Every interim president faces a unique set of duties, depending on the institution and what is at issue there. But every interim leader has two responsibilities that are universal.
First, an interim chief must provide day-to-day leadership so that an effective search for a permanent successor can be conducted. And second, he or she must prepare the institution for the arrival of the new president.
As consultants who work with colleges and universities on their leadership transitions, we would like to offer some advice to administrators about what to expect if you are tapped for a temporary stint as president.
At one end of the spectrum are interim appointments intended to last a relatively short time, during which no major institutional problems are anticipated. At the other end are those unusual situations in which an interim leader is asked to tackle a major institutional challenge.
As a general rule, though, you as an interim leader will not be charged with -- and should not attempt to make -- major shifts in institutional direction, begin new initiatives, or reorganize the administrative structure.
Mainly you need to perform the day-to-day presidential duties, oversee whatever matters the trustees have charged you with, and be prepared to respond should a crisis arise. In short, you need to provide your college with steady leadership so that it can conduct a proper presidential search.
To do that, you must become part of the institution. If you are an outsider brought in as interim leader, you will have to invest a significant amount of time talking to people and gaining a sense of the culture, the uniqueness of the institution, and the issues and opportunities it's facing.
If you are selected from within the institution, which is more likely, you already know much of the campus story. You will instead be spending your time adapting to your new role, transferring your former duties to someone else, and developing the perspective of a person at the top.
People on campus either don't know you, or know you from your former role. They need to accept you in your new role as interim president. That will make it easier for you to achieve your second major task as interim leader: paving the way for the arrival of a new permanent president.
Depending on the circumstances surrounding the former president's departure, you may be leading an institution in some turmoil. If the trustees elected not to renew the previous president's contract, or if the president was asked to leave before the contract expired, the campus could be in the midst of significant unrest. The same would be true if the president died in office, whether unexpectedly or after a long illness.
In any of those cases, you as the interim leader will be charged with restoring confidence in the institution's leadership. If the previous president's departure was prompted by a scandal, or was the result of faculty unrest, starting the process of rebuilding trust will be crucial.
While it's rare for an interim president to be expected to undertake major initiatives, such as redefining the university's mission, it does happen.
One case we know of involved a small, liberal-arts college that had been experiencing financial difficulty for some time. Little attention had been paid to negative trends affecting the college's financial health until its president resigned. The college faced an alarming increase in the rate at which it was discounting tuition. It was covering substantial operating deficits by dipping into quasi-endowment principal, and its staffing levels had increased to a point that simply could not be sustained over the long term.
The governing board made the decision to reshape the college's mission just as the interim president took office.
People on campus had been aware of the financial problems but not of their severity. In fact, many had been lulled into a false sense of security because of the endowment. What the governing board and top officials quickly realized, however, was that the endowment could not sustain the spending levels. Without attention in the very near term, it was likely that the institution would find itself in hot water with its accreditor.
That led the board and the interim president to make the financial crisis a top priority. And doing so created the opportunity for the interim president to deal with both of the key responsibilities of the position. Reshaping the mission would enable the board to conduct a search for a permanent president, and attention to the financial situation would provide that new president with the best chance of success.
The importance of the latter issue was driven home just after the college announced it had hired a new permanent president. The new leader met in an off-campus setting with the interim president, the college's chief financial officer, and the financial consultant hired by the institution to help draft a cost-cutting plan.
During the meeting the incoming president was briefed on the cost-cutting plan, which would involve layoffs. However, the new president suggested that the cuts simply were not deep enough. That created a watershed moment for the interim president.
The prospect of layoffs had already caused a stir on the campus and taken its toll on the interim president. Additional layoffs were clearly going to be a problem.
On the other hand, the incoming president made a compelling case. He wanted to create some cushion to protect the college against unanticipated revenue shortfalls or cost overruns. The plan, as initially proposed, provided almost no room for slippage.
Eventually, everyone at the meeting agreed to eliminate even more positions and reduce operating budgets even further. Then it was time to decide how the revised plan would be communicated to the campus community.
The interim president recognized that it was essential for the incoming president to enter the job with as little negative "baggage" as possible. If he took the lead in announcing the cuts, it would force him to start out in a defensive posture. In the end, the interim leader gave the incoming president (and the institution) the most valuable gift that could be provided. The interim agreed to "own" the entire plan and take responsibility for the increased pain it would inflict.
That was a courageous act of leadership on the interim president's part. The campus reaction, as expected, was overwhelmingly negative. Critics said the plan went too far and that it was an overreaction. Nevertheless, at no time did the interim president waiver in his commitment to the need for such dramatic action. And, more important, at no time did he ever suggest that the plan was anyone's doing but his own.
An interim presidency can be both rewarding and challenging. We would like to close with some specific advice for anyone considering such an appointment:
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Ask the tough questions before accepting the interim assignment. Make sure you understand the challenges facing the institution. Watch out for sugar-coating of problems during the interview process.
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Negotiate a handful of key goals and priorities to be addressed during the interim period. Once agreed upon, those should be communicated to the entire campus so that everyone is aware of the agenda for this period and, equally important, can assist in accomplishing the goals.
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Appoint a credible transition manager to help with the logistics, communications, and relationship-building of the interim period.
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Conduct a one-day retreat with the cabinet to establish ground rules, communication protocols, and decision-making processes and to discuss practices that may need to change as well as those that will continue during the interim period. It's a good idea for the board chair to participate in the retreat.
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Establish solid relationships with the chief academic and chief financial officers, as well as with one or two trusted senior faculty members. Having solid relationships with these individuals will contribute to your success. If you have any doubts about the ability or willingness of those individuals to speak truthfully to you, identify a few others who will.
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Be visible -- especially early on. Transition periods create stress and getting to know the interim can calm the waters. This is a time for frequent face-to-face interaction. It's also helpful if some of the trustees spend a little extra time on campus demonstrating their support for the interim leader by participating in "meet and greet" sessions.
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Learn fast. By their nature, interim appointments are not intended to last very long. As such, it's critical that you work hard to gain as much knowledge of the institution as possible within the shortest amount of time.
