Seldom do we hear much about college and university trustees, but of late we have heard much more than usual. The person responsible more than anyone else is University of Texas trustee Wallace Hall, who made a lot of bitter enemies because he looked deeply into what was going on in the system. As a result, Texas and a few other states now have pending bills that would establish training programs for trustees.

That is a matter of great interest to Anne Neal, president of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA). Since its founding 20 years ago, ACTA has been working to replace the old notion that the role of a trustee is to raise money and just approve of whatever the school’s administration thinks best. Instead, ACTA wants trustees to play a far more active role; often that will put the board on a collision course with the administration — and that’s good.

In her Clarion Call today, Anne argues that while trustees need to have training, it would be a terrible mistake to entrust legislators with designing and overseeing it.

“Trustees should not simply be boosters who never ask any questions,” she writes. “Rather, they should offer a reality check on the frequently self-directed focus of colleges and universities.”

Training programs established by state governments are apt to perpetuate the listless, rubber-stamp kinds of trustees who just show up for an occasional cocktail party, football game, and perfunctory meeting. What Anne Neal wants to see are empowered boards that handle their own training and “provide a national perspective on effective practices.”

That would be good, but there is a serious obstacle — finding such people! There are far more who would like to be trustees just for the honor and occasional perks than people who would spend the time it takes to become well informed and then be the skunk at the picnic when it comes time to vote on the president’s pet ideas.