Does anyone want to be a college president? There are (many) openings.

Schools

Since December, Cornell University, Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania have abruptly announced the departure of their presidents.

By Alan Blinder and Stephanie Saul, New York Times Service

May 23, 2024 | 9:24 a.m.

For a glimpse of the tumultuous transitions in leadership at America’s universities these days, just look at the witnesses scheduled to testify Thursday at a congressional hearing, the fourth in a fiery series on campus anti-Semitism who contributed to the overthrow of two university presidents.

Jonathan Holloway, president of Rutgers University and a possible contender to succeed the head of Yale University, who will resign next month, will speak. So will UCLA Chancellor Gene D. Block, who will leave his post in July and hand his 17-year post to a previously anonymous person.

In any other time, the next leaders of UCLA and Yale would have already been announced. But the uncertainties, from California to Connecticut, show how complex high-level campus jobs have become in an increasingly polarized environment.

Since December, Cornell University, Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania have abruptly announced presidential departures, with Harvard and Penn’s departures coming after widely ridiculed appearances before Congress.

And last week, Sonoma State University President Mike Lee retired after the California State University chancellor said an announcement about a deal he had made with pro-Palestinian protesters was “sent without proper approvals” and constituted an act of “insubordination.”

Another witness Thursday, Michael H. Schill, president of Northwestern University, has only been in office since 2022 but has faced calls for his resignation because of a deal he made with protesters.

“There’s always something happening in higher education, and these are tough jobs on a good day,” said Margaret Spellings, former president of the University of North Carolina system, who noted that especially today he nation’s campuses today were “the front lines of higher education.” the American public square.

Presidential positions have always been difficult. Jobs may require the aplomb of a diplomat and exceptional scholarship, as well as the talents to raise funds from demanding alumni, manage demanding professors, and connect with maturing students, while generating a fiery enthusiasm for football.

But today, even high-profile presidencies – rocked by protests and politicians, personal attacks and endless scrutiny – don’t always attract as much appeal as they once did.

“I can understand why people would be reluctant and think twice about it,” said the Rev. John I. Jenkins, whose nearly 19-year tenure as president of the University of Notre Dame will end this month . “It’s not for the faint of heart.”

A 2022 survey by the American Council on Education found that outgoing presidents were generally newer to their positions than in the past, but more than half planned to resign within five years. In Massachusetts, 12 of 58 private school presidencies remained vacant over the past year, according to Steven DiSalvo, president of Endicott College in suburban Boston.

Schools, however, have not always moved quickly to fill positions.

In the face of political and financial pressures, university boards appear to have become even more risk-averse, and research has recently become more rigorous, with extensive background investigations and new plagiarism checks that can lead to dozens of hours of careful examination.

A plagiarism check “was not something that was done in the past,” said Nicholas B. Dirks, former chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley. But they are becoming more common after plagiarism allegations against Claudine Gay played a role in her resignation as Harvard president last winter.

“Anyone who senses controversy is, if not disqualified, at least scrutinized more carefully,” said Dirks, who recently wrote “City of Intellect,” an account of the pressures he faced at Berkeley during a budget crisis and campus unrest. .

For now, higher education veterans say, cautious boards may prove more inclined to promote college insiders rather than banking on newcomers.

Stanford University, for example, chose Jonathan Levin as its next president, drawing on someone who was a student there in the 1990s and joined the faculty in 2000. Richard K. Lyons, who will take over in Berkeley in July, has even older connections. on its campus: he received his undergraduate degree there in 1982 and has been a faculty member since 1993.

Boards have also shown a willingness to retain interim presidents for extended periods. When Martha E. Pollack, Cornell’s president for seven years, announced this month that she would retire in June, the university said it would delay the search for her replacement for at least 15 months. Penn postponed the public search for a permanent president, although M. Elizabeth Magill resigned in December.

“Finding a president is a very complicated process, because everyone in the college district cares about this selection, and it’s important for everyone to get it right,” said John Isaacson, president of Isaacson, Miller , a company that has contributed to a lot of research. the best schools. “It’s a process that takes time.”

UCLA and Yale did not respond to inquiries about their presidential searches.

Some potential presidents are as wary as the schools. Dirks, the former chancellor of UC Berkeley, said he heard about shrinking applicant pools as presidential candidates pondered the pitfalls of jobs, despite mansion-like residence halls and salaries up to seven figures.

“It doesn’t have quite the appeal that it once had,” said DiSalvo, president of Endicott College, who runs a training program for aspiring presidents.

A persistent challenge is that presidents must contend with a large number of stakeholders—students, parents, faculty members, other university employees, officials, donors, alumni, sponsors of athletic programs—with competing interests.

“The position becomes one where it doesn’t make a difference what you do, someone is going to come after you,” said Michael M. Crow, president of Arizona State University. (“Damn, your alumni, if they don’t like something that’s going on, especially in athletics, they’re in it,” Richard B. Myers, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who later served as president of Kansas State University, said with a chuckle.)

Mark Yudof, who led the University of California and University of Texas systems, compared a presidency to being a mayor or governor.

“You don’t even know everything that’s going on at your university, let alone in the rest of the world,” said Yudof, whose first presidency was at the University of Minnesota.

Even at the smallest colleges, pressures have increased, intensified by social media. Marjorie Hass, president of the Council of Independent Colleges, said the presidents address the grievances of everyone, from students to members of the religious denominations that fund the schools.

“You are expected to be available 24/7,” she said.

And at any moment, national and international debates threaten to intrude into campus life with surprising speed and intensity. In presidential election years, many leaders have said the situation could be even worse, as the poisonous national discourse overwhelms campuses.

“The tension you feel is trying to create a community culture that’s different from the national zeitgeist,” said Steve Briggs, president of Berry College, a small school in northwest Georgia.

Although some presidents have come from business or politics, many have advanced in academia, sometimes leading to what Jenkins, the Notre Dame president, called “a mismatch between the qualifications you need to get into for this position and the skills you need when you are in this role. inside.

They rarely enter office longing for fights in a statehouse or on Capitol Hill, and many are unaccustomed to such squabbles.

“To be part of the larger political narrative and focus, you’re not necessarily in the positions that need to be,” said Quinton T. Ross Jr., president of Alabama State University and former state lawmaker. the state. “That’s really not the case. But that’s normal.

Few university presidents openly admit to having doubts about their jobs, although some hide their eagerness to take on similar roles again.

Despite the turmoil, Daniel Diermeier, chancellor of Vanderbilt University, believes today’s urgent demands could ultimately make jobs more rewarding.

“You would much rather be British Prime Minister in 1943 than in 1953,” he said. “If you’re going in this direction, don’t you want to do it when it counts? Yes, it’s more difficult. Yes, it’s more stressful. But after all, we want to make an impact, right? And when the stakes are high, your leadership matters more.

This article was originally published in the New York Times.