The recent selection of a new president of the University of Florida, which, because of Florida's Sunshine Laws, was the most public search process ever conducted by a major university is described. The negative effects of public openness on the selection process and the candidates are explored. (MT)

The search process for a college president has become a complicated affairs. The vicissitudes of the search process not only exhaust search committee members but also deplete the pool of good candidates. Selection criteria, confidentiality and disclosure, and Sunshine searches are discussed. (Author/MLW)

When the AGB task force on the state of the Presidency in American Higher Education was meeting last fall in Washington, D.C., to deliberate about the role of the academic presidency, the Secretary of Education's Commission on the Future of Higher Education convened across town to examine issues ranging from access to affordability to…

Presidents are expected to articulate vision, devise plans, and facilitate decision making. These different dimensions of the job are sometimes complementary, but they may also compete for the president's attention or suggest contradictory ways of proceeding.

Once conducted in private by a small group of trustees, presidential searches occur today in a climate of constituency participation and access to information. A survey to examine current search practices regarding constituency involvement and confidentiality and disclosure is reported. (Author/MLW)

The selection of the University of Florida's new president, in one of the most public search processes ever conducted at a major university and under the most comprehensive sunshine laws in the nation, is chronicled, based on the public records and interviews with participants and knowledgeable observers. (MSE)

Leadership transitions in higher education institutions are stressful for both the president and the institution, but successful management of transitions can increase the likelihood of an effective presidential tenure. Getting to know the institution, dealing with a few priorities rather than many, and development of relationships with key…

This book examines the search and selection process for college and university presidents in its variety and intricacy. Chapter I examines the question of the importance of presidents and searches. Chapter II describes the process of presidential succession at a private liberal arts college. Chapter III discusses the tasks required at the start of…

Suggestions are given for maintaining confidentiality in the presidential search process, addressing such issues as appointing the search committee, dealing with the press, communicating with the campus, employing a consultant, choosing an executive secretary, transacting search business, contacting candidates and references, conducting…

American higher education continues to expect college presidents to take on an extraordinarily broad array of responsibilities, although the complexity of each responsibility has grown considerably. Many institutions give up on their presidents too quickly, never gaining the benefits that accrue from a longer tenure; most presidents serve less…