Dec 2, 2021
A handbook on post-secondary institution leadership has been compiled by a former dean and a former chancellor, serving on the faculty of the University of Arkansas Higher Education degree program.
Professors of Higher Education Michael T. Miller and G. David Gearhart edited the 21-chapter Handbook of Research on the Changing Role of College and University Leadership, published in June by IGI Global. Miller was the 2016-2019 dean of the U of A College of Education and Health Professions and Gearhart the 2009-2015 chancellor of the Fayetteville campus.
Their book focuses on changes to the American college presidency. It highlights changes to pathways to the presidency along with the routines, tasks and professional expectations of the position. The book was released early this fall as a volume in IGI Global’s Advances in Higher Education and Professional Development book series.
“There are significant changes occurring throughout higher education right now,” Miller said, noting in particular that “the college presidency is radically different than it was 50 years ago. The fiscal landscape, the idea of how students are educated, and even the rights and responsibilities of faculty, staff and students are all in a state of flux right now.”
The book was assembled over a two-year period and includes a number of Arkansas faculty and alumni as authors.
Adam Morris, vice president for academic affairs at Crowder College in Neosho, Missouri, and a graduate of the Higher Education program, wrote about the continuing evolution of college presidents. David Tolliver, assistant director of graduate recruitment and outreach for the U of A Graduate School and graduate of the Public Policy doctoral program, addressed a president’s role to increase diverse enrollment. Ashley Aylett, vice chancellor of academics for the U of A Cossatot Community College in De Queen and a graduate of the Adult and Lifelong Learning doctoral program, wrote about succession planning and the presidency. Other Higher Ed alumni who authored chapters include Randall Brumfield, Arleene Breaux and Everrett Smith, as well as a current doctoral student in Adult and Lifelong Learning, Johnathon Paape.
U of A faculty contributing to the volume included Jim Maddox from the Human Resource and Workforce Development program, as well as Kit Kacirek and Kenda Grover of Adult and Lifelong Learning.
“This really is a first-of-its-kind collection of chapters about the college presidency,” Miller said. “The book is a great resource for current administrators, aspiring presidents and scholars interested in how the presidency continues to change.”
The book is available through Pennsylvania-based IGI Global.
