The Challenge of Leading Today's Colleges

Delve into the ever-changing, unpredictable role of college president and explore the factors that lead to campus leadership crises.

The average tenure of today’s college president is now 6.5 years, two years fewer than a decade ago. One departing university chancellor recently called the presidency the “toughest job in the nation.” Increased financial pressures, political divisiveness, and strained board-president relations are just a few of the often-cited reasons for upheaval at the top.

This Chronicle report examines the complex factors shaping the presidency today: strained business models, transformational changes within the academic landscape, the importance of responding quickly to controversies, and the need to manage diverse competing needs. It features eight case studies, including notable leadership crises at the University of Virginia and Pennsylvania State University.

Get the report and gain insight into: 

• The emerging factors, including polarized constituencies and increased public scrutiny, that are making the job more challenging
• The importance of soft skills, especially during crisis
• Why president-board relationships can make or break effective board governance
• College leaders who lost the ability to guide, lead, and inspire the board and their staff and students, effectively ending their tenure

Date: August 2019
Pages: 60
Digital File Size: 6.90 MB

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