AIR in Motion

Proposed Governance Changes FAQs

• What’s the difference between a Board Chair and a President?

  In short, a Board Chair leads the Board; a President leads the organization operations.

  When AIR began, there was no staff; in effect, an all-volunteer organization where the President led both the Board and the work of the organization. AIR has evolved and now has a staff of almost 20, including a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who leads the work of the organization.

  As AIR has grown, the roles of the CEO and the Board have shifted. The Board’s role is one of vision, oversight, and representation. The role of the CEO is to enact and be accountable for the vision. For example, the Board is no longer responsible for developing training and professional development opportunities for institutional researchers. The CEO is responsible for ensuring that there is appropriate training and professional development opportunities, and the Board monitors the CEO. With the roles of the CEO and the Board more clearly delineated, the titles of those roles should also evolve to more standard language.

  Source: https://www.nonprofitissues.com/to-the-point/what-difference-between-board-chair-vice-chair-or-board-president-vice-president

• Why elect a leader from within the Board/NEC?

  The work of the Board depends heavily on a leader who is well versed in Policy Governance and who has a deep understanding of the organization. Both of these take time. Those who are new to Policy Governance and have served on the Board report that it takes until the third year on the Board to really feel a complete grasp of Policy Governance and the institutional history. Those who are elected to serve on the Board have a good sense of who among them has the knowledge and skills to successfully lead them. This model of electing a Chair from among the Board is standard practice for organizations with a full professional staff.

  Source: https://www.tecker.com/elected-or-appointed-board-chair/:

  • “Elected Board chairs tend to view their role as more political than do appointed board chairs. The elected chair sees the members as a constituency to be served. …. In an association, however, this is actually one of the roles of Board members as a group... Sometimes misguided chairs elected by the membership believe they have been invested with a political authority by vote of the membership that trumps the authority of the Board. …
  • Appointed chairs tend to see their role as facilitating the effective operation of the Board. They tend to be more sensitive to the Board’s legal responsibilities. They tend to see their role as facilitating the Board making decisions that are in the best interests of the not-for-profit corporation.”

  Source: https://www.asaecenter.org/resources/articles/an_magazine/2016/marchapril/who-should-choose-your-volunteer-leaders:

  • “Board selection of officers has important advantages… You are less likely to be dealing with somebody winning out of a popularity contest,” noting that board members know their colleagues' strengths and weaknesses best.
• Doesn’t the Board/NEC get trained in Policy Governance?

  Yes, but like many orientations, it is in the practice of the work that it becomes clear. In theory, it all makes sense, but in practice, the nuances blaze, and stymie the progress of the Board. In addition, with a third of the Board turning over each year, it can take several months for the Board (meeting monthly) to gain traction. A Board leader who is elected from within and who can serve for more than one year could smooth out that transition so that the orientation isn’t the only mechanism for continuity, knowledge transfer and skill development.

• Won’t that reduce the voice of the members?

  The members of AIR will continue to elect the individuals who serve on the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors is collectively responsible for the governance and oversight of the association. The proposed change allows a Board member to learn how the Board functions and understand the skills needed to lead the Board before considering the role of Board chair. When electing Board members, AIR members will consider whether that individual could potentially serve as Board chair.

  In addition, our current approach is a mismatch with policy governance, in which the Board prioritizes the vision and strategy for the association, leaving the tactical and transactional work to the AIR staff. The current practice too often leaves institutional memory in the hands of the Executive Office, many of whom are long serving, in comparison to the three year term of most Board members. The interpretation of that history is not with the Board, but with the staff. Electing a leader from within the Board and permitting two consecutive terms will allow more institutional history to be retained by the Board. The current structure creates a significant reliance on the Executive Director/CEO and other staff.

• Will the change be meaningful and purposeful?

  The advantages of Board election of officers include:

  • Opportunity to cultivate those who may/will be elected as leaders;
  • Can be tied to Board self- assessment: what skills/characteristics will best serve the Board;
  • Enhances sense of the full Board being accountable to members, and the Chair being accountable to the full Board; and
  • In most states, preserves course of action for removal in case of egregious misconduct.

  The Board speaks as one voice, everyone is co-equal. All Board members are leaders of the Association. All Board members are governing the Association. The Board Chair is delegated authority to guide governance of the Board. Electing the Board Chair from within the Board is consistent with the “one voice” principle of co-equals. The ability to select a capable Board chair is better suited to the Board who has specific knowledge and experience as to who might be best to lead the Board’s charge.

• How will this impact diversity, inclusion, equity and representation?

  It will provide greater opportunity. Currently, the opportunity for a member to serve as the leader of the Board is limited to the two people who end up on the ballot. If the Board has the opportunity to select their leader, there will be eight Board members (all of whom will have been elected by the membership) from which to choose. It actually provides more opportunity for representation in leadership.

• How do these changes compare to other associations?

  This change would reflect the board structure of many of our higher education institutions. For the most part, at our colleges and universities, the Chairs of our Boards are elected by the Board. In addition, it is a practice for EDUCAUSE, and for the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium (HEDS).

  In addition, this change would set us apart from regional and state IR associations that do not use policy governance and whose leadership organize and plan conference and events.

  Note: AIR elections reflect a minority vote of our membership each year. On average, the voting response rate is less than 20% of our membership.

• Will these proposed changes limit opportunities to get involved with the association?

  Member volunteer opportunities will continue with these proposed revisions. Visit airweb.org/volunteer to learn more about various ways you can volunteer.

• Will the Board Vice Chair automatically become the Board Chair?

  No. Both the Board Chair and Board Vice Chair will be elected from within the Board members-at-large. There will not be an automatic succession from Vice Chair to Chair.

• What are the proposed guidelines for serving consecutive 3-year terms as a Board member?

  Consecutive terms with term limits provide opportunities for fresh voices while at the same time allowing for continuity.  A sitting Board member interested in a consecutive term would need to be chosen as a candidate by the NEC and be re-elected by the AIR membership. A second term consecutive term is not automatic.

• What is the role of the Board liaison on the NEC?

  The Board liaison to the NEC is a board member appointed by the Board of Directors from among its current members to serve as the formal connection between the Board and the NEC. In this role, the Board liaison will keep other Board members apprised of NEC activities and discussion but will not be eligible to serve as the leader of the NEC in the role of chair.

• Does changing the title from Board President to Board Chair impact the role of the Executive Director?

  No. The role of the Executive Director/CEO will remain the same and she will continue to lead Association operations and report to the Board of Directors as stipulated in the AIR governance policies.

• What happens if no Board member or NEC committee member wants to serve in the leadership role?

  A requirement for all the candidates for Board member-at-large or NEC committee member will be a willingness to serve in a leadership role if they are elected within their respective group.