The first year of a college presidency is described by Arthur Levine, the president of Bradford College. His proposal for a "practical liberal arts education plan" is described and his efforts to implement it are discussed. (MLW)

Many colleges are turning to professional consultants to help locate and recruit presidential candidates. The advantages and cautions of an outside expert are discussed. The Presidential Search and Assessment Service, a nonprofit enterprise sponsored by the Association of Governing Boards and the Association of American Colleges, is described.…

Leading community colleges has become more complex in the 21st century and demands a greater range of skills. Two significant trends have driven--and continue to drive--the expanding leadership challenges. The first is growth--increases in student enrollments caused by population expansion; workers' greater needs for job retraining; and employers'…

The success of a college or university must rest on its academic integrity. The college president sets the tone for an institution, determines the strength of general education and liberal learning. The presidents, the provosts, and the deans must take the initiative. (MLW)

Recent court decisions are holding that state laws on open records require immediate release to the press of the names of all candidates being considered for university presidencies. Two concerns are discussed: the privacy of the individuals and the integrity of the selection process. (MLW)

A reading list for college presidents, an outgrowth of the Claremont Higher Education Management Institute, was developed from a survey of college and university administrators. They were asked what reading they believed was most essential for college and university presidents. A bibliography and a list of those surveyed is provided. (MLW)

Outstanding administrators tend to require less formal structure and depend more on interpersonal relationships. Leadership is as much a personal quality as a skill learned and based as much on life experience as on academic training. (Author/MSE)

Describes the turnaround at Dickinson College, Pennsylvania, which has long offered a solid liberal arts education in relative obscurity. The efforts of a new president, William Durden, have enabled the college to find its market niche and increase its enrollment and improve its finances. (SLD)

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)

An interview with the University of Wisconsin at Madison's chancellor, Donna Shalala, covers such topics as her experiences at Hunter College, the woman administrator, the leadership role, minority group issues, institutional planning, and the politics of higher education. (MSE)

The national movement toward a stronger, more effective college presidency could be largely obviated unless the trend toward formal presidential evaluation is reversed. Formal assessment reduces the charismastic potential of the president, further politicizes the president's role, and shortens the CEO's term in office (MLW)

Forty young leaders in higher education are profiled, including college and university administrators, faculty, policy analysts, consultants, and an evangelical leader. All were surveyed concerning leadership and the future of higher education, the role of mentors in their careers, and ways in which they are learning to lead. Several patterns are…

The history of Benjamin Elijah Mays' leadership in education, religion, and race relations, in the United States' north and south, is chronicled through examples of his actions and spoken thoughts. (MSE)

M. Cecil Mackey, the president of Michigan State University hired by the school's trustees to be a tough, hard-nosed administrator, has been the center of controversy and criticism. Feuds with the alumni association, fiscal problems, working in Washington, the Tisch amendment, and mid-year raises for faculty are discussed. (MLW)

Surveys and interviews identified individuals who have achieved national recognition for college and university leadership and individuals from outside higher education who have had particularly strong influence on it. Profiles of former group (n=21) include deans, presidents, and heads of associations, foundations, and policy centers; profiles of…