“President’s Leading” stated that Presidents have come to be the “living logo” of college’s and universities, and their opinions are being viewed as the opinion of the institution rather than of the individual running it. Couldn’t this inference that the ideas of the person running the university are automatically adopted by the university be combatted by splitting the President position into a multi-person position?
“President’s Leading” states that the title of President may well indeed be an impossible job because of the level of versatility that the person holding the position is required to have. It also states that the President spends very little time on campus, which may be distancing them from the people who are actually at the institution. If the President consulted the various departments (such as legal, athletic managers/coaches, etc.) that function within the school for advice on related matters, wouldn’t that both narrow the gap between the President and the people and allow the president to make decisions based on expert advice rather than guesswork? What if there was a transfer term among Presidents where the outgoing president and incoming president work together for 6 months for a smoother transition and greater efficiency?
If colleges/universities need to adapt in order to survive and cater more to demand than personal belief, why is it that tuition is rising yet the demands of external parties are being more heavily weighed than the demands of the students currently attending the college/university? (specific to CUNY)
Is the reason why community college faculty identify more with their institution compared to graduate school, research school, and liberal arts school faculty who identify more with their discipline because either or both;
- community college faculty watch as their discipline is underappreciated on a daily basis by students who view their community college as a “thirteenth grade?
- Community college faculty lack the overall knowledge in their discipline to truly appreciate it themselves?
