University boards can play a role in institutional diversity

Senior Fellow Peter Eckel, a member of the Higher Education division at Penn GSE, was a recent guest on Wharton’s Sirius radio station to discussing the role boards of trustees can play in universities.

The 11/23/16 interview, which made the “Best of Wharton Radio” list for the year, discussed a new paper by Eckel and co-author Cathy Trower for TIAA Institute. The paper explores how university boards and institutional leaders can forge a tighter link between governance and campus diversity, one that leads to positive progress on a difficult and nuanced set of issues. “Boards can play an important role in diversity,” says Eckel. “After the election, this issue has become even more significant.”

In a recent Inside Higher Ed article, Eckel shared his expertise on the baseline fundamentals, performance, and culture of boards.