Better Agendas are First Step Toward Better Board Meetings

Madison, Wis.—February 20, 2008 — Want a better board of trustees meeting? Create a better agenda.

Bill McGinnis, a member of the Butte-Glenn CCD Trustee Board, taught community college executives how to do just that during his recent online seminar. McGinnis, who also consults with other institutions on board issues, suggested that community college executives:

Make your agenda about the bigger picture. Focusing on the larger good reduces micromanaging and haggling over details, McGinnis said. As a result, if an item doesn’t tie back to your institution’s vision, it probably shouldn’t be on the agenda.

Focus your agenda on what, not how. The board is there to shape institutional mission and set goals that will help your institution achieve it, not focus on day-to-day operational minutiae.

De-emphasize routine reports. Cut the time allowed for member reports or move it to the end of the agenda. If the board is spending the first two hours of a meeting receiving reports, members will be tired of sitting by the time important action items roll around. “How does a board feel after sitting there for three hours and only working for 10 or 15 minutes?”

The seminar included an example of a revised agenda as well as discussion about building a sense of teamwork and trust among board members.

If you missed the live event, you can order the program in CD or transcript format, both of which include the presenters' handouts.

Magna Publications is a leading publisher of newsletters and other information products in the higher education segment. Magna also manages onsite and online conferences on topics of interest to higher education.

For more information please contact David Burns, Publisher, Magna Publications, Inc., at 608-227-8109, or dburns@magnapubs.com.