The New College President: How a Generation of Diverse Leaders Is Changing Higher Education

Think you know what it takes to be an effective leader in higher education? You might be surprised.

Think you know what it takes to be an effective leader in higher education? You might be surprised.

Why is it so difficult to find and hire college and university presidents? Perhaps search committees are recruiting in all the wrong places. In The New College President, Terrence J. MacTaggart and Eileen B. Wilson-Oyelaran share the stories of seven exceptional presidents from diverse backgrounds. Drawing on hundreds of interviews, these vivid, deeply researched narratives depict the life stories and academic careers of university presidents whose unconventional backgrounds helped them grow into uniquely qualified leaders.

The university presidents whom MacTaggart and Wilson-Oyelaran profile exhibit strengths of character and perspective developed through a range of challenging life experiences. Personal qualities like grit, resilience, compassion, and intercultural competence--along with academic credibility--contribute to their effectiveness as chief executives and are critical to presidential success in a fraught era of higher education.

MacTaggart and Wilson-Oyelaran, who developed a "forensic" model for improving presidential searches that requires a much deeper look into personal leadership strengths and weaknesses than is typical in current search practices, are uniquely qualified to write this book. They present a fresh perspective on higher education leadership and actionable recommendations to improve presidential searches while arguing that a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is not just a moral imperative, but a valuable opportunity to recruit extraordinary leaders.

Featuring Jeffrey Bullock, Waded Cruzado, Mary Dana Hinton, Freeman Hrabowski III, Robert Jones, Kwang-Wu Kim, and Mary Marcy

Terrence J. MacTaggart has served as the chancellor of the University of Wisconsin--Superior, the Minnesota State University System, and the University of Maine System. Currently a senior fellow with the Association of Governing Boards, he is the author of Leading Change: How Boards and Presidents Build Exceptional Academic Institutions. Eileen B. Wilson-Oyelaran is the president emerita of Kalamazoo College and a senior consultant for the Association of Governing Boards.