On average, the American university president is a white man in his early 60s. Progress has been slow for women in this role. This study examined the university presidency with a focus on the woman president experience. The hypothesis was that based on factors such as the glass ceiling and glass cliff, gender affects the experiences of women…

According to John Carver (1990), no single relationship in an organization is as important as that between the board and its chief executive officer. That relationship, well-conceived, can set the stage for effective governance and leadership. However, the line between governance and administration in community colleges is not always as clear as…

The purpose of this article is to provide insight into the perceptions of college presidents on their role in budgeting and finance. While most of the past research in this area has focused on how to engage and understand budget and finance practices, this chapter sought to highlight the perceptions of the roles of those involved in the process,…

The purpose of this study was to examine, understand, and interpret the lived experiences of four African American male university presidents. Through phenomenological interviewing (Seidman, 2006), and grounded in critical race methodology (Peoples, 2020), the participants detailed their lived experiences through their respective journeys in…

The university president's role can be complicated and ambiguous. The pathway to the presidency remains a mystery as traditional and non-traditional presidents approach the position with various experiences, and 75% of those hired arrive as first-time presidents (Gagliardi et al., 2017). New and aspiring university presidents would benefit from…

This qualitative phenomenological study examines the leadership development activities of Illinois community college presidents and sought to understand not only how presidents prepare for their leadership roles, but what challenges presidents are currently facing, what advice they have for emerging leaders about effective leadership practices,…

The concept of application-oriented higher education institutions (A-HEI) in China has something in common with that of cooperative education or dual education institutions. The changes in education system have led to more challenges of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA) in the present situation. Based on synergistic…

Performance-funding for higher education diffused across the U.S. following the Great Recession that led to funding cuts for the system. Postsecondary funding never returned to pre-Recession levels, and public colleges are held to higher expectations even as the funding they might use to meet these expectations has diminished. This is a challenge…

This article provides an account of the undermining of collegial governance at the University of Alberta in relation to the restructuring of the university in 2020 by the senior administration and board on advice provided by the Australian consultancy firm, the Nous Group. The current president of the university has publicly promoted the…

More than half of the presidents in top universities of China have been grown up in their original universities. According to the upper echelon theory, the "indigenization" characteristics of university presidents will have an impact on their cognitive level and thus affect the scientific research performance of universities. Based on…

While the effects of new managerialism and the internationalization of higher education on university structures and functions have been widely examined, their impact on university leadership has been less investigated, although both phenomena suggest the need for different and more powerful leaders. This article aims to examine if the core…

This qualitative content analysis study explored how women of color in college presidencies in the United States exhibit their leadership style and values in their publicly available leadership communications. Public leadership communication includes, but is not limited to, speeches, announcements, website materials, articles, and public…

This qualitative multi-case study explored the experiences of nine women serving as presidents of community and technical colleges in seven different Midwestern states to understand how they serve students with an increasingly diverse background and ultimately work to close the education opportunity gap. The data collection process consisted of…

Governing boards of organizations have come under scrutiny in recent decades for financial problems, leadership scandals, and a variety of other uncomfortable reasons. Trustees might have prevented challenges and scandals if the appropriate board oversight were in place including the right board structures, practices, culture, governance, and…

African American women college presidential leadership is more than bureaucratic or technical leadership styles, or a set of skills or traits. African American women college president's leadership is pedagogical, meaning it is rooted in teaching and learning. The purpose of this research investigation is to amplify the role that African American…