With a Large Number of College Presidents Stepping Down, Vacancies May Open Door for More Diverse Leaders
Boston Globe | Kate Selig
Some experts call the recent slate of college president vacancies, including at Harvard University, “a golden opportunity to diversify the highest levels of higher education…and reshape the leadership of an industry.”
The president of the Eos Foundation (a group that, among other goals, “supports systemic solutions…[in] achieving gender equity and diversity in leadership across society”) “said institutions need to seize the moment to bring women and people of color to important roles — boards of trustees, senior administrative positions, and presidencies… ‘We need bold change,’ she said. ‘We need to demand parity.’”
Why the turnover? “[It] is both caused and compounded by the forces confronting higher education. Presidents are being called upon to lead their institutions not only through the pandemic but also to steer them through a time of social and racial reckoning.”
Simmons president Wooten says she sees the number of leadership vacancies as “a turning point…a time for us to redefine university presidencies.”
A higher ed expert and associate dean for strategic initiatives and community engagement at BU explains that “disparities at elite institutions are not surprising: The more competitive the opportunity, the more likely it is to result in the selection of a white man.”
As for how to source such candidates, among other suggestions, “Experts added that institutions can also diversify their search by including candidates who do not follow the traditional pathway to the presidency…Experiences outside academia can also bring valuable perspectives.”
The president of UMass Lowell said that in deciding to apply for the presidency, she realized, ‘I can also be a model for not only women but students of color and LGBTQ students… They can see and say…that’s what a university president can look like.’”
