Why is the job of college president so incredibly difficult? The tenures of academic presidents have become increasingly short, brutish, and volatile. Historically, the role of president has never been viewed as simple or painless, but experts point to a few agreed-upon factors that make the job different today: academe's struggling financial model, and increasingly polarized campus constituents.
The Chronicle's latest report,
"The Challenge of Leading Today's Colleges," examines the complex factors shaping the presidency today: strained business models, transformational changes within the academic landscape, the importance of responding quickly to controversies, and the need to manage diverse competing needs.
