The Nature and Nurture of Presidents
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
11-4-2005
Abstract
We Americans expect college presidents, like the superheroes of popular culture, to be more than ordinary mortals. We seek visionary leaders, superb scholars, charismatic personalities, and high-energy candidates for the presidency. In addition, and perhaps most important, we search for fund-raising wizardry.
And what do we get? We get presidents who are less than heroic, less than perfect, and, while far from ordinary, unable to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Nonetheless, most presidents demonstrate an amazing capacity to push and pull their institutions toward ever-greater levels of quality and financial stability. Their success is remarkable given the pressures, challenges, and vulnerabilities of the position.
Published In
Bornstein, Rita, "The Nature and Nurture of Presidents" (2005). Faculty Publications. 282.
https://scholarship.rollins.edu/as_facpub/282
Publication Title
The Chronicle of Higher Education