"College and university trustees and their executives need all the help they can get. Governing Independent Colleges and Universities is a practical resource to help good governing boards become better governing boards, and good trustees become better trustees. Its central purpose is to help close the gap between the theory and the practice of voluntary trusteeship - to ensure that independent academic institutions remain healthy and viable in an increasingly competitive environment." "The crosscurrents of social, demographic, economic, and political change require that those who serve their enormously important public trust think and act much more strategically. This book provides practical information, ideas, policy options, and advice on virtually every issue or topic likely to be addressed in academic boardrooms today. It helps trustees and their senior executives focus on the right questions, consider the right priorities, successfully address the new challenges confronting independent higher education, and work together more effectively in pursuit of answers to very complex problems." "Through the auspices of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB), eighteen contributors offer authoritative advice to both new and seasoned trustees, presidents and chancellors, and other senior executives. As a practical guide to all board and trustee responsibilities, the handbook addresses the performance standards by which governing boards are assessed by their many external and internal publics." "Governing Independent Colleges and Universities is a completely revised successor to the Handbook of College and University Trusteeship (1980). Trustees and heads of independent (K-12) schools, leaders of specialized tax-exempt organizations, and state political leaders who care about the future of independent higher education will also find this book invaluable." "A companion volume, Governing Public Colleges and Universities, is also available."--BOOK JACKET.