Illustration by Dan Williams

Consider a mobile: the intersection of art and engineering. It is perhaps a perfect image for the complicated dance of give-and-take that is governance. Dependent on connection among many parts, each with its own shape and size, the mobile demonstrates balance and stability in motion while responding to external forces. Graceful yet complex, attuned to its environment, the metaphor invites all stakeholders to see their roles as stewards of balance – adjusting with care to keep the institution grounded while also sustaining forward motion.

Three considerations demand attention when seeking this kind of adaptive stability:

Centering the mass. Mission holds everything in place: Institutional purpose and values, theological commitment, denominational ties, and core identity and practices. Mission creep, straying from values, or practices misaligned with what we say we are lead to disequilibrium. In Future Promise (page10), Sister Teresa Maya gets right to this point.

Balancing counterweights. Too much weight on one side or another is destabilizing. Sustainability requires balancing short-term financials with long-term mission. Expanding programs impacts infrastructure. Enrollment trends signal resource reallocation. A focus on sustainability demands a healthy governance review of financial and organizational realities to ensure balance. Deferred maintenance shifts financial burdens (see Gregg Brekke’s story on page 16, where several school leaders speak to their own deferred maintenance realities).

Analyzing outside forces. Governance does not happen in a vacuum. All stakeholders must confront the regulatory climate, trends in the field, internal pressures, and currents in the broader culture for cues that impact their assessment, planning and decision-making. Consider using the interview on page 11 about the changing regulatory environment and any of our strategic shorts or podcast episodes to inform your discussions about forces and trends that demand your attention.

As you read this issue, reflect on the aesthetic of the mobile and the adjustments needed to ensure that governance remains centered, balanced, and responsive as the winds of change shift.