Board Chair Newsletter: December 2024

In Trust Center President Amy Kardash reflects on avoiding missing trends and issues that affect our mission.
December 18, 2024
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The Newsletter for Chairs of Theological School Boards
Vol. 3 No. 4

Reflection as a Board Practice

A colleague recently jokingly wrote that she had “lost” November this year, a way to acknowledge how fast it seems that the year has passed. It’s worth noting because sometimes we become so busy in the work we can miss larger trends and issues that affect our mission.

For boards, this is important to think about, and there’s no better time to do it than at the end of the year. Just as people reflect on the year that has passed, boards can do so as well.

It’s a great practice for board members individually and boards as a whole to set aside regular time to do something like a status check so we don’t lose the valuable insight that reflection can bring. I’d encourage you this holiday season to take some time first to rest and then to reflect and think about not only the work you’ve done but also how you and your board use times of reflection to grow. If you want conversation partners or resources on board assessment and reflection, our team is – as it always is – just an email away at: resources@intrust.org.

In terms of board growth, I’m excited to announce our new board development grants. These grants of up to $10,000 will allow institutional boards to pursue board-development projects and will result in tangible outcomes for governing and advisory boards. You can find out more about the grants here. Our team will have an information meeting for board chairs and executive leaders at 1 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 23. You can sign up for the webinar here

I hope and pray you have a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year! 

With gratitude for all you do in theological education,
Amy Kardash
President


Upcoming & Recent Webinars

The In Trust Center hosts learning community spaces throughout the year. Check out our upcoming and recent ones below.

Strategic Shorts

Videos & Webinars

Strategic Shorts

Video Series for Building Institutional Capacity The Rev. David Rowe, Ph.D., Project Director for the Governance Initiative and…

Strategic Shorts: Large-scale Collaboration and the Role of Boards

Videos & Webinars

Strategic Shorts: Large-scale Collaboration and the Role of Boards

Focus on the critical role boards play in large-scale collaborations

Strategic Shorts: Large-scale Collaboration and Difficult Personnel Decisions

Videos & Webinars

Strategic Shorts: Large-scale Collaboration and Difficult Personnel Decisions

How theological schools can navigate complex personnel decisions during large-scale collaborations.

Large-scale Collaboration and Change of Control

Videos & Webinars

Large-scale Collaboration and Change of Control

The formal process of transferring control between institutional boards