Forming a Board | Origin: OP110
This is a general discussion forum for the following learning topic:
Developing Effective Advisory and Governing Boards --> Forming a Board
Post what you've learned about this topic and how you intend to apply it. Feel free to post questions and comments too.
Forming a governing board or advisory board for a school or university requires careful planning, strategic recruitment, and ongoing training to ensure effectiveness. Recruiting board members should focus on individuals who bring diverse expertise, a commitment to the institution’s mission, and a willingness to actively participate in governance or advisory roles. For a governing board, members must understand their fiduciary responsibilities, including financial oversight, policy development, and strategic planning. Advisory board members, while not decision-makers, should provide valuable industry insights and guidance to enhance programs. Training is essential to familiarize board members with institutional goals, governance structures, and best practices, ensuring they can make informed contributions. A well-structured onboarding and continuous development process strengthens board effectiveness, fostering a collaborative and knowledgeable leadership body that supports the school's long-term success.
I spend a great deal of time reviewing the qualifications and fit of a board member before even contacting them. It is such an important role. It is a difficult decision to make.
Choosing and preparing board members is critical to having the board function well and serve it's purpose.
I had never thought to interview prospective advisory board members.
It is important to select the correct board members to meet the goals of the school.
When identifying and recruiting board members, I found it very important to define the composition of the members that will best reflect the school population in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, etc.
Having members that engage is very important. Just being on the board, especially for small institutions, is simply a waste of time. Having these members that bring the energy, vital information, and are truly looking to improve the education of the future employees (most likely within the same said community) is truly a win-win situation.
The structure of the creation of boards depends on the size of the organization. Smaller boards are mostly preferred as they are more hands-on and are less time consuming in the decision making process. There should always be an odd number of members in a board so that it doesn't become deadlocked in its decision making process.
How to effectively choose the members of the board.
The expectations, responsibilities, and requirements of a board member.
When interviewing board members I think the approach of asking if they have the time to dedicate, and the desire to be a vested functioning member is very important. In the past, I've had program advisory members who weren't fully engaged.
Boards can make or break an institution. I would apply these concepts to ensure that we have effective boards.
Boards can only be successful if its members are carefully selected. This process is similar to the process the institution uses in hiring faculty and staff. Board members should be interviewed, able to articulate their desire to serve on the board and pledge their commitment to dedicate the time required to be an effective board member.
Advisory Board memeber are volunteers
When forming a board, such as a curriculum advisory board, is in important to consider many factors. Not only the potential member's professional experience and contributions, but their values, integrity, and ability to commit to serving on a board. Knowing whether the members are aligned with the mission and vision of the institution is integral to the success of a board. With that, the proper training and continued management of a board will determine its success and the outcomes of decisions and projects the board will work on. It is best to keep them as small as possible, with an odd number, dependent upon the size of the organization. For our corporate beauty college system with seven locations across the state, the most approprate size for a curriculum committee might be 7 or 9 to cover all areas of cosmetology, barbering, massage, and advanced esthetics curriculum. I think it would be highly beneficial to have distinguished members of the community and industry to serve on the board (ie. salon and spa owners or managers, distributors, curriculum writers in different industries, etc). Having a variety of experience and input will build the most successful framework of a board to develop the most unique and empowering curriculum possible.
Posting the mission/responsibilty of the different boards is important to ensure the boards stay focused.
Its critical the structure and formation of sub-committees to better serve the institution.
Reply to Melissa Parker's post:
Hi Melissa,
The idea of having an odd number of individuals is a great suggestion.
Choosing a governing or advisory board which is representative of both the student population and the surrounding community is vital for creating an organization which is impactful and sustainable. Too often in our field we see schools open up only to shut down shortly due to conflicts of interest, non- compliance with rules and regulations, or mistakes made due to ignorance on the part of the committees which are created to ensure success. The process of selecting board members is going to require sound judgment to ensure we select individuals who are capable of carrying out their defined roles & responsibilities.
