While researching the topic of “paths to the college/university presidency,” I came across an interesting article in the Huffington Post. The article was called “20 Things Every Aspiring HBCU President Should Know,” and it was written by Dr. Charlie Nelms, former chancellor at North Carolina Central University and the founder of Destination Graduation, a nonprofit organization focused on increasing retention and graduation rates at historically Black colleges and universities. Recently, I sat down with him to discuss his suggestions for aspiring college/university presidents.
Q: What do you see as the key prerequisites for presidential leadership at colleges and universities?
A: Presidential leadership in higher education is unlike executive leadership in any other organization with which I am familiar. First, the president is expected to personally attend to the interests and needs of a wide array of constituents, including students, parents, alumni, donors, trustees, faculty and elected officials. Second, there is an added layer of complexity known as faculty governance. Not only are presidents expected to do what is in the best interest of the institution, they are expected to do so with the input and concurrence of the faculty. Needless to say, there are often major differences between how the president and the faculty think the president should proceed. Yet the president is the person held accountable for the effectiveness of the institution. Seldom is that accountability shared.
There are, I believe, four key prerequisites for transformational presidential leadership. The first prerequisite is prior executive leadership experience, where the leader has had to focus on the well-being of the total university, not just a single department, division or program. The second prerequisite is the possession of academic credentials, which demonstrates the president’s appreciation for the tripartite mission of the university relative to teaching, research and service. The greater the extent to which the president can relate to the work of the faculty, the greater the likelihood they will be successful in establishing effective working relationships with them. The third prerequisite is a demonstrated passion for excellence and the ability to enlist the support of the university’s many constituents. Central to this prerequisite is the president’s ability to build consensus across faculty, administrative, student and alumni boundaries. A president’s vision is not likely to become a reality without the active engagement of all members of the university community — even those with whom he or she disagrees. The fourth prerequisite is a demonstrated ability to procure and manage fiscal resources. The present is the chief university friend-raiser and fundraiser, a task that can never be completely delegated to the chief development officer.
Q: Does presidential leadership differ at PWIs and HBCUs?
A: While there are many similarities between presidential leadership at PWIs and HBCUs, based on my experience as CEO at both types of institutions, I observed three primary differences.
First, because of funding inadequacies at most HBCUs, a disproportionate amount of presidential time at HBCUs is devoted to resource procurement or institutional challenges related to the lack of funding.
