Executive Churn
The impact of Presidential transition
The “great resignation” has hit executive leadership. Dozens of notable resignations have been announced including at New York University, George Washington, Ohio University, Harvey Mudd, Howard, and Bowdoin. For those interested in executive leadership, this is the World Cup of hiring seasons, and it will be fascinating to see how the searches progress and who fills the seats when all is said and done. The pace by which these transitions are happening is keeping executive search firms on their toes, and will undoubtedly have an impact on higher education more broadly.
In the Boston area for instance, Boston University, Harvard, Tufts, MIT and Emerson College are all involved in a presidential search. Imagine if Boston’s second favorite employer - health care - had a similar turnover with the heads of Massachusetts General, Boston Medical Center, Brigham & Women’s, Boston Children's Hospital and Fenway Community Health were all seeking new leadership in the same year. It would be marveled as a massive disruption in health care. And while there has been some coverage of this interesting plot point, it isn’t a disruption, because higher education is steady and slow and an ‘option’ for some, where healthcare is necessary for all.
Presidential searches are interesting to observe. Some are conducted in lock down privacy with the outcomes of the search being the only public announcement. While other searches are so open I wouldn’t be surprised should the day arrive when a campus announces a decision to live stream the process. Then, you have those searches that live in the murky middle - where there is just enough information floating around in the community to cause anxiety and excitement only to land with a thud when the outcome of the search is made public. Indeed, higher education executive searches are a tantalizing spectator sport.
For those working on a campus in leadership transition, this is not a time to sit back and be a casual onlooker. Rather, now is the time to begin to pay close attention to searches across your region and possibly the country. Are you at a Catholic School seeking a new leader? Check out who is in the pool at other Catholic institutions. Working at an HBCU? You may see some familiar names in your finalist pool. And if you are at an elite campus, pay attention to what R1 university provosts are ready for the next step.
If you think that the pool of presidential contenders is deep, please note that at one point in my career, the campus I was working at and the campus my spouse was employed were going through separate Presidential transitions at the same time. We were using different executive search firms, but the finalists who made their way to our respective campuses were very similar. In fact, two of the three finalists were identical on each campus. It made for interesting dinner table chatter.
Admittedly the campuses we worked at were not tier 1 research universities, but let’s be honest, this could be avoided. Why does this happen, when you would think there are a large number of highly qualified and motivated candidates out there? It may come down to two key factors: trustees are risk averse and trustees largely run searches. Higher education has an opportunity to bring in the next generation of leadership that is ready to attack the challenges of today and the decades ahead. But, the question is, are trustees seeing the potential in candidates who may break molds and glass ceilings?
Be most engaged in the recruitment process of your future boss of bosses. The outcome of the process will speak loudly to what may be the future of your campus. Hire a Provost, that tells you something; hire a VP for Student Affairs, that tells you something else. Hire a politician - that speaks volumes. What is your campus transition saying out loud, and who is listening? I hope you are.
Fortify Features
Dr. Laura De Veau is Principal & Founder of Fortify Associates, LLC. Fortify Associates, LLC is unique in the higher education, not-for-profit, and public service market. Fortify Associates provides comprehensive workshops, program reviews and project management services with a combination of in-person and virtual delivery. Fortify Associates is committed to creating experiences that are unique to the needs and culture of each of their clients. Fortify Associates wants to elevate your organization and help you optimize your workplace. Contact Dr. De Veau to book your spring semester program review, workshop or other consultation.