Description
Book SynopsisLeaders in the Labyrinth sheds light on how presidents conduct the influence and power of their office, especially in the use of their pulpits, how they navigate issues of political correctness, and how they hold the center of the university together, in contentious times and against competing ideological forces. Nelson has formulated a comprehensive image of the tenor, talents, and temperaments essential for today’s presidency, for those who aspire to assume leadership in the future and for those who select the leaders of our colleges and universities.
Trade ReviewStephen J. Nelson documents the challenges facing college and university presidents in the twenty-first century through comprehensive interviews with fifteen presidents of some of the nation's leading institutions. His analysis of the radical changes in the expectations placed on presidents by both the campus and community explains the delicate balancing act required of those who represent the academy. Nelson paints the contemporary college presidency in all of its complexity without excluding the deep sense of fulfillment this role continues to bring to those committed to the advancement of higher education. -- Katherine Haley Will, former president, Gettysburg College
This book is an original study of the hurricane forces that challenge the leadership of college and university presidents in the present day. By focusing on fresh and first-hand interviews with fifteen distinguished presidents, Steven J. Nelson has provided a unique and absorbing account of how higher education is changing and of how these extraordinary individuals, guided by academic values, steer their ways through change. -- William Simmons, professor of anthropology and former provost, Brown University
Stephen J. Nelson has written a valuable book that enriches our understanding of the job and role of the modern college president. Grounded in his own earlier scholarly research, this work paints a vivid portrait of how complicated and nearly impossible the presidency has become—with its overload, dilemmas, constraints, diversions, and ideological wars—clouded over by the fundraising imperative. Then, through remarkably productive interviews with fifteen sitting and past presidents of distinction, he shows how effective leadership depends on the transformative energy that comes from reestablishing the fundamental creed of the university and shaping a center of civil discourse. Among the many who will benefit from Nelson's thoughtful framing of the possibilities and promise of the top job in the academic grove are presidential search committees, for whom this book should be required reading! -- John Hennessey, Charles F. Jones Professor of Management and Third Century Professor Emeritus, Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College
Leaders in the Labyrinth is a superbly-told account of the travails of contemporary university presidents. Stephen J. Nelson draws on candid interviews with some of the most thoughtful leaders in higher education to reveal how they handle the challenges of one of America's hardest and most important jobs. For anyone interested in higher education policy-making in particular or leadership more generally, this book is eye-opening reading. -- David L. Kirp, author of Shakespeare, Einstein, and the Bottom Line
Table of ContentsChapter 2 Introduction Part 3 Presidential Leadership: Navigating Climate and Challenges Part 4 The Contest for the Middle: Can the Center Hold? Part 5 The Present and the Future: Presidential Prospects Chapter 6 A Coda: Creeds and Character
