Dive Brief:
- In the aftermath of a trying year at Harvey Mudd University, which included the death of several students and a report criticizing the institution for its workload, President Maria Klawe told NPR the school reacted to mental health concerns by ensuring counselors are available in locations conducive to student needs.
- Klawe, who said she values the pursuit to increase diversity in STEM subjects, critiqued the commissioning of a report that included anonymous faculty questioning the drive and capability of a diversifying student body and led to student protests — but she hopes to make the new semester a period of rebuilding that leads to constructive conversations.
- Klawe also said she had heard from several student critics that the student body wasn't being appropriately included in the dialogue on how the campus can find solutions to the issues raised the previous year, and she plans to hold several lunch and dinner meetings with students in the year ahead.
Dive Insight:
Though college presidents are increasingly viewing their role as operational, with new responsibilities like an emphasis on fundraising that take them away from campus life, it remains important for school leaders to maintain a relationship with the student body. In the event of a crisis or a controversy, news will likely spread beyond the walls of the institution before college administration is even notified, due to the speed of social media. It is beneficial for presidents to conduct extensive debriefs in the aftermath of such a situation, in order to assess what could be done better in the future.
However, when a crisis does occur, students need to feel that their college president can speak for the institution and student body, as presidents are asked to do for the general public. If that representation feels inauthentic, it can become difficult for those leaders to continue.
For college president development and training, particularly in the case of those hired from outside of academia, training in how to remain connected with students even in the midst of an increasingly demanding workload and schedule could be extremely beneficial for navigating future crises. Those who come through the ranks of the institution to the position may also need training in the operational or analytical aspects of the job, but they hopefully have retained productive ways to stay connected to the student population's anxieties and hopes about controversies and other events on campus. If a school makes an outside hire, it is imperative that the institution ensure this soft skill is imparted along with some of the practical requirements for performing the job.