Picking a University President - A Survey's Advice.

The Chronicle of Higher Education put out results and an analysis of a survey three days from now entitled, Leaders' Views About Higher Education, Their Jobs, and Their Lives.

One particular quote stood out as I reflected on the presidential picking process that is currently underway at the university I attended.

It "is critical for governing boards and others inside universities," wrote a male president at a private doctoral-level institution, "to remember that the life of a president is one of solitude in a crowd, and to take care that the person in the job is well supported both in her or his personal and professional life."

A second observation is the importance placed on the president's duty to balance the budget. I had told quite a number of people in the past that I thought a person who sees this as their most important duty, could do the job best. Even a "mission-oriented" school like Trinity Western University could do with someone who secretly sees his daily grind to consist of dealing with financial issues - being conscious of how his idea of the university is affecting his work and subsequently making a conscious effort to interpret it to and synthesize it with the visions and the needs of faculty and students.