Comments on: CEOs as University Presidents http://organizationsandmarkets.com/2008/02/19/ceos-as-university-presidents/ Economics of organizations, strategy, entrepreneurship, innovation, and more Sun, 20 Jul 2008 05:11:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=MU By: REW http://organizationsandmarkets.com/2008/02/19/ceos-as-university-presidents/#comment-69803 REW Mon, 10 Mar 2008 16:12:23 +0000 http://organizationsandmarkets.wordpress.com/?p=1380#comment-69803 While a non-academic can theoretically be a dean or chancellor, as the previous post suggests, the empirics militate against it for many institutions that are classified as "research universities". The adverse selection problem and the unpleasant moral hazard problems (on the part the faculty as well as the administrator) have been he fodder for Chronicle of Higher Education headlines. I would also suggest the the P&T process is not "a recruitment and retention tool", but it is an article of faith in academic communities tied to such shibboleths as "academic freedom" and "faculty governance". I wish P&T was more tool-like and utilitarian, but it is wielded with art -- often dark art. While a non-academic can theoretically be a dean or chancellor, as the previous post suggests, the empirics militate against it for many institutions that are classified as “research universities”. The adverse selection problem and the unpleasant moral hazard problems (on the part the faculty as well as the administrator) have been he fodder for Chronicle of Higher Education headlines.
I would also suggest the the P&T process is not “a recruitment and retention tool”, but it is an article of faith in academic communities tied to such shibboleths as “academic freedom” and “faculty governance”. I wish P&T was more tool-like and utilitarian, but it is wielded with art — often dark art.

]]> By: abusinessprofessor http://organizationsandmarkets.com/2008/02/19/ceos-as-university-presidents/#comment-69774 abusinessprofessor Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:32:55 +0000 http://organizationsandmarkets.wordpress.com/?p=1380#comment-69774 Peter, you raise a good question when you ask "Does a university President need a PhD?". I think in some ways this question is about the modern foundations of the discipline of Business Administration. Feel free to correct me, but I believe that modern business administration education is based on the idea that you can have a team of professionals academically trained in business- professional managers- who can step into any kind of industry and business and fix things. If this is correct, and higher education is an industry, then we will just need to accept that professional managers can lead organizations in our industry too, just as a professional manager with no experience in steel or automobile manufacturing can lead a steel company or an automobile company. I thought REW's comment about "how far down the hierarchy from the system president can "we" tolerate..." was interesting. The comment suggests that REW is not really comfortable with the idea of a non-academic administrator in higher education organizations, which I am sure is a belief many other people share. However, theoretically if a non-academic can be a system president, s/he can also be a dean or chancellor. The P&T process is a recruitment and retention tool, and different leaders are free to use whatever tools they are comfortable with. BTW, The NYT had an article today (Mar 5) about a non-academic president of a small liberal arts college in PA who has successfully turned the college around financially. I think it's an interesting article! Peter, you raise a good question when you ask “Does a university President need a PhD?”. I think in some ways this question is about the modern foundations of the discipline of Business Administration. Feel free to correct me, but I believe that modern business administration education is based on the idea that you can have a team of professionals academically trained in business- professional managers- who can step into any kind of industry and business and fix things. If this is correct, and higher education is an industry, then we will just need to accept that professional managers can lead organizations in our industry too, just as a professional manager with no experience in steel or automobile manufacturing can lead a steel company or an automobile company.

I thought REW’s comment about “how far down the hierarchy from the system president can “we” tolerate…” was interesting. The comment suggests that REW is not really comfortable with the idea of a non-academic administrator in higher education organizations, which I am sure is a belief many other people share. However, theoretically if a non-academic can be a system president, s/he can also be a dean or chancellor. The P&T process is a recruitment and retention tool, and different leaders are free to use whatever tools they are comfortable with.

BTW, The NYT had an article today (Mar 5) about a non-academic president of a small liberal arts college in PA who has successfully turned the college around financially. I think it’s an interesting article!

]]> By: REW http://organizationsandmarkets.com/2008/02/19/ceos-as-university-presidents/#comment-69559 REW Tue, 19 Feb 2008 19:15:26 +0000 http://organizationsandmarkets.wordpress.com/?p=1380#comment-69559 The president of a multi-campus system is not an academic leader, as you point out, Peter. The fun question to ask is how far down the hierarchy from the system president can "we" tolerate a non-academic leader. The chief academic officer (provost) must always be an academic, but what about the direct supervisor and direct subordinate; campus CEO and college dean? Our own dean search in the College of Business had a very brief moment when we discussed nonacademic candidates in general. The discussion ended when it was codified that the Dean has to understand, respect, and lead the P&T process; and that the Dean had to be tenured in one of the College departments. Your system president fails on the latter for sure. What of the campus CEO? If the provost is the CAO, does it matter if the CEO is ex-industry, since they have other subordinates whose lives are about budgets, physical plant, residence halls, security, and other nonacademic (i.e. $$$) issues? Let the provost run the guild and let the CEO build the guild hall. The president of a multi-campus system is not an academic leader, as you point out, Peter. The fun question to ask is how far down the hierarchy from the system president can “we” tolerate a non-academic leader. The chief academic officer (provost) must always be an academic, but what about the direct supervisor and direct subordinate; campus CEO and college dean? Our own dean search in the College of Business had a very brief moment when we discussed nonacademic candidates in general. The discussion ended when it was codified that the Dean has to understand, respect, and lead the P&T process; and that the Dean had to be tenured in one of the College departments. Your system president fails on the latter for sure.

What of the campus CEO? If the provost is the CAO, does it matter if the CEO is ex-industry, since they have other subordinates whose lives are about budgets, physical plant, residence halls, security, and other nonacademic (i.e. $$$) issues? Let the provost run the guild and let the CEO build the guild hall.

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