Guest Editor’s Remarks
Dear Friends and Colleagues, I am truly grateful to the staff of the National Lab for the Study of the College President for allowing me to be a part of their family during this very strange and challenging academic year. I have been impressed by the Arkansas team, and will be excited to see their Handbook on College and University Leadership in the summer of 2021.
Editor’s Remarks
Dear Colleagues: Dr. Miller and I are most pleased to share with you the fourth volume of the Journal of Research on the College President from the National Lab for the Study of the College President at the University of Arkansas. While this year has been a great challenge for everyone given the Covid Pandemic the Lab continues to work on a wide variety of issues about the contemporary college president.
What University College Presidents Need to Know about the Chief Diversity Officer Position
Abstract – Renewing commitments to historical injustices, tackling declining numbers of underrepresented students, addressing national outrage to racial and social inequities, and attempting to retain faculty, staff, and students of color on campus are all complex issues that become part of the role of a Chief Diversity Officer on college campuses today. The Chief Diversity Officer can be “a strategic partner, invested leader, and change agent- who helps colleges and universities move forward on the path to address inclusion with policies, programs, and people” (Aguilar, 2020). This article provides guidance to university presidents on how to best support the CDO on their respective campuses.
What College Presidents Need to Know about Honors Colleges
Abstract – In just the past few decades, honors colleges have increasingly become an important feature of the undergraduate experience at public universities across the nation. From the recruitment of students in order to help stem “brain drain” from a state to the cultivation of alumni donors, an honors college can play a critical role in an institution’s overall success. This article will discuss five specific areas that college presidents need to know about how honors college function and the issues they often face, with the goal of furthering an executive leader’s knowledge of these programs. Good. You are the right person to write this and it will be helpful for our Honors APLU organization. We are doing a session at APLU on the position of an Honors Dean within the context of upper-administration.
The Climb to the Top: Advice for Aspiring Black and African American College and University Presidents
Abstract – The purpose of this paper was to provide practical advice on how Black and African American college and university presidential aspirants may adequately prepare themselves for such a pivotal leadership role. Seven Black and African American college and university presidents from a variety of institutional types (community colleges, four-year institutions, Predominately White Institutions [PWI], and Minority-Serving Institutions[MSI]) across the United States answered a simple question: What advice can you offer to aspiring Black and African American college and university presidents to adequately prepare them for this leadership role? The authors supplemented their responses with highlights of professional development opportunities for aspiring Black and African American college and university presidents to consider as part of their career trajectory.
