Leadership Transitions in Higher Education: A Call for Transparency, Preparedness, and Modernization

In today’s fast-changing world, universities don’t need another lesson in hindsight; they need leaders armed with real-time foresight to shape their future.

Having served as president at Unity Environmental University for nearly a decade, I’ve had the privilege of leading an institution through both prosperous times and significant challenges. In that time, I’ve seen countless colleagues across higher education suffer from poorly managed leadership transitions, a pattern where outgoing leaders step down without fully disclosing their institution’s status. This practice unfairly leaves their successors to deal with crises they did not create. It is a growing issue that higher education must confront to ensure institutional stability and integrity.

The Data Lag Problem: One of the critical issues exacerbating leadership transitions is the delay in essential institutional data. Key metrics like graduation rates, financial health, and enrollment figures are often outdated by two to three years due to data collection and reporting complexities. By the time a new leader steps into the role, the actual state of the institution is obscured by this lag in transparency. Even vital documents like financial audits, which provide the clearest view of a university’s fiscal health, are often unavailable until long after a leadership change, leaving the incoming president blindsided by issues they could not foresee.

Empower new leaders with facts, not fallout, and watch your institution thrive.

The Shortening Tenure of University Presidents: This issue is further compounded by the decreasing tenure of university presidents. In 2006, the average tenure for university presidents was 8.5 years, but by 2022, that number had dropped to just 5.9 years. This trend leaves new presidents with even less time to enact meaningful changes and address the long-standing issues they inherit. The rapid turnover has become the norm, with over 50% of current university presidents planning to leave their positions within the next five years and many departing within one to two years. These shortened tenures create a revolving door of leadership, making it difficult for institutions to maintain continuity and long-term planning.

Outdated Leadership Development: One of the fundamental reasons this cycle of poor leadership transitions persists is the obsolete nature of leadership development programs for university presidents. Most university presidents still rise through academia, with over 50% coming from traditional faculty pathways. While this background prepares them for academic leadership, it leaves them unprepared for the political, financial, and operational crises they will likely face.

Current leadership training focuses too heavily on academic administration and not enough on the modern realities of university leadership. As a result, new presidents often find themselves ill-equipped to manage public relations crises, enrollment declines, or severe budget shortfalls.

Additionally, many training programs still emphasize slow, consensus-driven decision-making processes that are not well-suited to the rapid-response needs of today’s higher education landscape. Modern university presidents must be prepared to act quickly in the face of campus crises, such as declining enrollments or financial shortfalls. However, current leadership development programs neglect these critical skills, leaving presidents vulnerable to the same pitfalls that have plagued their predecessors.

Universities don't fail from crises; they fail from hiding them for too long.

Solutions for Real-Time Data and Transparent Leadership Transitions: At Unity Environmental University, we have committed to four essential practices to combat this culture of delayed transparency. First, we provide real-time access to crucial institutional data, including financials and enrollment figures, ensuring all stakeholders have the most current information. This proactive approach allows us to make informed decisions and minimizes the risk of leadership crises that stem from outdated data.

We also release our audited financials publicly as soon as they are finalized, not waiting for the typical lag in institutional reporting. This ensures everyone can access the accurate financial picture, from the leadership team to the public. Additionally, we have reduced reporting gaps for critical metrics like graduation and enrollment rates, publishing annual updates that reflect the institution’s current status, not a snapshot from two or three years ago. These steps have increased transparency and trust within the institution and with external stakeholders.

Why This Matters for Stakeholders Outside Higher Education: Why should this matter for those outside higher education? The health of universities is not just an academic issue; it impacts the broader community. Universities are significant employers, contributors to local economies, and centers for research and innovation that shape industries. When leadership transitions are poorly managed, the resulting crises can lead to cuts in jobs, programs, and community partnerships, causing ripple effects far beyond campus boundaries. Transparent and well-prepared leadership transitions ensure that these institutions can continue to serve students, employees, and the broader public, maintaining their role as engines of social and economic mobility.

Leadership in higher education can't wait for outdated reports; success depends on acting with real-time insights.

Reforming Leadership Development Programs: Leadership development programs must evolve to prepare incoming university presidents for the challenges they will face. Modern leadership training should emphasize financial literacy, crisis management, and public relations skills in addition to traditional academic administration. Presidents must be able to navigate the political and economic pressures of their roles from day one.

Furthermore, leadership programs must train new presidents to anticipate crises rather than react to them. The outdated focus on slow decision-making models must be replaced by training emphasizing agility and preparedness for real-time challenges. Only by modernizing these programs can we ensure that new university leaders are ready to tackle the complex, multifaceted problems they will inherit. Do not even get me started on outdated and antiquated search procedures that are nothing short of medieval in their relevance to hiring a competent and effective leader.

A Call to Action for Boards and Governing Bodies: Boards of trustees, accrediting bodies, and the Department of Education must be more active in ensuring transparency and accountability during leadership transitions. By enforcing more robust accountability measures and demanding real-time data access, these governing entities can prevent new leaders from being set up for failure by past administrations. Without this shift, higher education will continue to see declining presidential tenures and institutional instability.

Simply put, at Unity Environmental University, I have been fortunate to have the support of a team that embraces transparency and collaboration. Our commitment to integrity has allowed us to navigate the challenges of leadership transitions successfully. However, the broader higher education sector must embrace these values to ensure the long-term health of our institutions.

It is time to reform leadership transitions, modernize leadership development, and ensure that institutions provide complete and up-to-date information to protect incoming leaders and the universities they serve.

Part of this reform should reduce the lag time for reporting crucial data, such as financial health and enrollment figures, allowing new leaders to make informed decisions based on current realities.

By ensuring that accurate, real-time information is available, institutions can avoid the pitfalls of outdated data that often lead to crisis management. Higher education’s credibility is at stake, and we owe it to our universities, students, and communities to lead with accountability and foresight.