Videoconference examines changing role of today's college president

Black Issues in Higher Education, Nov 14, 1996 by Dorothy Givens Terry

American college and university presidents

have less time than ever for the traditional

rode of acting as the academic leader of their

institutions. Instead they are fundraising,

lobbying and acting as peacemaker among

their different constituencies, several

presidents and scholars told

a nationwide audience at a recent

Black Issues In Higher Education

videoconference.

University of Virginia

President Dr. John Casteen, III said

he spends three-quarters of his time

on fundraising, followed closely by

dealing with political issues.

Traditional college presidential

duties "come in last," he said.

"Shrinking budgets mean we

spend more time fundraising and

the dollars are more readily available

for institutions that already have an

established record of excellence," he said.

The videoconference, "Prosperity or

Turmoil: The Future of the American College

President," focused on some of the problems

faced by presidents as they deal with smaller

budgets, fractious faculty and

the tensions surrounding affirmative action

and diversity.

"When it comes to diversity and

tolerance, a president needs to understand

that it is his or her role (to act) as the

facilitator and tone setter," said Jonathan

Alger, from the associate council for the American

Association of University Professors.

Alger said sharing information and

receiving input from faculty is vita].

"Faculty are on the front line of

education and should be seen as a

resource ... If information is shared and

there is constructive dialogue, faculty

can come up with solutions a president

may not think of himself."

That issue was illustrated by the

presence of Bowie State University

President Dr. Nathaniel Pollard, who

recently received a vote of "no

confidence" from his faculty, despite

students who approved of the job he is

doing. He is the third president of

Bowie State to receive a vote of

no-confidence from the faculty.

Pollard said the university has

since accepted the recommendation of

a task force composed of business

leaders and educators that calls for "a more

inclusive government structure," with a

change in leadership style and better

communications.

"We are developing a governing structure

that is powerful and will dead Bowie State

into the twenty-first century," said Pollard.

Holly Madsen, staff liaison to the

Commission on the Academic Presidency for

the Association of Governing Boards, agreed

and added, "Colleges and universities are

looking for a president: who can deal with the

external constituencies as well -- the

government, the donors, the business

community."

"You have to walk a tight rope to please

everyone," said Dr. Henry Ponder,

president of the National Association for

Equal Opportunity in Higher Education and

former president of Fisk University and

Benedict College.

"What we are asked to do is almost

impossible," continued Ponder. "We have to

work with the alumni, the students, the

trustees, the community. ... And what the

alumni want is different from what the

faculty and students would like to have."

Ponder remembers a different time, thirty

years ago, "when the president said 'this is

what we're going to do.' ... Now, everyone

feels like they should have the last word."

Dr. Stanley O. Ikenberry, the new

president of the American an Council on

Education, said that such conflicts require

presidents to change leadership styles. The

clays of the "dictator" president are over,

Ikenberry told the conference. "Leadership

demands have shifted ... Today's president or

chancellor is more of a team player. He has

to build consensus on campus. Part of the

complexity of being president is the ability

to lead in a number of different areas."

Dr. Joshua Smith, professor of the

Higher Education Center for Urban

Community College Leadership at New York

University and former chancellor of the

California Community College system

advised, "Be consistent with your message

on and off campus. ... build partnerships with

the students, tile faculty, the trustees and the

surrounding community."

"Don't let the title define you," Smith

said. "It will eventually destroy you. Don't

let your ego get in the way."

Attorney Felicenne Ramey, professor of

business administration at California State

University-Sacramento, and researcher of

women's leadership style in higher education,

said that women college presidents are under

particular pressure because many come to

the position without significant fundraising

experience. While the average stay for a

college president may be five years, Ramey said, women

tend to leave after two years because "there is

not much tolerance for what they are doing."

"But I think they should be given the

opportunity," she said, citing Spelman

College president Johnetta Cole for her

leadership and fundraising.

Despite the challenges, Ramey said the

role of the college president "is more

important to society today in 1996 than it was

ten or fifteen years ago. It's the most

remarkable position in our society."