Common practices of presidential searches and presidential selection could be explicitly and implicitly reinforcing norms of whiteness across leadership searches on campus. Findings of the pervasiveness of whiteness in the presidential selection process include a hidden curriculum, the need for candidates to conform to white standards, the burden…

When students, professors, and faculty understand the tasks associated with their institutional roles, it can help them more easily negotiate power differentials and take conflict less personally. Our framework of role-to-role relationships reduced explosive drama in a case study with a higher education president and vice president locked in a…

Collective bargaining in postsecondary institutions is a complex phenomenon. Many observers believe collective bargaining is inherently a conservative process designed to preserve the status quo, one that rarely encourages change or innovation. The reality is that the two parties often face different pressures and have dichotomous interests and…

When you become a a college president or chancellor, whether you like it or not, everyone close to you is part of your presidency. There are increasing numbers of presidents who are women, single, single and dating, single with children of various ages, divorced, cohabitating, parents of young/school-aged children, with no children, multiracial,…

The world is experiencing a democratic recession, and in the United States, core democratic beliefs are under attack. As a key social organization, academic institutions have a central role in the protection of democracy. Boards, presidents, faculty, and students have the ability--and responsibility--to protect and advance democracy. A course in…

College presidents are important administrators who are frequently expected to address the public when racism occurs on college campuses. However, journalists and administrators often react to events and implement initiatives without understanding the broader context surrounding racial incidents. On historically White campuses, college presidents'…

Florida's governor and legislature have mounted a multipronged assault on the intellectual autonomy of Florida's public colleges and universities. Florida is not alone, and Governor DeSantis' political success is already a model for other red-state governors to follow. Higher education leaders must find compelling ways to argue that the pursuit of…

Having come into community colleges as an adjunct instructor 25 years ago, Linda Bowman notes that much has changed since then. Demographics are shifting, high school enrollments are declining, state budgets are tightening, and community colleges are grappling with greater competition from public and private/nonprofit, as well as from for-profit…

As the higher education leadership landscape has become more complicated, particularly through retirements, there is greater difficulty in finding the best candidates for non-presidential positions, which has resulted in more facilitated searches. Candidate recruitment is the most visible work, but equally important is managing, enhancing, and…

The author suggests that increasing diversity in the roles, demographics, and institutional homes of faculty is the most consequential factor bedeviling the leadership of the faculty enterprise and, therefore, any transformation of the academy. He believes that to overcome the pressures pulling the academy apart, presidents and provosts, governing…

Although institutions of higher education rarely crumble and fall in the wake of votes of no confidence in their leadership--in presidents, senior administrators, or even governing boards--those expressions of discontent do have meaning. They suggest something awry at the institution, and even the potential to precipitate change. They also present…

While American universities have historically been centers of free thought, college campuses have become increasingly divided on free speech issues. College leaders need to balance upholding free speech with protecting the safety of students. This article describes and recommends the adaptive leadership framework for administrators to use during…

According to a 2010 survey on how university presidents spent their time, the respondents revealed that on a list of six common responsibilities, the one to which they devoted the least attention was "academic affairs." Derek Bok writes in this article that, although this finding seems to have attracted little attention, he finds it…

The Obama administration has some improbable critics: members of the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) community. What started out as carefully worded commentaries have given way to more direct criticisms and complaints about the administration's policies affecting HBCUs. Although some of these gripes can be attributed to…

Competency-based education (CBE) refers to online and hybrid courses and programs that offer credit or degrees based on evidence of student learning, or competencies, rather than on the amount of time spent in a course. Students work at their own pace, receive personalized academic support, and demonstrate mastery as they progress through their…