Heather Ring, Managing Partner of Caldwell’s Academic, Not-for-Profit, Social Enterprise & Culture (ANSEC) Practice, recently shared some valuable insights with Hunt Scanlon Media on the crucial role that executive search firms play in assisting higher education institutions in their leader searches. With the mounting challenges of geopolitical pressure, reduced government support, and the growing public profile of leaders, expert guidance from executive search firms can be invaluable in ensuring higher education institutions find the right leaders to drive success.
Excerpted from the 2024 Hunt Scanlon Higher Education Executive Recruiting Special Issue:
Several universities haven’t changed leaders in years or even decades, and their boards of trustees and search committees are finding an entirely new and highly competitive landscape as they set out. It’s another good reason why they’re calling in executive search firms to help out.
“Demographic shifts have created a talent shortage that will continue for some years,” said Heather Ring, managing partner of our academic, non-profit, social enterprise & culture practice at Caldwell. “To attract and secure in-demand candidates in this market, higher education institutions need to find ways to be nimble while continuing to use inclusive, transparent processes and search advisory committees to ensure diverse views are considered in decision making. With functional leaders for non-academic roles, we can offer more options when committees are open to individuals from outside higher education, but with experience in complex, multi-stakeholder environments, and an ability to align with the organizational mission.”
When discussing challenges facing university presidents today, Ms. Ring says that there is increasing pressure to take a position on challenging geopolitical issues, and in an increasingly polarized society, it can be difficult to find a middle ground while also remaining true to institutional values. “These roles are increasing in scope, including requiring massive amounts of time spent fundraising, partly to compensate for reduced government support for our public institutions,” she said. “President roles also are increasing in public profile; leaders and their actions are much more exposed in the age of social media. Public figures are easily targeted and pilloried, and, as we have seen, sometimes forced to succumb to extreme public pressure to resign. And we are living in an era in which education is increasingly under attack and labelled as elitist or irrelevant.”
“In response, institutions need to tell their stories authentically, demonstrate their value to society, and engage with the communities in which they operate,” Ms. Ring said. “Maintaining and/or growing enrollment is a challenge for many but not all institutions. Many students have turned away from liberal arts and humanities programs, and institutions have responded by cutting programs. Balancing rising costs and higher student debt are other concerns, and many institutions are grappling with the challenge of recruitment, retention, and support for international students. There are no simple solutions.”
Ms. Ring also notes that schools are experiencing high turnover rates. “This is because of a confluence of events, including the influence of geopolitical events on higher education communities, state-mandated changes based on political ideologies, demographics creating a talent shortage, competitive and tenacious recruitment of talent from underrepresented groups, employment insecurity for newer faculty, and reluctance to take on administrative leadership roles in the age of social media,” she said.
University searches also typically take longer. “It takes time to consult with the University community and ensure that all constituents have a chance to weigh in on the profile and the process, and for that input to be compiled, reviewed, and reflected upon by members of the search committee,” Ms. Ring said. “The consultation feedback also informs the development of the position profile and of the desired criteria, which ideally should be completed before recruitment outreach begins. When it comes to recruitment, attraction is more challenging in this particular time and place, given the recent vilification and subsequent resignations of a number of university presidents. The weight of responsibility in these roles is increasing, not decreasing, particularly when one considers that university presidents may need to spend 50 percent of their time fundraising.”
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