Small-College Presidents Hear Tips on Building a Leadership Team

Writing for The Chronicle of Higher Education, Robin Wilson reveals some of the shared leadership stories of the 255 small college presidents who met recently via the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC). Scott Jaschick of Inside Higher Ed also attended this conference and reports on it here. Wilson focused on top level leadership team challenges and Jaschik writes more broadly about the issues discussed.

From Wilson's account:

Most valuable, the presidents said, was to seek senior leaders who can think about the work of the whole institution, rather than be sidetracked by devotion to their own special areas.

"You want people who can take that big picture and give up something they normally would have fought for in their own area—because it's in the best interests of the institution," said Susan C. Scrimshaw, president of the Sage College.

From Jaschik's account:

"Is there an economist in the house?" Paul Hennigan, president of Point Park University, jokingly asked the question of a group of college presidents gathered here at a meeting of the Council of Independent Colleges. While there was one economist among the presidents, he seemed as worried as everyone else about the impact the economy was having on their institutions.

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Regional SCUP Events! Enjoy the F2F company of your colleagues and peers at one of three SCUP regional conferences this spring:

• March 14–16: Baltimore, MD
• March 24–26: Cambridge, MA
• April 5–7, San Diego, CA

Creating Campus Appeal

Richard Ekman, president of the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) writes in University Business about the beauty of college campuses and the impact on their decision to matriculate and their later affection for their alma mater. He also notes the CIC's wonderful Historic Campus Architecture Project and its online database of 2,100 historic buildings on its members' campuses.

Campus planners and alumni often have very different opinions about campus architecture. When alumni are asked about the buildings on campus that they like or about the design plans for a new structure, they often express conservative stylistic preferences, with collegiate Gothic often being a favorite. When campus planners and architects are surveyed about campus buildings, however, they are often dismissive of the lack of imagination that led to a decision to build another building in this style when more innovative options were available. When they discuss other options with institutional administrators and others, the results can be surprising and illuminating.

Ekman also refers to the SCUP-published book by Richard P. Dober, Old Main, which is full-color companion piece to Dober's Campus Heritage book (also full color). Each would make a nice holiday gift for anyone who loves campuses and campus planning.