Governing in a Time of Headwinds:
Supporting Presidential Leadership Across Six Domains of Knowledge

Across the country, higher education is navigating powerful headwinds—political, financial, cultural, and global. Institutional leaders face growing scrutiny from the federal government, intensified pressure from state legislatures, and increasing skepticism from the public. International student enrollment, long a pillar of many institutions’ financial models and global engagement strategies, is increasingly vulnerable to geopolitical instability and shifting immigration policies. Meanwhile, trust in higher education continues to erode, and debates over academic freedom, DEI, and the role of science have spilled beyond campus gates into the political arena.