According to a 2010 survey on how university presidents spent their time, the respondents revealed that on a list of six common responsibilities, the one to which they devoted the least attention was "academic affairs." Derek Bok writes in this article that, although this finding seems to have attracted little attention, he finds it striking that those who preside over America's universities devote so little of their time and effort to the central functions of the institutions they lead. On most campuses, presidents have delegated the task of looking after teaching, learning, and the conduct of research to provosts, vice-presidents for research, and deans. In carrying out its traditional academic functions, higher education faces its most severe test in generations. Numerous writers are predicting dramatic changes in the nature and viability of existing academic institutions. Bok argues that such conditions require the leadership of presidents who have carefully considered the issues and contributed wisely and imaginatively to the debate, not the delegation of responsibility to others who may lack the boldness, experience, or persuasive power of a truly informed and engaged educator-president.