Synopses & Reviews
The outstanding contributors to this book share their experiences about the kind of leadership situations senior administrators face and the moral decisions they are called upon to make. Among them are: Mary Sue Coleman, President, University of Michigan; Molly Corbet Broad, President, University of North Carolina System; William Kirwan, Chancellor, University of Maryland System; Edward S. Malloy, President, University of Notre Dame; Steve Sample, President, University of Southern California; Graham B. Spanier, President, Pennsylvania State University; Larry K. Faulkner, President, University of Texas, Austin; and E. Gordon Gee, Chancellor, Vanderbilt University. The passion that these university leaders bring to their jobs and the moral imagination that their roles require were all readily apparent at the forums and are captured here. The Smith-Richardson Foundation gave Wake Forest University and the Center for Creative Leadership a grant to address the question of leadership in American universities and to run a series of three forums. Thirty-six of America's busiest and most visible university presidents swapped and shared success stories, and reflected upon the lessons they had learned on the job.
Review
In the fall of 2003, the Center for Creative Leadership at Wake Forest University hosted three synopsia where leaders of 36 US universities and colleges reflected and debated about their roles and responsibilities. The 29 essays, many of them responses to others, explore such issues as leadership in time of crisis, the University of Michigan's affirmative action case, promoting high achievement among minority students, leadership and teaching, and the unique character of academe.Reference and Research Book News
Review
"Academic presidents (unfortunately like trustees) have precious little time these days to read and think about how they exercise their leadership. But if they were to read only one book on the subject in this decade--this one is it! Kudos to David Brown and the 28 other contributors to this, the most valuable and quotable volume on the contemporary college and university presidency in print today. If I had only one wish, it would be that every aspiring and sitting president, and every trustee who is curious about what the lives of chief executives are really like, would read the results of this labor of love." - Tom Ingram President, Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (1992-2005)
Review
"For those in positions of academic leadership, University Presidents as Moral Leaders is an engaging and thought-provoking read about the role of university presidents. Leaders facing a crisis will find the reflections of these presidents useful. The value of the book is its candid discussion of presidential leadership from a first person point of view." "In the fall of 2003, the Center for Creative Leadership at Wake Forest University hosted three synopsia where leaders of 36 US universities and colleges reflected and debated about their roles and responsibilities. The 29 essays, many of them responses to others, explore such issues as leadership in time of crisis, the University of Michigan's affirmative action case, promoting high achievement among minority students, leadership and teaching, and the unique character of academe."Educational Review
Synopsis
The overall success of leaders in American universities and colleges depends in large part on the moral leadership they are able to exhibit in an environment of decentralization and resistance to authority.
Synopsis
How university presidents lead is an extremely important topic, for both the welfare of universities and for society and for society as a whole. This book is based on papers presented at Wake Forest University, where three forums co-sponsored by the Center for Creative Leadership were held to address the questions of leadership in American universities. This book is structured around nine of the papers that were presented. Each paper was authored by a university president; each discusses a specific issue that the president faced during his or her tenure; each concludes with lessons learned. Three other presidents were asked to reflect on the essays based on their own experiences.