Trouble at the Top

Meeting the daunting challenges of today's college presidency

The college or university presidency has always been a pressure-cooker job, but today it is arguably more stressful than ever.

Many higher-education leaders and industry observers say it has been decades since the heat has been this intense. The many challenges of the presidency — enrollment and retention concerns, financial and political pressures, and staff shortages, to name a few — are a list that “never shrinks,” according to one college president. “It just expands, and your work is to figure out how to prioritize.”

This report features the insights of more than 60 higher-education leaders, consultants, and analysts on what today’s presidents are up against and how the job may be changing in fundamental ways. It examines why many presidents, despite the travails, love the job and encourage young talented leaders to prepare for and embrace it.

Date: March 2023
Pages: 68
Digital file size: 30.7 MB

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