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Over the past forty-plus years, I have come to know and to work with dozens of college and university presidents and trustees. While I have seen many successful partnerships between presidents and boards and board chairs, I have also been struck by the number of unhealthy relationships that exist.
There are many possible contributors to such dysfunctional interactions: presidents who are arrogant or who insist on trying to be the only source of information for their boards, presidents who are frightened of their boards or board chairs, or trustees or board chairs who don't take the time to understand their college and what makes it work. However, the board is the ultimate authority; if or when a crisis arises, the board decides what will be done. When communication about important issues is incomplete, when roles are misunderstood, or when facts are not well known, unfortunate consequences ensue. The board chair and the president, working together, have the responsibility to make sure bad things don't happen; to not surprise each other; and to provide feedback to one another while there is still time to change course, if such a change is called for.
Stephen R. Lewis, Jr., is president emeritus of Carleton College, where he served as president from 1987 to 2002. He previously taught economics at Williams College (1966–87) and twice served as provost there (1968–71 and 1973–77). He is chairman of the RiverSource Funds, a trustee of William Mitchell College of Law, and vice chairman of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
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