Task Force on the State of the Academic Presidency

In response to challenges buffeting today's college presidents, AGB convened a panel of distinguished higher education leaders in November 2005 to explore ways to strengthen the contemporary academic presidency. Called the Task Force on the Academic Presidency, it was chaired by former Virginia Gov. Gerald L. Baliles, who also chaired the path-breaking 1996 AGB Commission on the Academic Presidency. The task force totaled 17,  including college and university presidents, trustees, and higher education policy leaders, three of whom served on the earlier commission.

The goal of the task force, according to Gov. Baliles, was "to explore with trustees and presidents a variety of issues bearing on how the presidency is evolving in an increasingly competitive global environment, what challenges lie ahead, and how governing boards can select and sustain effective leaders." The task force helped shape a new consensus on ways to bolster chief executives who are grappling with new accountability and financial pressures, proliferating special-interest groups, and harsh criticism from inside and outside the academy. The task force considered these issues from both public- and private-sector perspectives.
The task force also focused on the relationships between presidents and boards, including how boards work with presidents; board responsibilities for identifying and nourishing leadership; and selecting, evaluating, and compensating presidents. It also examined the skills present-day presidents need and the routes to college and university presidencies.

The task force drew on research on the presidency in the context of contemporary domestic and global issues and the long-standing ebbs and flows of authority between statewide public boards and institutional boards. In addition, it examined the life-cycle of the college presidency--from the beginning of a search to the end of a presidential term--with an eye toward identifying new research that might be needed in such areas as candidate demographics, presidential succession planning, and diagnoses of unsuccessful presidencies. Further, it acknowledged differences in governance practices and missions among diverse institutions in the private and public sectors.

The task force released its report, The Leadership Imperative, in early 2007. In it, the authors examined the following key recommendations from the 1996 commission report Renewing the Academic Presidency: Stronger Leadership for Tougher Times:

• Presidents should clarify governance responsibilities on their campus to reduce ambiguities in authority in decision-making;
• Boards should support effective presidents--especially when they are "under siege" by contentious internal or external constituencies;
• Faculty should ensure their commitment to their discipline matches their commitment to the institution's goals; and
• State policymakers should reduce red tape in exchange for greater accountability for performance and quality.

In addition to Baliles, task force members include: