In an interview, Gerald L. Baliles, a former Democratic governor of Virginia, talked about how the job of college president has changed over the years. Baliles said that a president must be many things to many people: leader of the academic community, chief executive of the business enterprise, the spokesperson, the fundraiser, the advocate for all of higher education. The environment in which the president operates has also changed. It is his sense that the public now seems to view a college degree as a personal benefit rather than a societal one. He also said that comparing the jobs of college presidents to that of a corporate CEO is a difficult issue because not all institutions are large and comprehensive. Regarding the issue on presidents serving corporate boards, he said whether they should do that or not is a decision that has to be made by the president and the board. He added that it's a good opportunity for the academic president to mix and mingle with some very influential people and at the same time learn some lessons about corporate governance at a different level.