Conversations surrounding the state of higher education are increasingly becoming the foci of not only the media and government officials, but also boards of directors.
Institutions are more frequently found on the brink of merging, closing or affiliating with other institutions. Others find themselves in the middle of presidential transition, where presidents — for one reason or another — have been asked to resign from their respective institutions.
Many issues stem from an industry that has grown beyond its means. Moreover, this growth needs to be managed effectively, and some would argue the brink is not just about a contracting market, but rather leadership challenges within the sector.
Over the past seven months, more than 20 college and university presidents have resigned from their positions. Many of these resignations were sudden, with the incumbent vacating the position within a short time frame following the announcement. While many institutions cite the reasoning behind presidential departures as a personnel matter, the media and others have attempted to dig into these matters.
What we’ve found are four overwhelming reasons why institutions have had presidential transitions that continue to place institutions on the brink. Below are our suspected reasoning of these presidential transitions:
• Inability to effectively manage the institution.
• Poor financial decisions.
