one on “how to think.” Their basic premise is that too many boards are underperforming because they adopt or continue ineffective practices. However, thinking in more intentional if not new ways about not only what they do as boards, but how they go about their efforts, will help boards add value to the institutions and state systems they govern. The authors use thought provoking-titles and a conversational tone to engage the readers, get them to reflect on their work, and broaden their horizons.

333 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 30, 2018

Reviews

[Ian Billick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got off on the wrong foot by reading chapter 15 first-- on shared governance. It finds virtue in many of what I consider the problems with the shared governance model-inability to act, focus on status rather than on adding value to a team. But the book improved on reading it from the beginning. I do think it misses a chance to think about university/college governance within a larger context. It suffers from not establishing a broader context and establishing parallels where they exist (e.g., hospitals, law firms), especially within businesses that depend a great deal on individual talent. Worth reading, but could have been much more insightful.