By the Numbers: A National Profiles of Chief Academic Officers

The most common path to a presidency is through the Chief Academic Officer (CAO)/Provost position. However according to a recent report published by the American Council on Education, only 30 percent of current CAOs intend to ever seek a college presidency.

The CAO Census: A National Profile of Chief Academic Officers is the first and only comprehensive census of chief academic officers. The findings are based on responses from 1,715 sitting chief academic officers. Among the major findings of the study are that 63 percent of CAOs are very satisfied in their position and an additional 33 percent are somewhat satisfied. Yet, the average length of time in the position is relatively short, on average 4.7 years, compared to an average of 8.4 years in office among presidents. . . .