Letter to the Editor
As the dean of a school within a university, I had the honor of working with some very committed and talented advisory board members. I learned a great deal from In Trust about how to receive helpful advice from board members as well as how to help them give good advice. However, the differences between an advisory board and a governing board or a board of trustees is significant, to say the least. My hope is that at some point In Trust will focus directly on advisory boards and offer suggestions for making them effective in realizing our respective missions.

I also have a question about sending copies of the magazine to the board of directors of a faith-based nonprofit of which I am a member. This past year, we hired a full-time paid executive director, and the transition has required that staff, the board, and the administrator all learn to work in new ways. Might the members of this board receive In Trust as a way of helping us educate ourselves?

—Loretta Jancoski, Seattle, Washington

Loretta Jancoski formerly served as Dean of the Seattle University School of Theology and Ministry and is a member of the In Trust advisory council. 

You are not alone in requesting information about advisory boards, and we plan to address the topic this year. As we gather information for a future article, we will be happy to hear from campus leaders who have experience working with advisory boards. In the meantime, we direct you to "When There Is No Board: Watching Candler Raise Its Money” from the New Year 1995 issue of In Trust.

As for your question about a broader distribution of In Trust, we are pleased when readers recognize its value in settings beyond theological education. Individual subscriptions can be purchased online at a rate of $20 (US) per year. Back issues of the magazine from 1998 to 2004 are available, and we are seeking funds to underwrite the transfer of all fifteen years of In Trust to In Trust Online.