While some suggest that tensions between college presidents and their boards are high, it is proposed that most are coping successfully with difficult issues, and that their relationships are fundamentally very sound. Sources of new tension are examined, particularly the affirmative action debate and "activism" among trustees. Trustee selection…

A study of interim presidencies at public research universities draws on interviews with 20 former interim presidents concerning their selection, expectations, accommodations, roles, and relationships, and the institutional and personal effects of the interim presidency. Ten suggestions for supporting an interim administrator and facilitating the…

Compares two surveys of new community college presidents. Finds that most presidents serve in order to "make a difference," and that 56% of survey participants followed an academic pathway to community college presidency, rather than coming from administrative or student services. (NB)

The appeal of Bush's post-September 11 discourse lies in its similarities with the Puritan rhetoric of covenant renewal by which ministers brought second- and third-generation Puritans into the church. Through this epideictic discourse, Bush implored younger Americans to uphold the national covenant of their "elders," the World War II generation,…

Data from a 2002 study indicate that small private colleges have been closing at an alarming rate. These institutions seldom possess the resources that might enable them to respond flexibly to changes in their environment, and rising operating costs and inadequate endowments leave them at a competitive disadvantage compared with public colleges…

This study examines the ideas and actions of Royce Pitkin, progressive educator, and president of Goddard College (Vermont) from the college's founding in 1938 to 1969, with emphasis on the period 1950 to 1967 when the author was also at Goddard. Part 1 presents analysis and interpretation in eight chapters which address: (1) the major problems…

This book provides a new look at educational management in the face of mounting financial pressures. The demands for accountability that today's university administrators must face require them to apply the sophistication of modern business and institutional management while preserving the expensive and often difficult-to-measure contributions of…

No generation in U.S. history has matched that of the founding era for its array of talented and influential political thinkers and actors. These individuals (such as George Washington, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison) possessed traits of character and intellect that significantly shaped the…

This issue features articles and activities that concern the history of the presidential election process in the United States, with a special focus on Iowa's role in that process. The following features are included: "Lights, Camera, Action!"; "Presidential Whoopla"; "From Tree Stumps to Living Rooms"; "Wild…

In 1989, the president of Lamar Community College (LCC) in Colorado, together with 14 classified, faculty, and administrative staff, attended a workshop on educational quality at Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC) in an effort to begin implementing a Total Quality Management process at LCC. Following the workshop, attendees from LCC organized the…

College presidents have been described as visionaries responsible for shaping a school's objectives and matching talents with resources to realize those goals. College trustee boards must provide the continuity and stability necessary to guarantee the integrity of the college. Because boards have a 15-20% turnover annually, trustee education must…

This monograph presents articles written by college presidents about teacher education in liberal arts settings. The publication is organized into 16 chapters (alphabetical by institution) as follows: "Liberal Arts College: The Right Crucibles for Teacher Education" (John T. Dahlquist, Arkansas College); "Teacher Education: Liberal…

The results of analyzing institutional change profiles for 17 four-year undergraduate colleges are discussed. Using critical event cycles as a unit of analysis, attention was focused on distinctive patterns of institutional adaptation. Based on site visits, a list of 33 critical events at the 17 campuses was developed, from which 13 critical event…

The relevance of Richard E. Neustadt's presidential choice making theory to a university presidency is analyzed. This theory, which was introduced in Neustadt's 1960 publication "Presidential Power," is examined in regard to situations that occurred at Kent State University (KSU): the KSU Black United Student (BUS) confrontation with the…

The administration of athletic programs at National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I-A universities was studied in 1985. The study consisted of three parts: a survey of 65 university presidents concerning leadership and athletics, a historical look at problems in intercollegiate athletics; and a comparison of four universities…