Tim Tye, Senior Photographer
According to a 2024 survey of college and university presidents conducted by Inside Higher Ed, nearly one-third of university presidents say they are more likely to have “more capable colleagues aspiring to the president's office” today than they were in 2020. “This is likely to deter people from doing so.”
But the university's president, Peter Salovey, insisted in an interview with The News that being president of Yale is one of the “greatest” jobs in academia. Salovey said events from earlier this year, including the turmoil faced by the presidents of Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology after the Dec. 5 Congressional Campus Anti-Semitism Hearing, will not deter candidates from the role. He added that there was no.
Mr. Salovey's feelings about leading the institution were echoed by Pericles Ruiz, Yale dean and founding president of Yale-NUS, Maui MacInnis, successor to Yale and president of Stony Brook University, GRD '90 GRD Elizabeth Bradley ’96, president of Vassar College, echoed similar sentiments. 96. Lewis and Bradley are on the News' final list of Yale presidential candidates for September.
“I believe being president of Yale University is one of the greatest jobs in higher education in the world, and I think there are plenty of people who would be interested in that,” Salovey said. “I would say the job has become considerably more complex. The external political climate surrounding higher education in this country is very difficult right now, and the impact that social media has on communicating in a thoughtful way poses a whole other set of challenges. In general, the demands on your time are much different than the demands on a president in the middle of the last century.”
Increasing role complexity and declining public trust
Salovey told the News that the job of a university president today is “completely different” than in the past.
He said the “huge challenge” beyond the time constraints the role imposes is that it is “difficult to move forward” when the vision of the university's priorities differs among its stakeholders: students, faculty and alumni. He explained that it was a possibility. .
Still, Professor Salovey said that while the day-to-day demands differ between each president, the “unprecedentedly tough” political climate is a common phenomenon and that all presidents can support each other.
“It has become a 24/7 job,” Salovey said. “You might be able to plan a little vacation in the summer, but you'll be in the saddle almost all the time.”
Lewis told the News there is a difference between being the president of a small university and the president of a large research university.
Being president of a large university is “much more complex” because the role involves the general public and broader political issues of the day.
“I really enjoy being president of a small liberal arts college. It's a bit like being a large dean at a major university in that it's more focused on students, parents, alumni, and professors.” Lewis said. “I don't want to get into a competition about which job I enjoyed more, but there are some aspects of being a university president that don't seem very appealing.”
Declining public trust in higher education is also a challenge for university leaders.
Bradley wrote in the News that this decline in confidence is part of a broader trend of declining public trust in institutions.
Bradley says this fact stems from the “elite nature” of higher education (which she says stems from low enrollment rates) and the fact that large endowments are “used primarily to benefit a small number of people.” I thought this was due to the fact that This could “create mistrust,” she wrote. She also wrote that high tuition costs and low financial aid and graduation rates at less affluent institutions where many Americans receive their education are “not a winning combination.”
“To build public trust, educational institutions need to invite the community, make themselves accessible to low-income communities, and show the public how the knowledge produced at these institutions can benefit many people. ” she wrote. “Significant investment in programs and activities for the public beyond the immediate community and support.”
McInnis wrote in an email to the News that the past few years have been particularly difficult for the university.
Mr. McInnis agreed that a major factor contributing to the public's distrust of higher education is the rising cost of tuition faced by students and their families. She wrote that in addition to the financial aid process being “chaotic,” the lack of government support is driving up the cost of public universities. She also wrote that media focus on institutions as key players in “partisan political battles” may be unwelcome to some people.
She said that one “important” solution to addressing public distrust is to inform the public about how higher education “changes our world for the better.” , adding, “There are no easy answers.”
“It has been a difficult few years for public university presidents, with diminished state support and governance conflicts, and for everyone with the COVID-19 pandemic and current campus protests,” McInnis said. wrote. “Telling our stories privately will not solve the crisis, but I am committed to communicating to a broader public the value of American higher education in providing opportunity, driving innovation, and changing lives.” It's just one more thing on a long list of things we need to do.”
Seize the “moment of rapid change”
MacInnis called the presidency “challenging” and wrote that institutions need “talented leaders” to help higher education play a leading role in this “moment of rapid change.” Ta.
He warned that “clear disparities” in educational and employment outcomes between historically advantaged and disadvantaged groups remained, but university presidents could change them. .
“As we transition to a new digital knowledge economy, we also face global challenges such as the climate crisis, deep inequalities, health disparities, and fraying democratic norms, and we stand on the brink of profound change. ” MacInnis wrote. “Despite higher education being the most powerful path to social and economic mobility, not all Americans have equal access to it. Therefore, fulfilling the promise of higher education depends on It’s up to us as universities and university presidents.”
Bradley writes that she learns something new every day on the job.
She also added that the institution has played a role in shaping its growth, seeing around 2,500 students transition into adulthood each year.
“The truth is, I love my job!” Bradley wrote. “This is a time for bold leadership at our universities, and the challenges will make our work more impactful and fulfilling.”
Search for Yale University's 24th president
Mr. Salovey will resign from his current position on June 30th and plans to return to teaching next school year. Yale, the university's highest governing body, will vote on Salovey's replacement by majority vote, in accordance with Yale's bylaws. Members of the corporation meet on his campus five times a year. The next meeting will be held on April 2nd.
Four Ivy League universities have appointed new presidents within the past two years. Stanford University also recently named Jonathan, the son of former Yale University president Rick Levine, as president, a six-month period that began after Marc Tessier-Lavigne resigned amid growing concerns about the integrity of his research. The search process has ended.
In January 2023, Columbia University appointed Nemat “Minoush” Shafik to succeed former President Lee C. Bollinger. Former President Bollinger announced in April 2022 that he would step down as president after 21 years to return to the school's faculty. After a six-month search process for a successor to President Philip J. Hanlon, Dartmouth College has announced that Xian Li Beilock will become its 19th president in July 2022. In December 2022, Claudine Gay will step into the role of Harvard University's 29th president, following the five-year resignation of Lawrence Bacow. Elizabeth McGill '88 will become president of the University of Pennsylvania in July 2022, succeeding Amy Gutman, who has held the position since 2004.
Shafik, Beilock and Gay all began their terms on July 1 of last year. Both Gay and McGill resigned after coming under criticism for their responses to campus anti-Semitism and the campus response to the war in Gaza during a Dec. 5 congressional hearing.
Salovey said in a January interview that while such controversies do not help any presidential election process, he believes Yale is uniquely positioned to avoid the conflicts facing its peer institutions. told the news.
“Being in the middle of any kind of controversy that is getting a lot of attention is not particularly favorable to any kind of presidential investigation process,” Salovey told the News. “While there have been some difficult moments, the combination of our campus culture, our residential college system, and the fact that there is student camaraderie throughout Yale has kept me from some of the worst things that have happened on other campuses.” I think they kept us away from our campus.”
Mr. Salovey will resign on June 30 and take a leave of absence.