Board members, presidents and chancellors from colleges and universities across Missouri will gather Thursday, June 5, for the Third Annual Governing Board Forum at the Holiday Inn Executive Center in Columbia. Missouri’s Coordinating Board for Higher Education hosts the annual event, which provides an opportunity for higher education leaders to discuss local, state and national issues facing postsecondary institutions.
The day-long conference will feature two nationally recognized postsecondary education experts. Teresa Lubbers, Indiana commissioner of higher education and chair of the State Higher Education Executive Officers, will discuss strategies to increase college completion, improve productivity and ensure academic quality.
Dr. Sally Clausen, former Louisiana commissioner of higher education and president of the Louisiana State University System, is currently the executive director of the Ingram Center for Public Trusteeship and Governance at the Association of Governing Boards of Colleges and Universities. She will address the challenges and opportunities that come with governing Missouri’s higher education institutions.
Breakout discussion sessions will cover higher education finance, overcoming barriers to degree completion and linking higher education with Missouri’s economic and workforce needs.
Bringing local governing board members together to discuss topics of mutual interest contributes to a stronger and more cohesive system of higher education, according to Dalton Wright, chair of Missouri’s Coordinating Board for Higher Education.
“Many colleges and universities face similar challenges,” Wright said. “Our annual forum gives governing board members and higher education leaders an opportunity to step back from their own institutions to take a broader look at how important issues are being addressed across Missouri and in other parts of the country.”
Local higher education governing boards provide fiscal oversight, allocate financial resources, approve policies and programs, and hire chief executive officers at Missouri’s public two- and four- year colleges and universities. Board members at four-year institutions are appointed by the governor. Community college boards are elected by voters within each community college district.
Supporting sponsors for the Governing Board Forum include the Missouri Community College Association and the Council on Public Higher Education.