Board Governance, Seeking Best In Class: Perspectives from Chief Executive Officers Serving as Academic Trustees

This study addressed the convergence of academic and corporate board governance practices. The qualitative description case study was conducted through interviews with chief executive officers (CEOs) who also served as academic trustees. The purposive sample of chief executive officers represented six colleges and universities located in the Midwest and Eastern states in the USA, and they embodied diversity in terms of gender and race. The interview approach brought to the fore the perspectives of the participants themselves comparing the two board governance models. Board meetings are convened behind closed doors, and the interviews allowed the researcher to glean the best practices of the two governance traditions, as described by the participants. The study findings identified the CEOs’ perspectives on board member selection and expertise; making decisions; maintaining mission and shareholder value; and, personal and professional rewards. The study also documented the views of CEOs comparing corporate and academic board governance on: corporate influences, notable distinctions, academic lessons, and best practices in a unique discourse on the convergence of their corporate and academic governance experiences