The College President Handbook: A Sustainable and Practical Guide for Emerging Leaders

“This volume combines specific recommendations, observations, and takeaways filled with candor, humor, and uplifting stories for one of education’s most challenging roles.”
—FROM THE FOREWORD

An indispensable manual for the most demanding position in higher education, The College President Handbook supports campus leaders in becoming powerful and effective stewards of their institutions.

This comprehensive guidebook offers clear counsel in the form of candid essays by highly regarded current and former college and university presidents from across the nation. It pairs their expert appraisals with research and data to examine the critical issues that define the role today.

The book's contributors acknowledge the broad skill set that presidents, and their executive teams, must cultivate in order to achieve success. Beginning with a macro view, the contributors address the universal questions of vision that each higher education leader must consider critically and understand strategically: Why be a president? How should campus leadership engage with our board of trustees? What tone should our actions communicate to stakeholders?

The book's chapters offer concrete tactical advice in a range of key leadership areas and emphasize essential career skills such as managing financial resources and strategic planning. The contributors speak to student-facing concerns as well as institutional interests, and discuss personal issues specific to the office, such as weathering controversy, attaining work–life balance, and planning for post-presidential life.

Drawing on the unique expertise of peers and predecessors, this work will prove to be a core resource for anyone who is or aspires to become a president or chancellor in higher education.

James Soto Antony is dean of the Graduate Division and Education Studies professor at the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego). Prior to his arrival at UC San Diego, Antony served on the faculty of Harvard University, where he was faculty director of the Graduate School of Education’s Higher Education Program and codirector of the Management Development Program. He also held faculty and leadership roles at the University of Washington (1995–2012), including professor in Educational Leadership and Policy and adjunct professor in Sociology; associate vice-provost and associate dean for academic affairs in the Graduate School; and associate dean for academic programs in the College of Education. There, he served as director for two graduate degree programs (the Graduate Program in Higher Education and the Intercollegiate Athletic Leadership Program) and was the founding executive director of the Center for Leadership in Athletics. He was an associate provost for Yale University (2012–2015), where he worked on issues ranging from faculty development and diversity to undergraduate leadership development within Yale College. Antony earned his baccalaureate degree in psychology, his master’s degree, and his PhD in higher education and organizational change, all from UCLA.

Ana Mari Cauce is the president of the University of Washington (UW), where she leads the institution in advancing its mission in four key areas: providing a leading-edge student experience, conducting research and scholarship that has a global impact, upholding the UW’s dedication to its public mission, and infusing the entire university with a commitment to equity and innovation. A member of the UW faculty since 1986, Cauce became president in 2015, having previously served as provost and executive vice president and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. She has received numerous awards, including the Dalmas A. Taylor Distinguished Contributions Award from the American Psychological Association for her research on psychological well-being amongst ethnic and racial minority youth and the Distinguished Teaching Award, the highest honor the University of Washington gives to faculty members for their work with students in and outside the classroom. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Raised in Miami after emigrating with her family from Cuba, Cauce earned a BA in English and psychology from the University of Miami and a PhD in psychology, with a concentration in child clinical and community psychology, from Yale University.

Lynn M. Gangone is president and CEO of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE). Previously, she served as vice president at the American Council on Education (ACE), dean of Colorado Women’s College, University of Denver, the executive director of the National Association for Women in Education, and as vice president of development, as well as vice president/dean of students, at Centenary University. She has held faculty appointments at two colleges of education, the George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development as a visiting professor, and a full professor (clinical) at the University of Denver’s Morgridge College of Education. She consults, writes, and speaks on education leadership, advancement of underrepresented men and women, strategic planning, and change management. Gangone received an EdD and MEd with a concentration in organizations and leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University; an MS and CAS in counseling psychology from the University at Albany, State University of New York; and a BA in political science from the College of New Rochelle.

Tara P. Nicola is a doctoral candidate at Harvard University. Her research focuses on issues concerning access, choice, and equity in higher education. She is especially interested in evaluating policies related to the college admission process. Prior to studying at Harvard, Nicola was a research associate at the National Association for College Admission Counseling. Her work has been featured in Education Week, Inside Higher Ed, and The Hechinger Report. Nicola holds an EdM in education policy and management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, an MSc with Distinction in higher education from the University of Oxford, and a BA in English from Johns Hopkins University.