State higher-education executive officers, or SHEEOs, are the most senior leaders of higher education in their states. Of 59 SHEEOs who held office in 2017, 81 percent had postsecondary-education experience at some point in their careers. Nearly 40 percent moved into the role from a position in postsecondary education.
| Immediate past job experience | Percentage |
| Postsecondary education | 39% |
| Education policy/politics | 36% |
| Public policy/politics | 14% |
| Business/nonprofits | 11% |
| |
| Final degree attained | Percentage |
| Ph.D. or Ed.D. | 59% |
| Master’s degree | 21% |
| J.D. | 14% |
| Bachelor’s degree | 7% |
| |
| Discipline of final degree attained | Percentage |
| Public policy | 26% |
| Education | 17% |
| Law | 14% |
| Postsecondary education | 14% |
| Business | 12% |
| Liberal arts | 5% |
| STEM | 5% |
| Other | 7% |
Note: Data cover 59 state higher-education executive officers, or SHEEOs, who served in 2017, though “immediate past job experience” was found for just 56 of those executives and degree attainment and discipline for 57. Both final degrees and disciplines were counted for a SHEEO who had a J.D. and a Ph.D. in public policy. Eight states have two SHEEOs who oversee different sectors of higher education. STEM covers science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. A report on the data on SHEEOs can be found here. Questions or comments on the Almanac should be sent to Ruth Hammond.
Source: Brandon Bishop, “The Road to the State Higher Education Executive Office: Prior Job Experiences, Degree Attainment, and Minimum Job Qualifications of State Higher Education Executive Officers,” State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, January 2019
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