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 2019 PACT Spring Conference Highlights

​The meeting was well attended this year, with a total of 121 registrants.  The session discussions were robust and much dialog occurred in the areas of the trustee selection, evaluation, advocacy, communications and branding. The opening keynote on  Transformation and System Redesign  was interactive and engaging and provided a thorough review of the national and regional landscape and the forces that are transforming higher education. This was followed by a great discussion and interaction among the participants about system redesign and the important roles trustees have in supporting their respective campuses as we transition.  

A new trustee orientation was conducted, which 11 of our new trustees participated in, to include several new student trustees who were recently appointed by the Governor.

​The Q&A Session with Dr. Ken Mash, APSCUF President, was groundbreaking as well as informative.  It was the first time that Trustees and APSCUF have interacted at a PACT meeting and provided a new insight into the important relationship between Trustees and Faculty.  Later in the day when the Chancellor was asked when we would see concrete signs of “systemness”, he used this session as an example.

University legal counsels presented a session on ethics, which provided an overview of the ethics and disclosure statutes that applies to trustees and practical tips for identifying and advoiding conflicts of interest. Reminder that all trustees need to complete the annual Statement of Financial Interest form by the deadline of May 1, 2019.

The conference ended with a plenary lunch session with Chancellor Greenstein and Board of Governors Chair, Cynthia Shapira, discussing the vital role trustees will play in fostering momentum for change at the campus, community and statewide levels in the system redesign.

Following are links to the various presentations that were conducted at the meeting:​

On behalf of the PACT Executive Board, we thank all trustees who attended the meeting this year, the Foundation, conference sponsors, and System staff who made this year’s meeting successful.  ​

 2018 PACT Fall Workshop
October 12, 2018

Special Thanks to Dr. David Tandberg, who was not only the guest speaker, but also made time to sign the book he was the lead author on, “The State Higher Education Executive Officer and the Public Good." 

Other highlights from the Workshops:

Keeping Our Seat at the Table – Discussion with Chancellor Daniel Greenstein and panelists from Clarion, Bloomsburg and Millersville Universities | Oct 2018 Trustees Role Powerpoint.pdf​

Pricing Flexibility Strategies for Student Affordability and University Competiveness – Session conducted by Mr. James Dillon and Ms. Lois Johnson | Fall 2018 PACT Strategies for Affordability.pdf

Innovative Ideas: Council of Trustees' Best Practices – Discussion with panelists from Shippensburg, California, Slippery Rock and Clarion Universities​​

 2018 PACT Spring Conference
​April 12-13, 2018

Documents

  • The panel of trustees led an important discussion with attendees to revisit the responsibilities of Trustee, University President, Chancellor and Board of Governors as specified in our current governance model (Act 188).
  • The session included a discussion and recommendations for an improved governance model for the 21stCentury. In support of these discussions, resources included the Trustee Handbook​, including:
    • Excerpts of Act 188 and Section 2009, pages 10-11
    • The Trustee Role and the University President, page 13
    • Personal Checklist for Trustees, page 24
  • Additional resources included articles from Trusteeship magazine, published by the Association of Governing Boards (AGB), a valuable resource publication for all trustees.
  • The panel discussed the importance of a trustee self-assessment as a tool to understand the opportunities, as both an individual and a council, to enhance participation and add value to each council and university. The self assessment developed by the Millersville Council of Trustees is a great example of this valuable tool.
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 2017 PACT Fall Workshop
October 17, 2017
Documents

 2017 PACT Spring Conference
April 19-20, 2017
 Documents 
Spring Conference Booklet
Conference Highlights​​
“New Trustee Orientation”
Presentation by partners from the Chancellors Office provided new trustees visibility to the Higher Education landscape in Pennsylvania. Discussion included funding trends, student enrollment and demand trends and highlighted the pressures on Public University Systems. Attendees learned about policy issues, specific State System funding and allocation formulas and the budget process.
“The Trustee Role in Sustainability and Self-Assessment”
Highly anticipated session facilitated for trustees…by trustees. The session focused on ways for trustees to advocate effectively for their university. Panel provided a thorough review of the trustee role as identified by ACT 188 and by the State System Governance Statutory Authority. Discussion included key responsibilities of trustees in both Academic and Financial Affairs to ensure sustainability. To that end,  the relationship of the trustee to the university president is key. We are grateful to our legal counsel and university presidents in attendance for their significant contributions to this important conversation. This critical discussion re: sustainability demonstrated both the need and value of a self-assessment tool to evaluate both individual trustee and council understanding of their role and required participation. Thanks to the Millersville Council of Trustees for providing their assessment tool as an example, and for focusing on the need for each university council to development an assessment that is tailored to their university and council’s unique needs. 
“Operationalizing the System’s Workforce Intelligence Toolkit”
Moderated by partners in the Chancellor’s office, this informative panel discussion included president, provost and deans from four State System universities, providing a forum for extensive review of resources developed by the System and contained in the Workforce Intelligence Toolkit. Panelists shared their unique perspectives in utilization of the toolkit along with their experiences in piloting “Career Coach” to effectively integrate labor market research into recruitment, academic course development, retention and ultimately to student success. Discussion also included how trustees can utilize Toolkit resources to effectively partner with and advocate for their university.
“Financial Risk Assessment Dashboard and Instructional Cost Model”
The dashboard was developed for use by the Board of Governors and is currently in its third year of utilization at the university level. With partners from the Chancellor’s Office, a panel of presidents and trustees discussed their experiences with opportunities/challenges identified by their university dashboard, and how they partner with both staff and trustees t​o utilize that information in making strategic decisions. Panel discussed how they can review and respond to financial metrics and to the velocity of any changes to these measures. Attendees were excited to learn about the projected Fall 2017 launch of a new tool, the Instructional Cost Model. This highly anticipated tool will be a key link to  Workforce Intelligence and comprehensive enrollment development strategies.​​