How To Develop & Utilize An Academic Advisory Board

EMI 2015: Advisory Boards Presentation of 14

© Johanna P. Bishop May 2015 [email protected]

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CREATION AND MAINTENANCE OF AN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

PROGRAM ADVISORY COMMITTEE: HOW TO DEVELOP & UTILIZE AN

ADVISORY BOARD

BY JOHANNA P. BISHOP, MS-HR, M.ED., CPT

Associate Professor/ Director, Behavioral Science Programs

Wilmington University

Doctoral Candidate: The George Washington University/ Executive Leadership Program

INTRODUCTION

The 2014 Emergency Management Institute Higher Ed symposium included a session in

which lively discussion ensued about the value, need, or relevance of an advisory board for

an emergency management higher ed program in academic institutions. Comments

included statements questioning why advisory boards were needed and “how could they

possibly help?” to “we wouldn’t want someone else to dictate what students should learn,” to

“what purpose would an advisory board serve?” This then, led to discussions among

colleagues, who have had experience with creating advisory boards in their own programs,

about the need to provide the perspectives of how advisory boards can enrich academic

programs.

Advisory boards made up of community practitioners can contribute knowledge and skills

to academic programs to ensure that any academic program can provide job relevant

learning. The win-win situation of having an active advisory board is that it can imbue

academic programs knowledge relevant to the field, build a list of practitioners who could

serve as classroom guest speakers, and create opportunities for students to learn

workplace skills by providing suitable internship locations.

College programs across the country find themselves explaining potential career paths for

any given major. No longer is learning for the sake of learning an end unto itself. Much of

this shift in attitude is due to the cost of a college education. According to the Institute for

College Access & Success, (an independent nonprofit that conducts research on college

costs and advocates for educational success) 69% of the high school graduates in 2013 will

carry a debt load of $28,400.00 per borrower (November 2014). Therefore, it’s not

unreasonable that students selecting a major want to know what the occupational outlook

is, they want to know where they can find jobs, and how they can position themselves for a

job.

Understanding a major’s earning potential and career path is even more important given

the occupational outlook provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The job outlook for

careers in emergency management are as follows: median pay $59,770.00 per year (Bureau

of Labor Statistics, 2014-2015 edition). Generally speaking, college graduates don’t begin at

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the top, and so it isn’t unreasonable to assume that for several years to come, as they are

learning the field, entry level entrants into the field of emergency management will be

learning less than what directors in emergency management earn. In addition, it is

important to note that the job outlook for 2012-through 2022 is 8% or as fast as average

(Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014-2015 edition).

Armed with these facts, it behooves educators to do what they can to build realistic

expectations among students, help provide realistic learning opportunities for students,

and ensure that academic curricula is relevant to the field if we are to prepare students to

become the next generation of professionals helping those in need when disaster strikes.

Clearly, creating an advisory board of scholars and practitioners is an idea whose time has

come.

This whitepaper will discuss the benefits of creating an advisory board, suggest best

practices in maintaining an advisory board, and share some personal experiences (both

pitfalls and successes) of creating and maintaining an advisory board in several higher

education programs.

JUSTIFICATION/ NEED:

Why Do You Need An Advisory Board?

Small businesses and the non-profit sector have been using advisory boards for years.

Unlike boards of directors in organizations, advisory boards have no legal or fiduciary

responsibility. Advisory boards are formed to meet and solely give advice and support.

They can help provide a strategic vision and ensure that your curriculum includes relevant

knowledge graduates will need in the field. Creating an advisory board gives qualified,

interested individuals a chance to serve and share their expertise and specialized

knowledge and talents as advisory board meetings become an environment for creative

discussions about the program and the field. Creating an advisory board also helps you to

cultivate future adjunct faculty members, guest speakers, and internship opportunities.

Advisory board members can help to ensure that the curriculum includes relevant

knowledge. Sharing the curriculum with advisory board members, even though they most

likely are not curricula or pedagogical experts, can lead to opportunities to create “real-

world” assignments. When creating a sense of partnership with advisory board members

incorporating their knowledge and expertise into the program can help to develop

assignments that lead to building student skills. For example, it is traditional in academic

programs to teach students to write long papers sustaining a thought based on evidence.

Many of those 10 or 20 page papers are poorly written. My advisory board explained in our

last meeting that we should really teach students to write short and concise assignments,

such case notes that are 1-2 pages long and can be written concisely so that they are

admissible in court as evidence (Personal Communications, Behavioral Science Advisory

Board, January 14, 2015). Their reasoning was that many jobs are grant-funded, and taking





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a half day or a day to write up case notes utilizes both too much time and costs too much

money. While not eliminating writing the longer term paper, we are looking at how to

incorporate short, timed writing assignments in our program.

What Is The Advisory Board’s Role?

Before creating your advisory board, it is wise to think about its role- what do you want it

to do-- or accomplish? The nonprofit sector has commonly used advisory boards and they

usually fall into 1 of 4 categories (Delaware Alliance for NonProfit Advancement, 2009).

The first kind of advisory board is one that does fundraising. Fundraising advisory boards

exist to do exactly that- raise funds for a special program or event. This can include

anything from raising funds for scholarships, special event dinners, or raising funds for

program enhancement. This kind of advisory board is more complicated and involves

fiduciary responsibilities.

The second kind of advisory board is programmatic. It exists to support and provide advice

to help the program. My advisory board is programmatic and consists of a group of non-

educators with expertise in community and organization matters who meet with educators

to exchange ideas. They provide a different, or “outside” perspective on our curriculum and

programs, and serve as a public relations “bridge” between community needs and the

curriculum. Our advisory board also inform university faculty and program leaders of best

practices in organizations and community agencies.

The third kind of advisory board is a letterhead advisory board. Letterhead boards simply

use the names of prestigious individuals who are willing to have their names listed as

advisory board members. There is no further involvement and the benefit to the

prestigious person is to be associated with a program they believe in or admire, and the

benefit to you is to be able to draw attention to your program through the prestigious

person- it enhances credibility.

The fourth kind of advisory board is a fiscally sponsored board. This one is more

complicated as it also involves some fiduciary responsibility. An example of this would be if

you had a group of students who formed an urban garden coop with 501(c) (nonprofit)

status but the group was working under the fiscal sponsorship of your non-profit academic

program (Delaware Alliance for NonProfit Advancement, 2009).

CONCEPTUALIZING YOUR ADVISORY BOARD:

What is the function of the Advisory Board?

The basic function of an advisory board is to advise—to make suggestions related to job

market information (labor market trends and opportunities, occupations in greatest

demand, needed training within occupations, expected student competencies, etc)

program curriculum (review of curriculum objectives, occupational information to be

included in courses, acceptable performance standards, etc), developing community





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awareness of the program, and to facilitate tours and field experiences for students and

instructors so as to give them a clearer understanding and connect them to the field

(Edgecombe Community College, n.d.).

In short, advisory boards “encourage reciprocity between universities and the private

sector” (Kaupins & Coco, 2002).

My advisory boards are programmatic advisory boards. They exist to strengthen the

relationship between community and university’s educational programs. They also provide

feedback, ideas, expert advice, and opinions about programs and facilitate exchange of

community and organization needs and alignment of curriculum. These advisory boards

convene annually (sometimes more) to provide advice and “outside” insights.

It is important to set the mission, vision, and values of your advisory board as you are in

the process of creating one. Establish a plan to achieve the mission, and then recruit and

orient new board members. It is also important to work with advisory board members to

establish a plan to evaluate the advisory board’s own performance. This last step is

significant because if board members don’t feel that their advisory board’s role is

meaningful or that the board’s purpose is vague, then they will stop participating.

How Can Individual Board Members Contribute?

Selecting, and inviting, individual board members is an important step in composing your

advisory board. Most people, when asked, are willing to serve, but may have questions

about what an advisory board does and how and what they can contribute. Be prepared to

have a handout that explains what your advisory will do. Sometimes people are afraid to

commit and will only do so after they’ve had time to think it over. Having a well-structured

handout that explains the purpose and function of your advisory board will clarify

questions.

Be sure to explain that every advisory board members will be able to contribute his/her

expertise of subject matter. Advisory board members help to connect academics to the

“real” world. In addition, advisory board members may be able to provide internship

opportunities to your students. Most of all, advisory board members will be able to provide

updates in the field.

Responsibility of Each Board Member

It is important for board members to understand their responsibilities and expectations,

and it helps if they are outlined in whatever documentation you provide to them. They

must understand meetings and participate in them. You can’t have a viable advisory board

if members do not attend, or if they do not participate. They must also respect the process.

Since their role is to advise, they have to accept that for some reasons beyond the board’s

role, their advice may not be feasible. They must avoid conflicts of interest. Conflicts of

interest may not be completely obvious, but they can exist even with academic advisory





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boards. For example, if one of your board members sits on several advisory boards and

among them is one at a competing institution, then that could be construed as a conflict. As

institutions of higher ed are competing for students, more and more are also developing

proprietary programs to attract students. Most of all, advisory board members must stay

informed on the institutional happenings and the program they serve.

THE PRACTICAL SIDE-- OPERATING AN ADVISORY BOARD:

How to Create a Great Board

It’s important to recruit the right members for your advisory board. After you have decided

the purpose of your advisory board, you should think about its size. How big, or small, do

you want your board to be? What expertise, connections, or background do you want board

members to have? What term limits will you set for board members?

Next, it’s important to make expectations clear. Outline board members’ roles and

responsibilities, and review them from time to time with the board members. Set meeting

dates well in advance and publish them on your program’s website so they can be easily

seen by others. Make sure that board members understand the attendance at meetings

requirement because empty board meetings would defeat the purpose of having a board.

Once you have created your board membership, it’s important to provide a board

orientation. This could be done at the very first meeting, but keep in mind that this should

also be done every time you add a new board member. Define their roles and

responsibilities, orient them to your institution’s mission and vision, along with your

program’s curriculum requirements. Orient board members to the advisory board’s goals

and explore ideas about what your board can reasonably hope to accomplish. You might

also consider, depending on the size of the board, whether you should establish

requirements for a meeting quorum. Importantly, have a discussion that includes the need

for confidentiality. As mentioned earlier, higher ed institutions are increasingly engaged in

competing for students, so any new, cutting-edge program discussions should be held

within the confines of the board meetings and not made public until the institution is ready

to make it so.

Think about communications and how you plan to communicate with your board between

meetings. Importantly, how will your board members communicate with each other

between meetings? Provide each one with a board member handbook that includes the

mission of the program, role of board members, term limits, requirements of board

membership, and an annual report of board accomplishments. Since Black Board is the

learning platform at my institution, we have created a special Black Board site for Advisory

Board members. They have been oriented to how to use Black Board and we have used it

between meetings to post relevant items and create an online discussion when needed. The

advantage has also been that members can easily contact each other.





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Board Structure

There is no one size first all when it comes to the size or structure of an advisory board.

The Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement (2012) states that the average size of

advisory boards in the nonprofit sector is 17 members, however, according to Carnegie

Mellon University (n.d,) the average size of an advisory board is seven to eight members.

The Office of Career and Technical Education in New Jersey states in their advisory board

handbook that advisory boards should have a minimum of 8 members (2014). However, a

study of 108 schools conducted by Conroy, Lefever, and Withian (1996) found that 2 year

schools tended to have 14 members on their advisory boards while 4 year schools

averaged 27 members on their advisory boards.

Our undergraduate board has 25 members from all over Delaware and from areas in New

Jersey where we have satellite campuses. We meet annually and, interestingly, about 17

people attend the meetings in addition to faculty. We do have term limits of 2 years with an

option to renew board membership for one additional 2 year term. The terms are

staggered so that there will always be a continuation of board membership. This helps to

preserve the tribal knowledge that so often develops in groups. This board also includes

members from university departments such as career services, academic advising, and

student services. Including these members has helped our academic advisors and career

services folks to become more knowledgeable about the field in question.

Our graduate board has about twelve members and usually seven or so show up for the

annual meeting. This board is more loosely organized and less structured. Its function right

now is to connect nonprofit sector community leaders with our academic program and

have them be informed about what our program offers. This may change in the future.

Also think about what type of structure you need your board to have. Some boards are very

structured and include officers and committees. Questions to address are Who leads the

meetings? Who takes meeting minutes? How are they shared? How is the work divided? For

example, do you need committees for specific purposes? If you do, then be sure to create a

committee charter, which defines what the purpose of the committee is and what is should

do. Basically, there are 2 types of committees, the standing committee and ad hoc

committees. Ad hoc committees are temporary and exist until their task is done. Standing

committees are permanent. They provide committee reports at every meeting.

Suggested models for how to structure an advisory board are widely available on the web.

For example, Collin College in Texas provides specific guidelines as to who chairs the

committee, term limit of advisory board members, and requires that the program

coordinator meet with the advisory board chair to discuss the agenda before setting the

agenda for the meeting (2011). It also stipulates how often the advisory board must meet

and stipulates quorum requirements.





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Running the Meeting

Advisory board meetings take time to plan. Because your board members are busy people,

it’s best to set advisory board meetings months in advance. It’s not unusual for board

members to need 3-4 months’ notice to set the board meeting on their calendar. You then

should also be prepared to send LOTS of meeting reminders. Prepare the agenda and send

it out ahead of time so that board members come to the meeting prepared and

knowledgeable of what will be discussed.

Collect biographies, and head shots, if possible, of each board member. We compile them in

a Who’s Who on the Advisory Board and members seem to enjoy reading about their fellow

board members. We also include board members’ email contact info (with permission) so

that board members can connect between meetings if they want to do so.

Establish a meeting agenda. Although this may seem obvious, not having an agenda, or

having an irrelevant agenda or a too-sparse agenda, can derail the group. Pinto, Spector

and Valera (2011) in their study of group dynamics in an AIDS and community

collaborative board determined that developing trusts and relationships were important in

board functioning. Allowing board members to contribute items to the agenda helps this

process. Include the purpose of the meeting and the usual old and new business. During the

meeting be sure to reference the mission. This is especially helpful if the meeting goes off

track and can be a tool to draw the discussion back on track.

Begin the meeting on time and end on time. This shows you are a careful steward of time,

the only non-renewable commodity for everyone. Review the agenda at the beginning of

the meeting. Make tent cards with board members names’ and place them around the table.

This will help other members to know their peers on the board. If your board is new, be

sure ask questions and encourage discussion. End the meeting by summarizing so as to

remind everyone what was accomplished.

Have someone record meeting minutes. They serve as the official record of the meeting.

Send out the meeting minutes within a reasonable time frame after the meeting has been

conducted. Usually within 1-2 weeks and include a calendar reminder of the when and

where for the next meeting.

Provide refreshments. While this last point about meetings may be obvious, it isn’t an easy

thing to provide refreshments if you don’t have the budget for it. Some schools actually

apply for grant funding so that they are able to provide refreshments for advisory board

meetings. If you absolutely cannot provide refreshments be sure to advise your attendees

of this so that they can plan to bring their own. No one likes to sit through a 2 hour meeting

without a bottle of water or cup of coffee, and you don’t want there to be a lack of

discussion because members’ throats are so parched that it prevents them from speaking

up.





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In my advisory board meetings we use Exit Tickets at the end of every meeting. These

“tickets” simple ask members to answer 3 brief questions: What did you learn at this

meeting that you didn’t know before? What else would you like to know about that we haven’t

discussed in the last few meetings? What is it that confuses you? These Exit Tickets are both

evaluative in that it reveals what members thought about the meeting or what is still

unclear to them, and it also serves as a needs analysis as it shows what is still ambiguous

and what gaps exist in their knowledge of what was discussed. We compile Exit Ticket data

and then share them with the board members along with meeting minutes. This

information is also important in preparing the next meeting agenda as you can then discuss

any points that were confusing.

LESSONS LEARNED FROM PAST MISTAKES:

What Didn’t Work So Well

My advisory board wasn’t always the stellar entity it is today- through no fault of its own. I

learned to establish a value added advisory board through experience. A number of years

ago, when we were told to establish an advisory board, it spanned several programs. With

no guidance or knowledge, we asked members of the community if they wanted to “sit” on

our advisory board. The responsibility for organizing the advisory board meetings was

assigned to one of our newer faculty members as a developmental opportunity. Advisory

board meetings were usually scheduled two weeks in advance, and we were lucky if 7-8

people showed up. Many of them were our own adjunct faculty members. Agenda

discussions consisted more of us telling rather than seeking information. After 2-3

meetings, attendance dropped off and I noticed that the leaders who had been initially

asked to “sit” on our board then started to send their administrative assistants to the

meetings. Since these people didn’t have the knowledge or authority to commit

organizational resources as support, this advisory board faltered.

We learned from this experience, and continue to learn how to improve our advisory board

functioning. Today, each program has an advisory board, and while I cannot speak for other

programs, I can speak for the undergraduate and graduate advisory boards under my

umbrella. Meetings are scheduled months in advance and agenda items ensure that the

purpose of the meeting is clear. We seek information, clarification, input on curriculum, and

ask for help when needed. Recently, our undergraduate advisory board has been extremely

helpful in providing guidance for a new certificate program. Our advisory boards have term

limits and we recognize everyone’s service with a certificate of appreciation.

Do’s and Don’ts of Managing Your Advisory Board

Advisory boards take time and effort to manage well. The biggest mistake academic folks

make with advisory boards is not establishing meeting dates far enough in advance.

Chances are your board members are people near or at the top of the food chain and have





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busy schedules, so they need to know when your meetings are scheduled well ahead of

time.

Establish clear ground rules for what the advisory board roles are: make clear that you

seek counsel, and not control. Make sure that you take the time to establish meaningful

relationships and purposeful agendas (Rose & Stiefer, 2013). Most of all, “Actively engage

the board in meaningful, purpose-driven activities” (Rose & Stiefer, 2013). One of the

downturns on board member participation is if all you do during meetings is talk about

your program but don’t ask for any help, insights, or problem solving. Board members need

to feel that their time and talent is being used well.

Follow up each meeting with a thank you note sent along with a draft of meeting minutes to

each attendee. Ask for feedback to the meeting minutes so that they can be finalized as a

formal record of the meeting.

Warning Flags: How to Recognize When Your Advisory Board is In Trouble

You know when your board is in trouble when board members send substitutes to attend

the meetings, meetings attendance lowers, and there is a lack of participation at meetings.

These are all warning flags that your board is in trouble. Most advisory boards do not last

forever. Most advisory board members don’t stay interested in an advisory board forever

either. People change, programs change, and need changes. Therefore, as you work to

create your advisory board, also think about how you will end it.

Create term limits for members. This helps to ensure that each advisory board member can

make a graceful exit when their time comes to an end. No one likes to quit, so term limits

offers that “out” when the time comes.

The same goes for your advisory board on the whole. Will you really need this board to

exist forever? While no one probably knows the answer in the beginning, it is something to

keep in mind, and when the time comes and you know the board’s purpose no longer is

relevant, you should have disbanding conversations with your board. Planning a

disbanding of the board will prevent public speculation about board failures, etc.

SUMMARY

Incorporating an advisory board in your program can serve multiple benefits and create

significant improvements in academic programs. Not only do advisory boards contribute

the “latest and greatest” from the field, but members can also serve as guest speakers and

their organizations may be good sites for student internships. Creating and maintaining an

advisory does entail a significant amount of work in order for advisory boards to be

successful and have a significant impact. But ultimately, our students are the ones who

benefit from this partnership between the academic and private sectors.





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References

Alachua County, Florida. (2012). Advisory Board Participation Handbook. Retrieved

05/25/2015 from

http://www.alachuacounty.us/depts/bocc/documents/advisory_booklet.pdf

Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Dept. of Labor. Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2014-2015.

Emergency Management Directors. Retrieved 05/24/2015

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/emergency-management-directors.htm

Burns, S. (01/06/2013). How to build your advisory board. Forbes. Retrieved 05/18/2015

http://www.forbes.com/sites/chicceo/2013/01/06/build-your-advisory-board/

Carnegie Mellon University. (n.d.). President’s Advisory Boards. Retrieved 05/24/2015

http://www.cme.edu/advisory-board/purpose-process.html

Collin College. (2011 May). Advisory Committee Handbook. Retrieved 05/26/2015

https://www.collin.edu/community/201105AdvisoryComHandbook.pdf

Conroy, P.A., Lefever, M.M., & Withian, G. (1996). The value of college advisory boards.

Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 37(4), 85-88.

Delaware Alliance for NonProfit Advancement. (2009). Board Excellence Handbook.

Wilmington, DE.

Edgecombe Community College. (n.d.). Advisory Board Handbook. Retrieved 05/24/2015

http://www.edgecombe.edu/pdfs/Adv_Brd_Hndbk.pdf

Kaupins, G. & Coco, M. (Winter 2002). Administrator perceptions of business school

advisory boards. Education, 123(2).

Masoaka, J. (2010, 23 August). What Is An Advisory Board and Should We Have One? Blue

Avocado. Retrieved 05/25/2015 http://www.blueavocado.org/content/what-

advisory-board-and-should-we-have-one

Nebraska Career and Technical Education. (n.d.). Developing A Local Advisory Committee

Resource Handbook. Nebraska department of Education. Retrieved 05/26/2015

http://nlc1.nlc.state.ne.us/epubs/E2400/H044-2004.pdf

Office of Career and Technical Education. (2014). CTE Program Advisory Committee

Handbook. New Jersey Department of Education. Retrieved 05/26/2015

http://www.nj.gov/education/cte/study/approval/CTEProgramReapproval.pdf

Pinto, R.M., Spector, A.Y. & Valera, P.A. (2011 August). Exploring group dynamics for

integrating scientific and experiential knowledge in community advisory boards for

HIC research. AIDS CARE, 23(8), 1006-1013.



http://www.alachuacounty.us/depts/bocc/documents/advisory_booklet.pdf

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/emergency-management-directors.htm

http://www.forbes.com/sites/chicceo/2013/01/06/build-your-advisory-board/

http://www.cme.edu/advisory-board/purpose-process.html

https://www.collin.edu/community/201105AdvisoryComHandbook.pdf

http://www.edgecombe.edu/pdfs/Adv_Brd_Hndbk.pdf

http://www.blueavocado.org/content/what-advisory-board-and-should-we-have-one

http://www.blueavocado.org/content/what-advisory-board-and-should-we-have-one

http://nlc1.nlc.state.ne.us/epubs/E2400/H044-2004.pdf

http://www.nj.gov/education/cte/study/approval/CTEProgramReapproval.pdf



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Rose, K.J. & Stiefer, T.W. (2013). Advisory councils in executive education: Insights from

practice. Journal of Executive Education, 12(1), Article 3. Retrieved

http://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1002&context=j

ee

Shin, L. (2014 November 11). Average Student Loan Debt Rises, Tops $30,000. In 6 States.

Forbes. Retrieved 05/24/2015

http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2014/11/17/average-student-loan-debt-

rises-tops-30000-in-6-states/

Texas State Library and Archives Commission. (2012). Public Library Advisory Board

Handbook. Austin, Texas: Author. Retrieved 05/26/2015

https://www.tsl.texas.gov/sites/default/files/public/tslac/ld/pubs/plant/State_of_

Texas_Board_%20Handbook_Final.pdf

The Institute for College Access & Success. (November 2014). Project on Student Debt.

State by State Data. Retrieved 05/24/2015 http://ticas.org/posd/map-state-data

Torres, J. (2014, June 16) 8 steps to creating an effective advisory board. Retrieved

05/18/2015 http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/234655

U.S. Dept. of Education. (April 2008). MRC Mentoring Resource Center Fact Sheet. No. 21

Building an effective advisory committee. Retrieved 05/18/2015

http://educationnorthwest.org/sites/default/files/factsheet21.pdf



http://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1002&context=jee

http://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1002&context=jee

http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2014/11/17/average-student-loan-debt-rises-tops-30000-in-6-states/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2014/11/17/average-student-loan-debt-rises-tops-30000-in-6-states/

https://www.tsl.texas.gov/sites/default/files/public/tslac/ld/pubs/plant/State_of_Texas_Board_%20Handbook_Final.pdf

https://www.tsl.texas.gov/sites/default/files/public/tslac/ld/pubs/plant/State_of_Texas_Board_%20Handbook_Final.pdf

http://ticas.org/posd/map-state-data

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/234655

http://educationnorthwest.org/sites/default/files/factsheet21.pdf



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Appendix 1

SAMPLE

THE ROLE OF THE ADVISORY BOARD & ITS MEMBERS

What is an Advisory Board?

Group of non-educators with expertise in community and organization matters who

meet with Wilmington University educators to exchange ideas

Provide a different, or “outside” perspective on our curriculum and programs

Provides a public relations “bridge” between community needs and the curriculum

Inform University faculty and program leaders of best practices in organizations and

community agencies

What is the function of the Advisory Board?

To strengthen the relationship between community and University’s educational

programs

Provide feedback, ideas, expert advice, and opinions about programs; facilitate

exchange of community and organization needs and alignment of curriculum

Convene to provide advice and “outside” insights

What are Advisory Board member roles?

Become sufficiently familiar with the curriculum in order to provide meaningful

advice and suggestions

Share their individual expertise with the Advisory Board

Bring their organization’s expertise and needs to the Advisory Board meetings

Share information related to community needs, etc.

Ask questions about curriculum and how it prepares students for fully participating

in the “community”

Advisory Board Member Responsibilities & Duties:

Attend meetings

Provide feedback

Develop community relations and public awareness





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Appendix 2

EXIT TICKETS

What did you learn at this meeting that you didn’t know before?

What else would you like to know about that we haven’t discussed in the last few meetings?

What is it that confuses you?





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Appendix 3

PREPARING FOR THE ADVISORY BOARD (AB) MEETING

Between Advisory Board meetings:

Send out appropriate notices, letters, newsletter, holiday greetings, etc to AB

members

Make sure we “connect” with members to see if they still are able to serve on the AB

Send out certificates to those who withdraw from the AB

Update AB list

Find replacement members

Determine potential topics for the next meeting (may be done with input from the

AB)

Criteria for Selecting members to the Advisory Board:

Individual should be in a field related to Social & Behavioral Sciences

Individual should have some power or decision making influence in his/her

organization

Select individuals who fill our knowledge “gap”

Individual should be willing and able to attend meetings

Preparing for the Advisory Board Meeting:

2 months before the meeting: send out a Save-the-Date memo with a tentative topic

to be discussed

Secure space to meet and let Debbie Pro know so she can plan the catering

Update the membership mailing list along with email Distribution List

1 month before the meeting send out a letter confirming the day, date, and time and

location of the meeting along with the agenda and ask for RSVPs

o Include and reading material with which we want Advisory Board members

to be familiar

After the Advisory Board Meeting:

Write “Thank You” notes for attending

o Include reminder of the date of the next meeting

Send out any promised materials



How To Develop & Utilize An Academic Advisory Board

Documents

Transcript of How To Develop & Utilize An Academic Advisory Board