Guilford College

President Kent Chabotar was quoted extensively in a July 2 story in Inside Higher Ed, “Trustees are different than they used to be, and U.Va.-like clashes will be more common.”

University of Virginia President Teresa Sullivan resigned under pressure June 8 only to be reinstated June 26. Some members of the university’s governing board believed she was not moving quickly enough to address 21st century challenges.

Kent teaches at both the annual Harvard University Seminar for New Presidents — which Teresa attended — and the Association of Governing Boards’ annual seminar for new board members.

Whereas board members formerly tended to focus on big-picture questions about institutional direction, they increasingly are interested in the details of university policies, Kent said. “In their view they’re being more helpful. To the administrators, it can sometimes feel intrusive.”

That change is evident in the people who attend the program for new trustees. “They’re thinking, ‘If I’m ultimately responsible, along with my colleagues, I just can’t leave it to the president to do all the thinking,’” he said. “Board members are worried, and when you’re worried you tend to be a little more detail-oriented.”

The article also includes the following: “Chabotar generally tells new board members at his AGB seminar that they need to be patient when entering a board for the first time, and to understand the role of the president and faculty, and the timetable that colleges and universities are accustomed to working under. Chabotar said boards’ major responsibility is hiring, evaluating, and firing the president. While there’s room for collaboration in strategic planning and vision-setting, trustees should generally be hiring good presidents and acting on his or her recommendations.”