Last Spring, when a joint committee of the California Assembly held a special hearing on the outside compensation for executives who serve on corporate boards within the University of California and California State University systems, they turned to Judith Wilde as one of the lead witnesses. Dr. Wilde, who was recently appointed as Chief Operating Officer for the George Mason University Schar School of Policy and Government, is one of the leading authorities on the structure of employment agreements for university presidents.
According to Dr. Wilde’s testimony, “serving as a corporate director has considerable financial benefits for the individual and these directors, especially the independent directors, are required to make a substantial time commitment.” She went on to say, “Most high-level public executives who are elected or appointed are subject to restrictions on their outside business activities, face ethics reviews, and must provide strict financial disclosure requirements. In contrast, presidents of public universities are rarely subject to these limitations.”
The testimony she gave made a difference. The new budget bill for California, signed by Governor Jerry Brown in July, incorporated a number of her recommendations. By January 1, 2017, both university systems in California are required to “review the policies and procedures governing outside employment by university executives and senior management.” The policies must now include provisions for conflicts of interest and commitment; a formal approval process; an assurance that such service is consistent and furthers the public mission of the university; specifies consequences for violations; and has a public reporting requirement.
“The most interesting aspect of the budget bill,” said Dr. Wilde, “is that for university chancellors and presidents, there must be an annual public discussion and approval. This requirement for full transparency is unprecedented.”
The Board of Regents of the University of California already has taken steps to reduce the number of outside paid jobs top administrators may accept, and has added further approval procedures and considerations.
Mark J. Rozell, Dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government, said that Dr. Wilde’s research and testimony are an example of how the Schar School shapes policy debates. “By asking Judith to testify and then acting on her recommendations, the California Assembly has validated another field in which our faculty members are leading policy and government experts. I can’t think of a better example of policy research in action.”
Along with Tameka Porter, who received her PhD from the Schar School in 2015, Dr. Wilde is planning to continue research on university presidents serving as corporate directors.
“Our hope is that by the end of 2017,” Dr. Wilde said, “we will be able to identify every university president who is serving on the board of a publicly traded corporation.”
Dr. Wilde’s research and expertise is widely sought after. In July alone, she has participated in an interview by the Student Press Law Center for a podcast; an interview with the Kentucky Center for Investigative Journalism for their local NPR station; and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review also has an upcoming story.
In addition, Mercer, a part of Marsh & McLennan (a global professional services firm offering clients advice and solutions in risk, strategy, and people), with over 60,000 consultants worldwide, is interested in exploring the possibility of collaborating on some of the technical aspects regarding how post-presidential appointments are structured. Modern Healthcare Magazine is considering a joint study on medical school executives serving as corporate directors. The American Council on Education–the major trade association representing higher education—may request a “debate” with Ray Cotton, the most prominent attorney representing presidents in their contract negotiations, at next year’s annual meeting.
Dr. Wilde and her collaborators will also be regular contributors to the Chronicle of Higher Education’s new column of “advice and explication” on topics of particular interest to academic and administrative decision-makers.
In addition to this area of research, Dr. Wilde is a nationally recognized authority on K-16 English Learners and is the former Executive Director of the federally-funded National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition. Prior to that, she was the vice president for recognition at the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
Previous higher education experience includes the George Washington University, New Mexico Highlands University, and the University of New Mexico; she also has taught graduate-level courses in higher-level statistics, evaluation, and grant-writing. Dr. Wilde holds a PhD in Educational Foundations (research, evaluation, statistics, assessment) from the University of New Mexico, an MAT for secondary education from the Claremont Graduate School and University Center, and a BA in European Thought and Culture from Scripps College.
“Her background in higher education and administration make her an ideal fit for her new role in Mason’s Schar School of Policy and Government,” Dean Rozell said.
“Our recent naming gift form Dwight Schar recognizes Mason as one of the leading policy schools in the nation,” Dr. Wilde said. “I’m looking forward to working with our dedicated faculty, staff, students, and alumni in continuing to build on their already impressive record of success.”