Future Presidents Intensive Series Resources

Key Insights

The nature of the university presidency has evolved, expanded, and intensified with the pressures of declining enrollments, dwindling state funding for public institutions, heightened expectations for support from students and parents, racial tensions, student activism, the omnipresence of media, a negative public narrative about the value of higher ed and anxious, often impatient governing boards. Oh, and of course a global pandemic.

And yet those who are called to higher education and who aspire to the presidency do so precisely because the stakes are remarkably high and the impact of higher ed, while questioned, seems urgent and crucial for the future prosperity (and indeed functioning) of our society.

In some small measure, we at EAB seek to provide foundational support for these individuals by leveraging the research, insights, and expertise drawn from our 30+ years serving higher education, as well as drawing upon the experience of outside guest experts and our partner presidents (new, long-standing and even retired) who wish to pay it forward. We believe that in the face of increasing instability across the present, these future leaders must ensure the mission and purpose, and momentum that represents the best of presidential leadership continues unabated across and beyond transitions. And that will require climbing the steep on-ramp of the presidency with all due speed, competence, and confidence.

EAB’s Future Presidents Intensive is a 6-week intensive series of weekly 2-hour convenings unpacking the key terrains critical to the presidency, as well as individual assessments and reflections to build self-awareness of strengths and areas of needed focus and preparation.