University Presidents as Moral Leaders

How university presidents lead is an extremely important topic, for both the welfare of universities and for society and for society as a whole. This book is based on papers presented at Wake Forest University, where three forums co-sponsored by the Center for Creative Leadership were held to address the questions of leadership in American universities. This book is structured around nine of the papers that were presented. Each paper was authored by a university president; each discusses a specific issue that the president faced during his or her tenure; each concludes with lessons learned. Three other presidents were asked to reflect on the essays based on their own experiences.

The outstanding contributors to this book share their experiences about the kind of leadership situations senior administrators face and the moral decisions they are called upon to make. Among them are: Mary Sue Coleman, President, University of Michigan; Molly Corbet Broad, President, University of North Carolina System; William Kirwan, Chancellor, University of Maryland System; Edward S. Malloy, President, University of Notre Dame; Steve Sample, President, University of Southern California; Graham B. Spanier, President, Pennsylvania State University; Larry K. Faulkner, President, University of Texas, Austin; and E. Gordon Gee, Chancellor, Vanderbilt University. The passion that these university leaders bring to their jobs and the moral imagination that their roles require were all readily apparent at the forums and are captured here.

The Smith-Richardson Foundation gave Wake Forest University and the Center for Creative Leadership a grant to address the question of leadership in American universities and to run a series of three forums. Thirty-six of America's busiest and most visible university presidents swapped and shared success stories, and reflected upon the lessons they had learned on the job.