Inside the Role of College Trustees During Turbulent Times

College trustees consider more than just the monetary policies of universities. And former Brown University trustee Lauren Zalaznick is out with a new book that aims to humanize these often secretive roles with letters of reflection by Brown board members going back more than 100 years, some of them during other turbulent times in U.S. history. She brings the sensibility from her career as a television executive, when she led the Bravo network as it created The Real Housewives franchise and hits like Project Runway and Top Chef. Jeff and Michael talk to Zalaznick about her new book and her views on how colleges need to reassert their broader social value to meet this moment of crisis for higher ed. This episode is made with support from Ascendium Education Group. Chapters 0:00 - Intro 4:05 - What Led to the Book of Trustee Letters? 6:40 - The Value of Sharing Once-Secret Letters 9:01 - A Reality TV Pioneer’s Interest in University History 11:34 - What Is the Role of University Trustees? 15:40 - The Case for Large University Boards 20:14 - Hearing From a Diversity of Voices 23:52 - From Rabble-Rousers to Trustees 26:42 - How Do College Boards Navigate All Those Diverse Voices? 31:24 - Reflecting on Brown University’s Deal with the Trump Administration 36:58 - Should Every College Adopt the Tradition of Sharing Reflections From Board Members? 41:55 - Sponsor Break 42:43 - How Important Is It That College Board Members Be Alums? 46:45 - Making the Board Feel Like a Team 49:54 - More on Trustees Who As Students Criticized Leadership 52:37 - Getting the Right Mix on a Board 54:03 - How Large Should a Board Be? Relevant Links “ Letters from the Corporation of Brown University, ” edited by Lauren Zalaznick. “ The Affluencer, ” profile of Lauren Zalaznick in The New York Times. “ Navigating a Merger as a College Trustee, ” past Future U episode. Connect with Michael Horn: Sign Up for the The Future of Education Newsletter Website LinkedIn X (Twitter) Threads Connect with Jeff Selingo: Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for You Sign Up for the Next Newsletter Website X (Twitter) Threads LinkedIn Connect with Future U: Twitter YouTube Threads Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Submit a question and if we answer it on air we'll send you Future U. swag! Sign up for Future U. emails to get special updates and behind-the-scenes content.

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Inside the Role of College Trustees During Turbulent Times is an episode from Future U Podcast by Jeff Selingo and Michael Horn.

This episode is 00:58:31 long.

This episode was published on Feb 4, 2026.

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