If you are a campus administrator, chances are you'd like to become a president one day. If this is your goal -- and that's a big "if" -- what are some of the things you can do to increase your chances of getting the job, and of doing it successfully?
About a year ago, I wrote a column on "Pathways to the Presidency" that addressed long-term issues of the career path most likely to lead to a presidency. Here, I'll focus more on short-term strategies -- things you can do in the couple of years preceding the search process. But you should keep in mind that long-term preparation is the foundation for anything you might do in the shorter term; if that long-term foundation is weak, it's unlikely that you can make up for it with a quick fix in a year or two.
Let's begin with the question of whether you want to be a president. These are hard jobs, and if you don't have a "fire in the belly," you probably shouldn't even consider it. On the other hand, you've probably noticed that some academics seem to think that if you really want a presidency (or any other administrative position), then you shouldn't have that job; there's a belief that ambition is somehow inappropriate and undesirable in college and university administrators. I would agree with that view only to a certain extent, having to do with the nature and reasons for your ambition. If you want to make a personal impact but care little for the institution you'll be serving or the overall mission of higher education, you're probably the wrong person for the job. But apart from this reservation, I would still urge you to reflect on your motives and be sure that a presidency is the best way to achieve your goals.
So, what position is the best launching pad to a presidency? The job previously held by most new presidents, in my general observation, is vice president or executive vice president. Most vice presidents come from the academic side of the house, and in fact, deanships seem to be the second most common position previously held by new presidents. Those vice presidents who do not have an academic background are typically from development or finance. In spite of how many institutions say they are student-centered, I don't see a lot of student-affairs professionals moving into presidencies.
What are the key experiences that deans and vice presidents need to prepare them for the top job? It boils down to broad management and leadership training.
- Breadth. The president must oversee a wide array of issues, projects, and people, so someone who has had narrowly focused experience might be ill-suited for the job. If, for example, you have been dean of a professional school, everyone you oversee is part of that profession; of course they are different in some ways, but they have a significant homogeneity. Presidents have to be able to work with many different professional schools, as well as arts and science. They have to work with administrative colleagues in student life and finance, and with external constituents including alumni, politicians, neighbors, etc. Presidential search committees need some assurance that the person they select can work easily with this diversity.
- Management. The president must oversee or exercise some critical administrative functions, including planning, budgeting, personnel evaluation, communication, and many more. Someone who has not done much managing, or who managed a small and simple organizational unit, is probably not ready for the position.
- Leadership. One of the president's most important roles is to envision the institution's future, and to "make meaning" out of daily campus events -- to articulate the ultimate value of the hard work and sacrifice by faculty and staff members, to communicate to students the institution's commitment to their well-being, to keep a clear vision of the common goal even in the midst of confusion or crisis. Senior management positions normally provide the opportunity to do these things, so that when a V.P. becomes a president he or she is ready for this responsibility.
- Experience. The president is bombarded daily with challenges including the need for rapid decisions to be made based on incomplete information, the need to respond to crises, the need to assess the politics of a situation, and so on. If you are facing each of these things for the first time, with little experience, you're less ready for the job than someone who has faced them before. Most V.P. positions give you these experiences so you're ready when you become the president.
In effect, I'm saying that the way to prepare for a presidency is to hold the position that is most often thought of -- for good reason -- as the usual "pre-presidential position." Whether or not you're in one of those positions, if you want to be a president you should strive to build this broad management and leadership experience.
On the other hand, there are some presidential skills that are not well learned in most of these V.P. positions. Among the ones that concern me the most, and that concern presidential search committees with which I work, are fund raising, external relations, and board relations. They are related, but I'll say a few words about each.
Fund-raising experience is something that virtually every presidential search committee is looking for. Even the richest institution aspires to do things that require it to be richer. Presidents are usually the ones who must cultivate donors and ask for the large gifts that really make a difference, so boards of trustees look for evidence that their candidates can do this. They look for candidates who have already raised money, preferably a lot of money, not only from corporate and foundation grants but from individuals and, especially for public institutions, from legislatures. Working with individual major donors and with legislators is a critical kind of experience, and asking for money is a critical activity. If you haven't actually done it, it's hard to know what it's like. If you want to be a president, this activity is very important but rarely available to a V.P. You need to look for opportunities to do it.
External relations are also a fundamental presidential responsibility that is rarely in the portfolio of a vice president. Academic V.P.'s, in fact, are often the "inside person" to the president's "outside person" -- specifically restricted from building outside relationships because the president is doing that. As with fund raising, vice presidents need to look for opportunities to show that they have done this and can do it as president. Consider, for example, becoming active in fund raising for your alma mater, or the local United Way. Serve as a board member for a nonprofit in your community and assist in planning the group's annual fund drive. Many search committees will see these kinds of activities as evidence that you aren't afraid to ask for money.
Relationships with board members are among the most significant and challenging that a president will have. Trustees have enormous power, and they may be used to exercising power in their work lives. But they have only limited time, energy, and attention to devote to their institution. They may have no expertise in higher education beyond their memories of their own college experience, and they are critical to a president's and an institution's success. Their care and feeding demands a tremendous amount of a president's attention.
Candidates who have already worked effectively with governing boards are ahead of the game. They have learned what issues it is appropriate and necessary to bring to the board for discussion or decision, how to respond to a board member's requests, how much guidance a board can and should provide, especially to a new president, and so on. If you want to be a president, your V.P. position may provide you with some experience in board relations, but do everything you can to expand that experience. Most presidential search committees, since they typically include board members, will want to call board members at your current institution for references; the better those trustees know you, the better they can discuss your effectiveness with their peers on the search committee.
So, if you want to be a president, it helps to be a vice president or a dean. But even if you are, there's a lot more required to make you a strong candidate for the job ahead.
