We all know of colleges and universities that have hired a nontraditional president only to see the arrangement quickly fail. But it doesn’t have to be that way. If faculty and staff members work together with the new leadership, an institution can reach new heights.
Several years ago, I served on the presidential-search committee here at Florida State University. A lot of faculty members (including those of us on the committee) favored traditional, academic candidates. But in the end, the Board of Trustees decided to hire John Thrasher, a state senator who had a long history in public service and business. He was a two-time graduate of our university and a former chair of the trustees, but he had not been a faculty member or administrator at any university. Now, more than three years later, a majority of faculty members support the job he has done.
Academe is a very different culture than business, government, or NGOs. But careful listening and good guidance from senior cabinet members can help a new leader acclimatize to shared governance and establish a good working relationship with faculty.
I’ve had the opportunity, as Faculty Senate president, to see some of the reasons for this success. Here is what I’ve learned:
Faculty members need to be willing to work with the new president. This is true for any leader, but especially for the nontraditional president. While new presidents may not have experience in the academy, they almost certainly have skills that have made them successful. For example, politicians are familiar with fund raising and know how to work with groups who have conflicting priorities. Business leaders know about strategic planning and running complex organizations. All of these can be applied to the university. A new president has to figure out how to use these skills and experiences in the campus setting. Faculty members should be supportive and give the president time to learn the new job.
Communication is critical. The president has to tell the faculty what he or she is planning to do, while faculty members have to tell the president what is important to them. For example, our president made clear early on that his priorities included moving the institution up in the national rankings, increasing faculty salaries, expanding research, and raising money for our capital campaign. As a result, faculty members weren’t surprised along the way.
We have a tradition of inviting the president and members of the administration to Faculty Senate meetings and allowing them to address the body. Our president has made it a priority to attend and give reports on current issues. He takes questions and answers them honestly. We also have an annual state-of-the-university address that had previously been given at a poorly attended meeting of the general faculty. We have moved it to the beginning of one of our senate meetings. It is now well attended, simulcast on the web, and recorded for rebroadcast on local public television.
Early in the search process, the then-senator began one-on-one meetings with faculty members. He showed interest in learning about the issues of concern for the faculty, a major one being unhappiness over salaries. The university and faculty union have bargained for raises since then. And the one-on-one meetings have continued.
When other issues important to the faculty have come up, the president has worked to find solutions. For example, just weeks after he took office, a campus shooting led faculty members to express concerns about campus safety. The administration increased active-shooting education and had the campus police chief talk with the Faculty Senate. And last fall, the president addressed his and others’ concerns over Greek life after a student pledging a fraternity died from drinking too much. He took immediate steps, including temporarily suspending all Greek life and banning student groups from holding events with alcohol. These quick responses have been key to the significant improvements in faculty opinion of the president.
Some education is necessary. Any new president needs to be open to learning about the organization. While many of the abilities and experiences of the nontraditional president may translate to the university, there are areas that are likely to be new. Shared governance and tenure are ideas that some nontraditional presidents struggle with.
While the president can unilaterally implement changes, in some areas that does not work (for example, changing the curriculum or laying off tenured faculty members). Each university has its own culture with regard to shared governance. Again, faculty members need to work with a president. Communication is key to avoiding the pitfalls that have doomed some administrations.
Since our president was hired three years ago, we have risen in the U.S. News rankings, expanded our faculty (this year we plan to hire an additional 125 people), exceeded state metrics, received increased state funding, had faculty raises, and set records for student applications. This summer we are completing our first billion-dollar campaign. Academe is a unique place to work, and it is natural to fear that a leader who hasn’t been steeped in its traditions will be a bad fit for an institution. But a president who is willing to learn and a faculty that is open to change can lead to great success.
Todd Adams is a professor of physics and president of the Faculty Senate at Florida State University.
