Trusteeship - November/December 2023 - 3

ON MY AGENDA
Rethinking Our Needs for a New Era
BY MARY PAPAZIAN
A
S THE NOVELIST Charles Dickens
wrote long ago, " It was the
best of times, it was the worst
of times, it was the age of
wisdom, it was the age of foolishness. " I am
sure these words resonate for many of us in
higher education today.
Over the past decade, during my tenure
as president at two different institutions
and as a board member, I, like many of you,
wrestled with the myriad challenges disrupting
colleges and universities. Ranging
from strained budget models and public
skepticism about the value of a college
degree, to academic integrity, the risks associated
with new technologies, and threats to
our democracy, these challenges must concern
all of higher education's advocates.
Yet challenging times also can-indeed
must-become moments for innovation and
a renewed commitment to mission, particularly
around student success, even if some
of our practices might require fundamental
redesign. We inhabit a rare moment when
we-board members, presidents, senior
staff, faculty members, and partners-must
consider how to transform our colleges and
universities in creative ways. Such change
will take courage and vision from boards and
institutional leaders working together. As I
enter my fourth month as AGB's executive
vice president, I look forward to exploring
emerging ideas that amplify higher education's
collective wisdom, forged from necessity,
innovation, and partnerships.
Also, for many AGB members, this
period marks the beginning of budget
season. In my experience, innovation has
everything to do with budgeting. Too often,
the budget process leads not to innovative
change, but to narrow and safe thinking.
Innovation is a mindset,
a culture, a commitment
to a sustainable future, and
it needs the governing
board to be its greatest
champion.
There is a budget to be balanced, after all,
so we can't afford to innovate or take risks.
On the contrary, I suggest that boards and
institutional leaders need to resist the urge to
play it safe and focus on reductions and cuts;
instead, focus on investments in innovation
and change. Reductions might allow your
institution to hang on, but it may not thrive.
The bottom line is innovation is our greatest
asset to propel higher education forward
from industrial age models that still dominate
much of our design to the ever-evolving,
ever-iterating digital age. Innovation is a
mindset, a culture, a commitment to a sustainable
future, and it needs the governing
board to be its greatest champion.
Although innovation may look different
on every campus, the five principles laid
out in the AGB Board of Directors' Statement
on Innovation in Higher Education
are a useful guide:
1. Innovation in higher education requires
a focus on current and long-term priorities
and aspirations.
2. Innovation depends on an active commitment
to building and sustaining a
culture of institutional collaboration.
3. In fostering a culture of innovation, the
governing board should be clear in its
support for presidential leadership.
4. Innovation requires a governing board's
readiness for change, a willingness to
©2023 AGB.ORG NOV.DEC.2023 TRUSTEESHIP 3
accept and monitor risk, and a structure
that ensures proper oversight and participation
in innovation.
5. Innovation requires a sufficient commitment
of resources.
6. Successful innovation demands the governing
board's attention to the strategic
role of technology.
I find these principles not only valuable in
the context of budget oversight but also necessary
to ensure innovation supports student
success and institutional health. Through
the review process, boards can demonstrate
readiness for change and digital transformation,
while ensuring there are resources to
drive innovation on campus. It is less about
" right-sizing " and more about rethinking our
needs for a new era. Moreover, board members
should seek to understand how to leverage
innovation not just for this budget cycle,
but for the next five, ten, or even 20 years.
I hope you will consider joining me
early in 2024 to discuss innovation and
the future of higher education at AGB's
upcoming conferences: the Foundation
Leadership Forum, the Board Professionals
Conference, and the National Conference
on Trusteeship. As any Silicon Valley entrepreneur
will tell you, no good idea comes
from a vacuum. AGB conferences are the
perfect setting in which to share beyond
your neighbors and peer institutions to the
more than 1,000 boards that make up the
AGB membership.
Let us use today's challenges to usher in
a higher education renaissance, together.
Mary Papazian, PhD, is executive vice
president of AGB.
http://www.AGB.ORG
Trusteeship - November/December 2023

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