In college, I did my best doodling in my chemical engineering class. Was it because I was so bored that I would drift off into day dreaming? Quite the contrary. The information was so over my head and I was so lost that I quit trying to keep up; therefore, I checked out in class.

I'm seeing credit union board members doing the same thing. They are not engaged in their responsibilities. Are they bored or lost? Do they understand enterprise risk management? Do they understand the new regulations and compliance issues facing credit unions today? Do they understand Dodd-Frank? True, does anyone understand Dodd-Frank?

Credit union boards must be shaped for the present and the future because credit union history is unlike anything we have seen. Here are some ideas for giving boards a wakeup call and creating a better informed and better equipped board of directors: