Choosing to become a university governor

Accepting the responsibility for universities in today's multi-billion dollar higher education sector can and should be daunting. Understanding one's own motivations, abilities and needs is essential to good governance practice but especially when starting out and "measuring up" to the governor's role.

The Steps Programs offer a unique suite of programs, focused on the individual "stepping up" to new role. Board Step specifically addresses the major challenge of how to prepare and present for a 'directorship' role through a combination of

• personal coaching, and
• group interaction.

The individual focus of the Steps Programs makes them unique and complementary other professional development courses, including UGPD's own that focus on building the overall capability of the governing team. This is what makes them apt for individual relfection at the beginning of your governance career.

The Induction Pack

Starting a new governor's role at a large enterprise requires fast familiarity with a wide range of information about the institution and its governance practices. Good practice is to receive an induction pack, and all new university governors should ask for one. Now that the UGPD Program has produced its National Induction Pack there is no excuse not to receive one!

The National Induction Pack serves as a university governor resource and as a model for an Induction Handbook for a university's governing body. The Pack has been compiled from induction materials supplied by universities, education departments, other providers and the National Institute for Governance, assessed for best practice against three criteria:

• Readability
• Reliability
• Relevance

As a 'National' Induction Pack this handbook necessarily cannot contain the State – or institution – specific information university governors require in such a resoruce. Instead it provides examples of these in a ring-binder format that can be annotated, supplemented or replaced. As information changes over time these will also be updated.

Information about purchasing and value comparisons are available here.

The Induction Process

Being presented with a "telephone book" of information is not itself an induction process. This ideally is an involved and extended process containing several elements:

• The role of the individual governor can be explored in a meeting with the chair of the governing body, the Chancellor. This should focus on the basics of good governance practice as they operate within this unique governing body. This may include the interpretation of basic fiduciary duties, relationships with stakeholders, management and other Council members, including the management of ‘stakeholders’ and ‘constituency’ tensions as necessary.
• The university's Induction Pack may be supplemented with an Induction Session for a group of new group of members, including group discussion of governance and legal frameworks, the resources available to assist the fulfilment of their duties, and information about the University. The UGPD Program
• An early discussion should identify individual interests/abilities/knowledge to match with committee/stakeholder assignments. This may be with the Chancellor and/or Vice-Chancellor and/or Chair of Governance/Membership Committee together with the Council Secretary who will facilitate identified actions. Good practice would initiate a process of individual professional development planning of skills and knowledge (including Higher Education Sector/University knowledge) at this stage, linked with expectations for individual performance evaluation against a timetable. This should include clear identification of individual and university obligations/expectations for professional development costs.