2016 Annual Conference

Trustees at American colleges and universities play a critical role in institutional development, but often forgo direct material compensation for their service (Michael, et al., 1999). This roundtable discusses adult work motivation (Braskamp, 1985; Maehr & Braskamp, 1986: Miller, 2002) as a framework to explore trustee institutional governance.

The roundtable will be targeted towards scholars and practitioners who are interested and work with college leaders on issues in institutional governance, including those researchers and scholars who have interest in adult work motivation. Practitioners will find the background of the study on voluntary leadership, boards of trustees, and institutional decision-making in higher education helpful to them in their practice and for consideration in their future research.

Trustees at American universities play a critical role in institutional progress, and because of the commitment that is required to fulfill their duties, individuals who serve selflessly in these public roles often forgo direct material compensation (Michael, Schwartz, Cook, & Winston, 1999). Reasons for trustee service and efforts to help leads higher education institutions include motivation and satisfaction factors. However, the traditional format for examining job satisfaction is not the most appropriate format for evaluating satisfaction of service in voluntary roles (Michael, Schwartz, Cook, & Winston, 1999). Individuals tend to invest their time and energy into activities that they believe are important to them, have meaning, and thus, make choices accordingly (Maehr & Braskamp, 1986). Nationally, many trustees serve at public institutions and independent nonprofit institutions, are recruited from within their institutions, and two-thirds of them spend half or less than half of their time working on board related issues (Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, 2015). Perhaps most importantly, trustees are typically trained and learn the process for appropriately governing their respective college or university. This roundtable discusses adult work motivation (Braskamp, 1985; Maehr & Braskamp, 1986: Miller, 2002) as a framework to explore trustee institutional governance.