Incoming college presidents are entering the job at a time when the role is increasingly challenging as they are asked to do more, decide and act faster, create and maintain more relationships, and demonstrate successes while under an unrelenting microscope. The range of leadership skills and competencies surrounding the current college presidency requires well-prepared and well-informed college presidential aspirants. Research shows there is no formal training framework available in colleges to prepare successful candidates for the presidency. Consequently, most incoming college presidents have lamented being ill-prepared for the role. The Evolving College Presidency: Emerging Trends, Issues, and Challenges provides guidance and career trajectory advice for aspiring college presidents as they prepare to take on this challenging and dynamic role. The text also explores the emerging trends, issues, and challenges of the college presidency including issues such as diversity and inclusion, funding and fundraising, and political issues. Covering a range of critical topics such as student affairs and community relationships, this reference work is vital for higher education professionals, administrators, researchers, practitioners, scholars, academicians, instructors, and students.

Higher education has changed significantly over the past 50 years, and the individuals who provide leadership for these institutions has similarly changed. The pathway to the college presidency, once the domain of academic administration, has diversified as an increasing number of development officers, student affairs and enrollment management professionals, and even politicians have become common in the role. It is important to understand who the presidents are in the current environment and the challenges they face. Challenges such as dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, enrollment shortfalls, Title IX, and athletic scandals have risen to the forefront and have contributed to the issues and role of college and university leadership. The Handbook of Research on the Changing Role of College and University Leadership provides important research on the topic of college and university leadership, especially focusing on the changing role of the college president. The chapters discuss college leadership as it is now and how it will evolve into the future. Topics included are the role of the president at various types of universities, their involvement within university functions and activities, and the duties they must carry out and challenges they face. This book is ideal for professionals and researchers working in higher education, including faculty members who specialize in education, public administration, the social sciences, and management, along with teachers, administrators, teacher educators, practitioners, researchers, academicians, and students who are interested in college and university leadership and how this role is transforming.

In American higher education, community colleges present new opportunities for many, embodying the democratic essence since their early roots. Originally conceived as junior colleges preparing students for university transfers, these institutions have undergone a transformative journey, evolving into the comprehensive, open-access pillars of education that define our present landscape. Despite a shared mission, a disparity exists among community colleges, with some rising to prominence as leaders in the community-college movement. Amidst the challenges posed by the two World Wars, economic fluctuations, and societal shifts, community colleges have adapted to serve diverse needs, encompassing workforce development, community education, and developmental studies. Narratives and Strategies of Effective Leadership in Community Colleges takes on the challenge faced by these institutions—maintaining excellence amid the evolving demands of a dynamic society. Narratives and Strategies of Effective Leadership in Community Colleges is a pivotal resource for higher-education practitioners navigating the complex realm of leadership challenges in community colleges. It portrays community colleges as national treasures in higher education. Beyond mere success stories, each chapter details the intricacies of effective leadership. Targeting governing boards, faculty, leaders, and administrators, the book provides invaluable insights into strategic planning, student support, campus revitalization, and financial management. It serves as a crucial guide for those aspiring to elevate their institutions.

“This volume combines specific recommendations, observations, and takeaways filled with candor, humor, and uplifting stories for one of education’s most challenging roles.” —FROM THE FOREWORD An indispensable manual for the most demanding position in higher education, The College President Handbook supports campus leaders in becoming powerful and effective stewards of their institutions. This comprehensive guidebook offers clear counsel in the form of candid essays by highly regarded current and former college and university presidents from across the nation. It pairs their expert appraisals with research and data to examine the critical issues that define the role today. The book's contributors acknowledge the broad skill set that presidents, and their executive teams, must cultivate in order to achieve success. Beginning with a macro view, the contributors address the universal questions of vision that each higher education leader must consider critically and understand strategically: Why be a president? How should campus leadership engage with our board of trustees? What tone should our actions communicate to stakeholders? The book's chapters offer concrete tactical advice in a range of key leadership areas and emphasize essential career skills such as managing financial resources and strategic planning. The contributors speak to student-facing concerns as well as institutional interests, and discuss personal issues specific to the office, such as weathering controversy, attaining work–life balance, and planning for post-presidential life. Drawing on the unique expertise of peers and predecessors, this work will prove to be a core resource for anyone who is or aspires to become a president or chancellor in higher education.

Based on the premise that an effective relationship between community college governing boards and presidents is crucial, this volume explores the professional needs, challenges, and roles of college presidents and governing board members and the influence of these factors on the board-president team. The following articles are provided: (1) "Selected Characteristics of Community College Trustees and Presidents" (George B. Vaughan and Iris M. Weisman); (2) "The Community College Presidency: Qualities for Success" (David R. Pierce and Robert P. Pedersen); (3) "Orientation and Professional Development of Trustees" (Gary Davis); (4) "Board-President Relations: A Foundation of Trust" (Norm Nielsen and Wayne Newton); (5) "When Boards Change: Presidential Response" (George R. Boggs and Cindra J. Smith); (6) "Opportunities and Challenges for Boards in Times of Change" (Montez C. Martin, Jr.); (7) "When a Crisis Occurs: A President's Perspective" (Sean A. Fanelli); (8) "When a Crisis Occurs: A Trustee's Perspective" (Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney); (9) "At the Millennium" (Fred Gaskin); and (10) "Sources and Information: Community College Leadership" (Lucy Lee). (BCY).

Minimal research has explored the realities of new presidential leadership of small private colleges and universities. These institutions that comprise the majority of the one-third of higher education institutions already confronting financial and environmental challenges, also face other challenges of paramount concern (Lyken-Segosebe & Shephard, 2013; Selingo, 2013a). Among these challenges is that of providing presidential leadership from a diminishing pool of experienced candidates qualified or willing to lead them (Cook, 2012; Song & Hartley, 2012). Using the presidential office as the pivotal point of inquiry, this qualitative phenomenological study sought to answer the following: What is the unique lived experience of new presidents at a small private institution while meeting the leadership challenges of the office within the current landscape of private higher education? This phenomenological study was conducted with N = 7 presidents (new to office within a bounded timeframe), N = 1 elite interview, supplemental document analyses, interview observations, and guided observation of campus visits. Moustakas’ (1994) thematic analytical strategy was applied to all data sources. Five themes emerged from this study: presidents of small private colleges and universities are dedicated to the substance of their work and do not merely seek the prestige of the office of president (Theme #1), that they are not the ‘saviors’ of their institutions (Theme #2), they bear significant burdens in carrying out their roles—both institutionally and personally (Theme #3), they are steering a course towards sustainability amidst turbulent times (Theme #4), and they are well aware that they, alone, cannot render their institutions successful (Theme #5). The findings highlight the characteristics and strategies of novice presidents at small private institutions and which may advance an understanding of the complexities and uniqueness of the presidential role in this market share. This study may also provide a foundation for understanding the profiles of small private college presidents in the contemporary higher education landscape, and of the formative and influential experiences upon them.

College presidents lead taxing and complex, though enormously fulfilling and rewarding, lives. The story that unfolds in College Presidents Reflect: Life in and out of the Ivory Tower is fashioned from the perspectives of over two-dozen retired former college presidents. The over-their-shoulders view we get from these men and women who have sat on the presidential perch provides an unprecedented view of the office, of the pathways to presidencies, and of the ways in which tenures conclude when presidents decide, at times pushed, to exit. Does anything after leaving office compare with the status and regard regularly accorded presidents? How do their bully pulpits change from the power of the presidency to life? What are the high successes and unforeseen regrets born out of time in the office? From their journeys we learn lessons about leadership. We hear about how one gets into the presidency, planned or not. There is only one true source of insight and reflection about these issues and that is those who have been there, these former college presidents.