Improving Presidential Tenure and Effectiveness in Higher Education

Higher education must strive to increase the average tenure of university presidents, which currently stands at a dismal 3.7 years. This can be accomplished by addressing ineffective presidential onboarding processes and shared governance practices, among others. 

 

In this second half of a two-part series, Dr. Drumm McNaughton discusses best practices and strategies with a nationally recognized authority figure who has one of the best track records and overall experience under his belt to speak on such a topic, Chancellor Emeritus Dr. William E. “Brit” Kirwan of the University System of Maryland. Brit has served as chancellor at the University System of Maryland for 13 years, president of The Ohio State University for four years, and president of the University of Maryland College Park for 10 years.

 

Part one of this series addressed the challenges facing university presidents and the root causes of tenure decline.

 

Podcast Highlights

• The process for onboarding presidents includes hiring a search consultant, identifying a screening committee that’s representative of the university, gathering and narrowing down a pool of candidates, and bringing those candidates in for a 60- or 90-minute interview. This process is flawed.

 

• Interviews don’t provide enough substance despite serving as the most critical factor in hiring a president. Every person on 15- to 20-member boards only gets to ask one question, and applicants are only expected to provide brief answers.
• In addition, presidents who would have been perfect for the institution are oftentimes dismissed if they just happened to have an off day. Although the interview process is getting longer and involves more representation, the board is generally influenced by their one interview.

 

• It is difficult to gauge the effectiveness of an applicant who has never served as a president before. There isn’t another campus role like the president, who serves as the face and voice of the institution in the public eye and can do it effectively in a way that advances the institution.

 

• Universities and search committees are oftentimes too passive and rely too much on search consultants. Although search consultants play a valuable role, search committee members know the institution best and have the right contacts. This should be the primary or major source for presidential candidates.

 

• Incoming presidents who are not familiar with their new university must become informed about its culture, traditions, interests, challenges, and priorities. New presidents can accomplish this by identifying a seasoned individual or a consultancy to interview administrators, faculty, staff, students, board members, and members of the community to understand the institution’s aspirations and challenges.

 

• Presidents and board members must have a very clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities to prevent board intrusion and micromanaging. Ground rules must also be identified from the start. Additionally, presidents need to insist upon an annual board review so there’s a written record of what the board wants done and how successful the president was in addressing them. This will help prevent boards from inventing or revising points in their favor.

 

• Shared governance in consultation with representative bodies must be respected. Presidents should resist the ongoing pressure from boards and external forces to take immediate action. The community must have demonstrated respect, trust, confidence, and commitment to consultation and shared governance.

 

• Successful shared governance usually has a nonhierarchical three-tiered system. Tier one includes representative bodies of faculty, staff, and students. Some of them are rolled into one entity, while others are separate. The second tier is administration. The third tier is the governing board.

 

• There needs to be a clear understanding that the board has the final authority on everything they choose because they are the legal entity created by the state to run the institution. However, the most successful systems see the board delegating a great deal of this authority. In particular, the board should delegate authority on matters they don’t have expertise in, such as academic curricula and academic appointments. Some boards rubber stamp tenure recommendations. Shared governance works effectively when the board delegates certain authorities to the president, such as appointments to cabinets and even for tenure.

 

• Any campus constituency—such as faculty, staff, students, and, in some cases, all of them—that is affected by any major policy decision must be consulted. Recommendations must also go to the president. Based on the model, the president either acts on these recommendations or refines them so they’re appropriate for administrators and then takes these recommendations to the board, who then acts upon them. This is based on the RACI model.

 

• Presidents must build a relationship of trust with the board, both collectively and individually. They must interact with the board outside of committee and/or board meetings. A successful practice includes speaking with one board member every week to see how they are doing, what is happening, and if they have any thoughts or concerns.

 

• The board has to be kept informed on all matters. There can be no surprises. There’s nothing that board members should learn about by reading the newspaper, for example.

 

• Successful presidents are accessible, visible, and good listeners. Good listeners can put themselves in another’s situation and fully understand why that other person holds that view. To build consensus and have strong support over an extended period, the community must believe they are heard and understand why certain decisions are made, especially if they go against what they want.

 

• Presidents must walk the walk and talk the talk. Their behavior must emulate the values they’re espousing. For example, presidents should reject salary increases or bonuses if no one else is receiving raises.

 

• Give bad news or admit mistakes when they happen rather than trying to cover them up. Presidents who are not candid will be haunted by this in the future.

 

 

Read the transcript →

 

About Our Podcast Guest

Dr. William E. “Brit” Kirwan is chancellor emeritus of the University System of Maryland (USM).  He is a nationally recognized authority on critical issues facing higher education. He served as chancellor of the University System of Maryland (USM) for 13 years (2002-2015), president of the Ohio State University for four years (1998-2002), and president of the University of Maryland, College Park for 10 years (1988-1998). Prior to his presidency, he was a member of the University of Maryland mathematics faculty for 24 years.

 

Dr. Kirwan is past chair of, among other boards, the American Council for Higher Education, the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities, the American Association of Colleges & Universities, the Business Higher Education Forum and the National Research Council Board on Higher Education and Workforce. He also served as the co-chair and chair of Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics from 2004 to 2016. Presently, he chairs a Statewide Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education, which has been asked to make recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly that would enable Maryland schools to perform at the level of the world’s best school systems.

 

Among Dr. Kirwan's many honors is the 2010 TIAA-CREF Theodore M. Hesburgh Award for Leadership Excellence. Considered one of the nation's top higher education honors, this award recognizes outstanding leadership in higher education and contributions to the greater good.  In 2009, he received the Carnegie Corporation Leadership Award, which included a $500,000 grant to support USM academic priorities. Dr. Kirwan was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2002 and inducted into the Baltimore Sun’s Maryland Business and Civic Hall of Fame in 2017.

 

Dr. Kirwan received his bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of Kentucky and his master’s and doctoral degrees in mathematics from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, in 1962 and 1964 respectively. 

  About the Host

 Dr. Drumm McNaughton, host of Changing Higher Ed®, is a consultant to higher education institutions in governance, accreditation, strategy and change, and mergers. To learn more about his services and other thought leadership pieces, visit his firm’s website: https://changinghighered.com/. 

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