Setting the priorities straight
November 1, 2005
The most elite club in the world of academia is undoubtedly the 1,300 or so individuals who serve as presidents and chancellors of four-year colleges and universities. A poll of the majority of this group recently released by the Chronicle of Higher Education provides a unique glimpse into how they view their jobs and spend their time. The results should be cause for concern.
Particularly alarming are the numbers relating to time spent on fundraising and budget issues. Forty-four percent of the survey's respondents said that raising funds and balancing the books were their most common daily activity, more than any other category mentioned.
Put in perspective, slightly fewer (41 percent) said the same of educational leadership issues. And only 28 percent of presidents attended daily to issues relating to student life.
Obviously, these priorities are misguided.
Fundraising should certainly be a priority for leaders in education, but should it be the main facet of a university president's job?
Though dealing with wealthy donors is a necessary courtesy that presidents in higher education must deal with, it should not be a main focus for them to preoccupy themselves with. Such tasks are more appropriately relegated to organizations such as alumni associations.
Every school wants and needs to increase financial resources. But when raising funds becomes the top priority of a school's executive, it's not only likely but inevitable that issues relating to education will be short-changed. This alarming trend should be reversed.
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