April 18, 2010

Trustees Seek Ways to Meet Greater Expectations

Community-College Trustees: Greater Expectations 1

Mark Holm for The Chronicle

Elmer J. Guy (right), presiden tof Navajo Technical College, meets with trustees. "It's important that they understand what their roles and the president's roles are," Mr. Guy says, "so we don't run into problems of micromanagement."

By Katherine Mangan

For three days last month, trustees of Maricopa County Community College District brainstormed about problems that had grown uncomfortably familiar: the self-interested trustee, and the challenges of serving more students for less money.

But this time officials of the sprawling 10-campus system in Arizona, whose governing board has been embroiled in a feud involving accusations of micromanagement and incivility, didn't mind being in the spotlight. In fact, they welcomed the attention