Board Service is Good for Reed and the Greater Good – Reed Magazine

President Bilger and Vice President for Student Life Karnell McConnell-Black emphasize the importance of these volunteer leadership roles.

By Sheena McFarland
|
July 22, 2024

Taking on a leadership role in an organization can be a challenging and time-consuming task, but finding ways to give back to the profession is something both Reed President and Reed President believe in. Audrey Bilger and vice-president for student life Karnell McConnell-Black value. One of those paths was to serve on national nonprofit boards focused on education.

“Why do we join national organizations? So that we can connect with other professionals and understand what’s working for other institutions and what might be helpful for us,” Bilger says. “Once we build that network and those connections, then there are people we can reach out to when we need help or advice, and we can help them as well.”

Bilger and McConnell-Black have found that national board service has allowed them to build reciprocal and mutually beneficial relationships with colleagues in higher education and enhance Reed’s reputation across the country. These boards are nonprofit, meaning that service is provided as an unpaid volunteer. As a member of the Annapolis Group of Liberal Arts Colleges Board of Directors, which is made up of college presidents, Bilger has been able to understand what other institutions are facing and share the innovative work being done at Reed College.

“We want people to know that we have great ideas,” Bilger says. “We’re doing some really great things on this campus, and by being in these national spots, we can represent our university in a lot of ways. We become walking billboards for the university, and we put Reed on people’s radar.”

In addition, by serving on national boards, Reed has been able to recruit talented personnel for a variety of professional roles, and Reed’s positive reputation continues to grow in ever-wider circles.
McConnell-Black’s services have opened up opportunities for students who also want to work in higher education.

“It’s about the impact on students and students’ access to these organizations that provide mentorship and opportunities to become professionally involved in higher education after graduation,” McConnell-Black said.

Importantly, serving on a board allows Reed College to represent the perspective of smaller institutions nationally, and it helps amplify Reed’s voice in discussions about the value of a college degree and liberal arts education as a public good. Service on nonprofit boards also provides opportunities for advocacy that may not be possible at an individual institution.

“If you’re not in the conversation, things are going to happen to you and you don’t have a say in it,” Bilger says. “Being in the spaces where we can think about how to change the national conversation is really good for the university.”

By learning from colleagues on national boards, Bilger and McConnell-Black can bring a fresh perspective to campus.

“When you look at other institutions, you see your own institution with more clarity,” Bilger says. “That’s really important for a college like Reed that’s committed to continuous growth and advancement.”

McConnell-Black was able to draft the core competencies for NODA, the Association for Orientation, Transition, and Retention in Higher Education, when he served on that council earlier in his career.

“I found it helpful to continue to provide services to this organization that could help not only me and my institution, but everyone else as well,” McConnell-Black said.

Now that he has joined NASPA, Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education,
McConnell-Black sees opportunities to make an impact in nearly every aspect of student affairs through the organization’s national membership. He shares what he’s learned from his board service with students and alumni, many of whom tell him they want to make a difference in the world. McConnell-Black often advises them to serve on a nonprofit board, locally, regionally or nationally, to create meaningful change.

Volunteering for a nonprofit is “a reward in itself,” Bilger says, and service-minded Reed alumni who believe in lifelong learning should find boards that align with their values.

“Being on a nonprofit board means doing good in the world,” Bilger says. “It’s rewarding work, and you meet really, really great people.”

Keywords: Diversity/Equality/Inclusion, Institutional