AGB Trusteeship Podcast Association of Governing Boards (AGB)

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) serves as the crucial link for students pursuing higher education by determining their financial support needs. However, this year's revised FAFSA rollout has encountered significant challenges—including false starts, communication issues, and inaccurate data—garnering attention both within and outside academia. These delays are causing widespread disruptions for students, families, and educational institutions, with particularly severe implications for colleges that serve economically disadvantaged students.
In this podcast, AGB’s Morgan Alexander speaks with Alex Nock of Penn Hill Group about the implications of the FAFSA delay for higher education, as well as the pertinent questions boards should be asking.

Boards play a critical role in protecting the autonomy of higher education institutions and must lead proactively to navigate challenges to independence. In part two of this podcast, Board Independence Under Fire, AGB Interim President and CEO Ellen Chaffee and AGB Senior Fellows and Senior Consultants Jill Derby and David Maxwell discuss the importance of education and dialogue within boards to understand their responsibilities, including safeguarding institutional integrity and academic freedom.

While governing boards need to be open to input and recommendations from their college, foundation, or system’s stakeholders, they must also discern between what’s appropriate and what could compromise their independence and their institution’s mission and integrity.
That’s especially important these days, as political polarization is increasingly creating challenges for board members in fulfilling their fiduciary duties of loyalty, obedience, and care. AGB released a Board of Directors’ Statement on Influences Impacting Governing Board Independence and Leadership in late 2023 to guide boards in the governance of their colleges, foundations, and systems; inform them of their roles and responsibilities; and clarify their relationships with those involved in the governance process.
In part one of this two-part podcast, AGB Interim President and CEO Ellen Chaffee speaks with two people who serve as AGB senior consultants and senior fellows: Jill Derby, who previously was chair of the Nevada Board of Regents and is the current chair of the American University of Iraq in Kurdistan, and David Maxwell, president emeritus of Drake University and board member and former board chair at Grinnell College.
Ellen, Jill, and David will explore the challenges faced by governing boards in upholding their fiduciary duty amid increasing external pressures, as well as highlight the importance of maintaining board independence and protecting institutions from any undue influences.

An effective enterprise risk management, or ERM, program is more than just identifying risks; it should add value to an organization by focusing on managing and monitoring risks over time. How do boards distinguish between disruptive and strategic risks? How do campuses address student mental health as a crucial area of risk? What are the key questions boards need to ask to assess the effectiveness of ERM and wellness initiatives at their institutions?
In this podcast, Barbara McCuen Jones, AGB’s director of digital solutions speaks about the importance of adaptability, board involvement, and transparency in ERM programs with three leading experts: Leigh Goller, the chief audit, risk, and compliance officer for Duke University and Duke University Health System; Sharon McMullen, a consulting director at Huron, a global professional services firm; and Anne Pifer, a managing director at Huron.

A federal government shutdown loomed large in September, but a last-minute agreement pushed the conversation to November. In this podcast, AGB's Morgan Alexander talks with Alex Nock of the Penn Hill Group about the top-line budget issues affecting higher education, where Congress is in its deliberations, and what colleges and universities need to understand how the next round of budget talks will affect them. 

After a 33-year career at Wichita State University, Elizabeth King is retiring as president and CEO of Wichita State University Foundation and Alumni Engagement. In this podcast, Elizabeth and David Bass, AGB executive director of philanthropic governance, discuss shifting trends in advancement, cultivating a culture of philanthropy, best practices for working with your foundation board, and advice for future foundation leaders.