The total number of members of the governing bodies of the 45 colleges reporting in the survey amounts to 644. As shown in the table, many of the boards are very large. Five institutions have governing bodies ranging from 31 to 50 members. These boards are unwieldy. It is moreover obvious that the entire membership does not function in the actual government of the institutions. Extended study of detailed data concerning attendance at board meetings over a period of years shows conclusively that it is impossible to secure the attendance of a large number either at the regular sessions or specially called meetings. The result is that only a few actively interested members assume the responsibility of conducting the affairs of the board. Two colleges have boards varying from 20 to 25 members, 4 from 15 to 20 members, and 13 from 10 to 15 members. Although smaller in size, these governing bodies are also cumbersome and unwieldy and it is frequently necessary to handle their business largely through committees to which large authority is delegated rather than through the entire membership. In the case of 20 institutions the size of the board consists of from 5 to 10 members, a far more advantageous number. One college has but three members on its governing board.

Composition of the boards varies. The table indicates that of the entire membership of the 45 colleges, 610 are men and 34 are women. Twenty-two of the colleges have women on their governing bodies, 2 with 4 women members, 4 with 2 women members, and 18 with 1 woman member. The total proportion of women to men is 5 per cent. Since most of the institutions are coeducational, it is highly desirable that women be appointed to serve on the governing boards.

Ex officio members serve on the boards of the majority of the institutions, 34 reporting that their governing bodies are composed partially of such members. In the remaining 11 cases reported there are no ex officio members. In one institution 9 ex officio members serve on the board, in another 8, and in a third 7. The number of ex officio members in these instances is so large that it exceeds the full board membership of some of the other colleges. There are 4 institutions with from 4 to 6 ex officio members on their governing bodies, 20 with from 2 to 4, and 7 with only 1 member. Ex officio members are generally State officials and in the preceding chapter their official positions have been indicated. However, the president serves as an ex officio member of the governing bodies of 13 universities and other institutional officials of 2. A significant question is whether ex officio members have the right to vote or whether they merely serve on the boards in an advisory and consulting capacity. In 11 institutions the ex officio members have voting powers. In the remaining 34 they do not vote,

That recognition is given to alumni and former students on the governing boards of the land-grant colleges is evidenced by an examination of the table. Out of the 644 members making up the membership of the boards of 45 institutions, 238, or approximately 37 per cent, are listed as former students. The boards of 31 colleges have alumni membership and in 10 States the law specifically provides that a certain number of the members of the governing bodies shall be former students. Such representation is undoubtedly advantageous as former students and alumni generally have a keen interest in the progress and development of the institutions. In a number of cases there are large proportions found on the governing bodies.

There is 1 university with 90 per cent of its members who are former students, 1 with 76 per cent, 1 with 70 per cent, 1 with 63 per cent, 3 with from 55 to 60 per cent, 1 with from 50 to 55 per cent, 5 with from 40 to 45 per cent, 6 with from 35 to 40 per cent, 3 with from 30 to 35 per cent, 1 with from 25 to 35 per cent, 2 with from 20 to 25 per cent, 2 with from 15 to 20 per cent, 3 with from 10 to 15 per cent, and 1 with less than 10 per cent.

The methods by which the governing bodies are chosen is of paramount importance in determining their personnel. In three States the members are chosen by popular election. Such a plan has the advantage of increasing the contact of the general public with the land-grant institutions, but at the same time it necessitates placing the candidates on political ballots. There are 19 States where the governor appoints the entire board and 5 where he appoints a part of the membership. The board members in 12 other States are appointed by the governor with the consent of the senate. Power to appoint the governing bodies of State higher educational institutions is a serious responsibility. Doubt exists, therefore, whether it should be vested in a single official. In two States the entire board is chosen by the State legislature and in two others a certain number of the board members are chosen in this way. One of the universities, a semiprivate institution, has a self-perpetuating governing body while a part of the membership of four others is chosen by the board itself. The alumni elect a portion of the boards of five colleges and agricultural associations chose members in two. While all the methods just cited have their advantages, the plan of appointment by the governor with the approval of the State senate would seem to be the most desirable.

Qualifications and requirements for membership on the governing bodies are prescribed in the laws of 27 States. These are geographic, political, vocational, and sectarian. Each of the congressional districts of their respective States must be represented on the boards of five land-grant colleges. In four others the State statutes stipulate that not more than one board member shall be appointed from a

single congressional district. There are four States where the board must be composed of representatives from different sections. The governing body of one land-grant institution must include a member from each county of the State, while in the case of another no two members may be selected from the same county. According to the statutes of two States, no member of the board shall reside in the county in which the institution is located. Restrictions upon political party membership are found in only six States. The laws of four prescribe that both major political parties shall be represented on the governing boards. One-third of the members of the governing body of one institution must belong to the opposition party at the time of the appointment while in another the State statute requires that not more than five board members shall be of the same political faith. In order to assure the selection of governing bodies for the landgrant institutions directly interested in their educational objectives, vocational qualifications have been prescribed by the laws of five States. All of the members of the board in one institution, according to the provisions of the State law, must be connected with agriculture. The governing body of another must consist of members with five years of experience in successful farming and in a third at least two members of the board must be farmers. The law of one State requires that the governing body of the land-grant institution must be selected from its foremost mechanics graduates. Two members prominent in agricultural pursuits and two in manufacturing industries must be chosen under the statute of another State. The majority of the board in the case of one institution can not be of the same religious sect.

The composition and permanence of the governing bodies is dependent to a large degree upon the length of the term of office. When the power of appointment is vested in State agencies it is essential not only that the terms of the members expire in different years but that they be of sufficient length to insure that a single State administration shall not change the entire complexion of the board. State officers generally serve for a period of four years. It is advisable, therefore, that the length of the term of the trustees exceed four years in length and that vacancies in the membership occur annually or in alternate years. Of the 45 institutions reporting on this point, the term of office is more than four years in 35, while in 10 others it is four years or less. In one land-grant institution the members of the governing body serve for life. In two others the term of office of a part of the membership is for life and the remainder for fixed periods of time.

The length of the term of office is 16 years in 1 institution, 12 years in 2, 9 years in 2, 8 years in 2, 7 years in 3, 6 years in 15, and 5 years in 6. Terms

of such length assure the elimination of political and partisan influence to a considerable degree. In the institutions with shorter terms of office for the trustees, 7 are for 4 years, 3 for 3 years, and 1 for 2 years.

The governing boards should be more or less permanent in order to avoid sudden changes in the policies for the operation and development of the institutions. An examination of the reports received. discloses that continuity of service on the boards is quite general.

There are 21 trustees that are serving their fifth term, 30 their fourth term, 31 their third term, and 119 their second term, while 172 of the trustees are serving their first term. The greatest number of years that any individual member has served on the present governing body of an institution is also indicative of permanence of tenure. The records show that 3 trustees have

been in service between 40 and 45 years, 1 between 35 and 40 years, 3 between 30 and 35 years, 4 between 25 and 30 years, 8 between 20 and 25 years, 8 between 15 and 20 years, 10 between 10 and 15 years, and four between 5 and 10 years.

In one institution a member of the governing body has served continuously for 52 years. One institution reports that the longest time any member of its present board has served is three years, an exceedingly short period.

The organizations of the boards are generally similar except for the number of officers and variation in titles. All the boards have a presiding officer known as the chairman or president. Twenty have a vice president or vice chairman. In three cases the head of the governing body is an ex officio or honorary president and the vice president serves as presiding officer at the meetings. Besides these principal officers, the boards of 35 colleges have secretaries, although this official is a member of the body in only a few instances. There are 15 governing bodies that have a treasurer, 3 an auditor, 2 a comptroller, 1 a financial secretary, 1 a business officer, and 1 a fiscal agent. The financial officer is not an actual member of the board of trustees in most instances, but is the chief business official of the institution.2

A large number of standing committees is found in the organization of the governing bodies. This is due in some instances to their large size and inability to conduct business through the board as a whole. There are as many as 75 different standing committees represented in the 45 institutions reporting in the survey. The most common are the executive, finance, and building committees, although not a few boards have established also extension, agriculture, experiment station, engineering, auditing, faculty, library, honorary degrees, and other types of standing committees. The largest number of standing committees found in the governing body of any single institution is 23 where a visiting committee has been appointed for every academic department. Another board has 16 standing committees.

* See Pt. III, p. 75.

The governing bodies of three institutions have from 14 and 15 standing committees, three from 11 to 12, three from 7 to 8, nine from 5 to 6, three from 3 to 4, and fourteen from 1 to 2 committees.

Seven of the boards have no standing committees whatever, the entire membership conducting its affairs as a unit. In addition to the standing committees, some of the governing boards appoint special committees to exercise jurisdiction over specific work assigned to them.

The size of the board is a significant factor in the determination of a quorum at the meetings. The number constituting a quorum ranges from 3 to 20 members in the different institutions, while a majority of the members is the proportion required in 36 institutions. There are six governing bodies which are so large that the requirements for a quorum are considerably less than a majority.

One institution with a board of 24 trustees requires only the presence of 7 members to make up a quorum, a second with 50 requires only 9 members, a third with 43 requires only 12 members, a fourth with 40 requires only 12 members, a fifth with 60 requires only 20 members, and a sixth with 31 requires only 7 members.

In the cases of large governing bodies, it is evident that the quorum is reduced because of difficulty in securing attendance. In 11 of the land-grant institutions, ex officio members of the governing boards without voting powers are included in counting the quorum. Three institutions failed to report on the number of members constituting a quorum at the meeting of their boards.

There is a lack of uniformity in the number and time of the official meetings of the governing bodies. The boards of six institutions meet only once a year in regular session. Three hold their regular sessions three times annually and the regular meetings of five are held semiannually. The practice of holding meetings at such infrequent intervals necessitates the delegation of the powers of the boards to committees and results in a part of the membership losing intimate contact with the institutions they govern. It would appear advantageous in these cases for the boards to meet more frequently.

The regular meetings of the trustees of 10 institutions are held quarterly, of 3 every other month, and of 10 monthly. In addition to their regular meetings, the boards of 22 institutions have adopted the practice of holding special meetings to consider business of importance needing immediate action. During the year 1927, 12 special meetings were held by the governing body of one institution, 11 by one, 10 by one, 5 by one, 2 by two, 3 by six, 2 by three, and 1 by seven. There were 15 whose governing bodies held no special meetings.

An effort was made to secure data on the attendance of trustees at meetings, but the figures were not entirely accurate. An examination of the returns, however, shows that in the 44 institutions reporting the proportion of attendance for regular members was 71 per cent and for ex officio members 54 per cent. In the case of the governing boards of 14 institutions, the members are permitted to