 |
Why Women Make Good College Presidents
By Rita Bornstein
The appointment of a woman to the Harvard presidency in
February occasioned a plethora of news and opinion articles around the
country. Although the number of women presidents has been increasing
over the last several decades, the percentage of women in these
positions is still small. So when the oldest, richest, and to many, the
best, higher education institution in America broke with tradition and
appointed Drew Gilpin Faust to the presidency, it was big news. Faust
has been called friendly, collaborative, a consensus builder, and a good
administrator. This choice represents a change in presidential
style rather than institutional direction for Harvard.
Faust would seem an unlikely candidate for the
presidency of Harvard, not only because she is a woman, but also because
she is not a Harvard graduate, has been at the institution a relatively
short time, and has limited administrative experience. Not infrequently,
such characteristics delegitimate new presidents and interfere with
their ability to lead. Presidents with a legitimacy deficit must
overcome these perceived impediments to authority and gain acceptance as
leaders. . . .
Excerpted from the spring 2007 issue of The
Presidency. To subscribe to the magazine, please call (301)
632-6757, or order online through ACE’s
bookstore.
|
|
