Evaluating Boards and Administrators: Promoting Greater Accountability in Higher Education

Accrediting agencies and legislatures have become increasingly insistent that governing boards and upper administrators undergo regular evaluation at colleges and universities. Institutions of higher education have a long history of evaluating faculty members and are familiar with best practices for doing so. Offices of human resources include employees with experience in how staff members should be evaluated because these processes are well developed in the corporate world. But how does a college or university effectively evaluate its governing board, and who performs that process? How are administrators, particularly the chief executive officer and vice presidents, evaluated fairly and effectively? Since a majority of institutions are now required to perform these evaluations, they’re seeking advice and examples of best practices, but there aren’t resources available to provide these insights. This book will address that critical need. The target audience is college faculty and administrators, particularly those who need to develop or improve a system for evaluating governing boards or administrators because of accreditation requirements or legislative mandate.

Table of Contents:
Table of Contents Preface Introduction Chapter 1. Evaluation and the Accountability Culture Chapter 2. How to Evaluate Administrators Effectively Chapter 3. Best Practices in Administrative Evaluations Chapter 4. How to Evaluate Boards Effectively Chapter 5. Best Practices in Board Evaluations Chapter 6. Putting It All Together: Developing Synergy in Assessment, Program Review, Accreditation, and Evaluation Other Books by Jeffrey L. Buller More about ATLAS About the Author

About the Author :
Jeffrey L. Buller is a senior partner in ATLAS Leadership Training, an international partnership that trains administrators and leaders in every aspect of their complex assignments. He holds a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has published twenty other books on educational leadership as well as numerous articles, including nearly two hundred on higher education administration.

Review :
Dr. Buller makes a compelling case for extending the evaluation culture prevalent in academic institutions to the most senior leadership – boards and top administrators. He provides excellent examples of best practices used by a handful of academic institutions for evaluating administrators and boards. This is an easy to read book with the most salient points raised in each chapter summarized at the end. As the movement toward greater accountability continues in higher education, there is a clear need for practical and concise methods for evaluating the highest levels of institutional and system administration. Jeff Buller’s text provides this guidance. Buller carefully examines and methodically explains best practices for evaluating these important stakeholders in a manner that is engaging. Perhaps most valuable are the real-life case studies, which provide insight into several complex situations. Evaluating Boards and Administrators is a great resource for anyone who participates in the evaluation of senior administration in higher education. Buller’s work is a great resource in this age of increasing accountability in higher education. He adeptly describes the challenges involved in conducting a meaningful evaluation of higher-level administrators and governing boards, as opposed to a perfunctory “check the box” process. This book provides a helpful discussion on what is really at the crux of board evaluation…defining, observing, and measuring success of the board as a whole and of individual members. Evaluating boards and administrators is one of the critically important and often overlooked elephants in the room of higher education. As legislative bodies and accrediting agencies demand greater accountability, colleges and universities will continue to feel the mounting pressure to get this right. Fortunately, Jeff Buller, a seasoned expert and long trusted leader in higher education, has paved the path toward great accountability in higher education with this practical, must-have handbook.