What I Cover
When I was on X, my profile tagline told visitors that I wrote about “the management of universities,” or something like that. That’s the zoomed-out view, and it was accurate but not always helpful. I cover how colleges operate in terms of their leadership and finances, how they manage change, and how the forces of change afoot in America today are reshaping the way they work. I’m especially interested in regional public universities and community colleges, the two arms of higher education in this country that serve the majority of its students but are often overlooked in media coverage.
My Background
I joined The Chronicle in 2012 and served as editor of the now-defunct Finance and Policy section. Two years later, my role in the newsroom shifted, and I went back to the best job there is — reporter. Prior to The Chronicle, I was editor in chief of the now-defunct Baltimore City Paper for a decade, and served in various roles at City Paper and other alt-weeklies for more than a decade before that.
While working as editor of City Paper, I finally earned a bachelor’s degree in English at Towson University. My own college career went in fits and starts, some avoidable and some not, and I’d like to think that gives me empathy with adult learners and others for whom college is not an easy four-years-and-done proposition. I’m originally from Southern Appalachia and am a first-generation college graduate. I live in Baltimore with my family and two old rescue dogs.
Connect
I welcome feedback, ideas, and tips at lee.gardner@chronicle.com.
