Applying a Fit Perspective to College Presidential Turnover and Selection

Abstract

Aim/Purpose : The role of college presidents has become increasingly critical, yet their tenure as institutional leaders have decreased over the last half century, leading to institutional instability and an expensive search process for new presidents. Scholars have sought to understand this phenomenon by focusing on either presidential characteristics, or institutional characteristics, with few approaches that examine both. Contribution: This article posits that our understanding of presidential departure and selection is in need of a more holistic and theoretically sound approach. This paper presents a structured literature review college presidential turnover that illustrates the limited approaches taken to understand this challenge. Recommendations for Practitioners : The conceptual framework presented here provides practitioners with specific areas to focus on when seeking to measure fit with their current/ future presidents. This is beneficial as it leads to intentional defining of goals, values, skills, and experiences desired in a new president and clarifies expectations for the incoming leader. In addition, this article argues that such models could enhance presidential evaluations. Recommendation for Researchers: This model can help illuminate underlying causes of presidential turnover, and offers a theoretically robust model for building on past research in a cohesive way. Further, researchers should seek to apply this model in to many professions in higher education as a way to both understand challenges created by employee is fit, and the benefits of strong fit on efficiency and effectiveness.

Leading at the crossroads: Understanding how identity influences presidential communication for Black community college presidents

“…While our understanding of how and why presidents communicate has increased, there is little research that can inform how presidential experiences or identities, in connection to their institutional context, influence presidential communication. This work is needed as the presidency continues to diversify (McNaughtan, 2017;Williams, 2013), and the complexity of presidential leadership continues to intensify.…”

“…Many scholars and practitioners have discussed the difficult role of leading colleges and universities (e.g., Kerr, 1970Kerr, , 1997Martin & Samels, 2004). Given the multitude of stakeholders that presidents report to (McNaughtan et al, 2018), the various expected skills (Gagliard i et al, 2017), and the increased visibility of their actions (Powers & Schloss, 2017), it is not surprising turnover (both voluntary and involuntary) in the college presidency has been a consistent challenge in higher education (Harris & Ellis, 2018;Langbert, 2012;McNaughtan, 2017). In the last decade, the increased emphasis on communication has added to the plight of the college president, with many finding themselves ill-prepared to engage with their diverse stakeholders .…”

The road already traveled: communication advice for higher education leaders

“…One explanation for under-preparation is that the tenures of university presidents are declining, which leaves them little time develop leadership skills (McNaughtan, 2017). In 2016, over 75 percent of US university presidents were first-time presidents, many of whom had held their positions for fewer than five years, and 54 percent of all university presidents in the USA anticipated leaving their current positions in less than five years (Gagliardi et al , 2017).…”

“…In 2016, over 75 percent of US university presidents were first-time presidents, many of whom had held their positions for fewer than five years, and 54 percent of all university presidents in the USA anticipated leaving their current positions in less than five years (Gagliardi et al , 2017). At the same time, there are many presidents nearing retirement age and turnover is likely to continue (Klein and Salk, 2013; McNaughtan, 2017).…”

Organizational factors supporting community college presidential stability : a case study

“…Longitudinal research into the presidential permanence in higher education found that presidents of public institutions, dependent on state and local funding, had shorter tenures by nearly three years than presidents of private, independent institutions (Smith, 2007). More recent research specifically identified that as tuition as a percentage of total the budget increases, community college presidential tenure declines (McNaughton, 2016). This helps explain the high turnover rates among community college presidents and the identification of a "leadership crisis" (Crisis and opportunity, 2013; Eddy, 2010; Reclaiming the American dream, 2012).…”