Five Case Studies of Governance in Tertiary Education

Abstract

Most studies of governance in tertiary education take as their points of reference colleges and universities, with few examining governance in organizations that deliver various other forms of tertiary education. These organizations often have governing boards, but the boards are not necessarily downsized versions of their college and university counterparts. Although some studies classify governing boards into different types, few offer a clear definition of such boards or explain how they actually function in institutional contexts other than colleges and universities. This study examines governance in five small, public, not-for-profit tertiary institutions, each with a board, to determine what the boards look like, how they perform, what is expected of them, and how they are similar to or different from other types of boards in colleges and universities.