Title
The Success and Failure of College Presidents
Document Type
Grant Proposal
Date Accepted
Spring 2009
Project Description/Abstract
I am presently in the final stages of completion of the manuscript for a book, Leaders in the Crossroads: Success and Failure in the College Presidency. The book will be published with Rowman and Littlefield as part of the American Council on Education (ACE) Higher Education Series. The book is likely to be released in the late spring or early summer 2009. I have developed four criteria by which to test and judge presidents as successes and failures. First is the recognition of presidents of the importance of legacy, their own, that of their institution and of the legacies of predecessors and successors. Second is their capacity to be dedicated to the marketplace of ideas, freely expressed, open to critical commentary that is a fundamental principle of the academy. Third are the uses of the bully pulpit by which presidents present themselves and their institutions to the public. Last is the leadership of presidents in times of crisis. I also address the ways in which presidents fortify or erode the fundamental values and principles of the academy. This CART grant will support work that includes creating an index, confirming citations, and assisting with additional editing including copy editing and other final preparation of the manuscript.
Recommended Citation
Nelson, Stephen J. (2009). The Success and Failure of College Presidents. CARS Small Grants. Item 23.
https://vc.bridgew.edu/small_grant/23