Puerto Rican named to Nat’l Commission on higher ed
José Enrique Fernández-Bjerg, president and founder of Kinesis Foundation, recently became the only Puerto Rican appointed to the National Commission on College and University Board Governance, created by the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges.
The AGB serves more than 1,250 universities and colleges in the United States, including the main local institutions, such as University of Puerto Rico, Inter American University, University of the Sacred Heart and Catholic University, among others.
The Commission has the task of reviewing current governance practices and recommending changes that could help boards better meet the financial, educational, and legal challenges that confront higher education today. The 26-member Commission includes current and former university board members and college presidents, as well as business leaders, faculty representatives, and national experts in finance, public policy, and nonprofit governance.
Fernández-Bjerg is member of the University of Notre Dame Board of Trustees since 1994 and created in 2009 the Kinesis Foundation, that provide university scholarships to promote Puerto Rico’s social and economic transformation through education.
“I feel very honored with this appointment and full of confidence that this Commission will contribute significantly to higher education in the United States and Puerto Rico, through ethic and transparent boards, that could demonstrate best administration practices and adequate controls for their institutions funding,” Fernández-Bjerg said.
“My goal is to translate personal experience in the private, banking and finance sectors at the service of this important assignment, in the same way I’ve been able to do it for Notre Dame and Kinesis, with the objective of making higher education more accessible for everyone,” he said.
The Commission is expected to publish its recommendations in September 2014. It plans to begin by identifying the preliminary set of topics that appear to be most worthy of attention, followed by the development of its proposed solutions. The Commission plans to consult widely with stakeholder groups and experts in governance as it works.
