Dive Brief:
- For University Business, Susquehanna University President Jay Lemons writes that annual turnover among presidents is 15% and expected to grow, given the current average age of the group — and he has some advice for the rookies.
- Lemons urges new presidents to separate the office from themselves, drawing boundaries in an all-consuming job, and to find a confidant in a fellow president, who, unlike peers in the corporate sector, is likely to be happy to share experiences.
- Lemons also recommends that new presidents always take the high road, keeping the best interests of the institution and its students in mind, surround themselves with talent, get a house off-campus for an escape, and stay optimistic.
Dive Insight:
The job of a college president can be a lonely one, especially for those who worked their way up through academia, as faculty are no longer colleagues. Finding a confidant in other institutional leaders can help limit the isolation that a position of such power can bring. Education institutions are known for their openness with peers as colleges and universities open their doors to share successes and failures, rather than guarding their secrets as tradecraft. It would be a missed opportunity to ignore that.
As campuses change, college presidents must think beyond traditional duties like fundraising and consider access, the implications of new regulation, and initiatives to increase faculty and staff diversity, which require full support from the top to be a success.