Back to Results
Cover image of Presidencies Derailed
Cover image of Presidencies Derailed
Share this Title:

Presidencies Derailed

Why University Leaders Fail and How to Prevent It

Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, Gerald B. Kauvar, and E. Grady Bogue

Publication Date
Binding Type

How do some university presidents "lose their way," and why are their consequential dismissals given so much media attention?

Presidencies Derailed is the first book to explore in depth why university presidencies fail and how university and college leadership can forestall, if not prevent, future leadership failures. Former university president Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, along with professor Gerald B. Kauvar and former chancellor E. Grady Bogue, organize, classify, and explain patterns of leadership failures, drawing on firsthand testimonies from "derailed" university presidents, sixteen case...

How do some university presidents "lose their way," and why are their consequential dismissals given so much media attention?

Presidencies Derailed is the first book to explore in depth why university presidencies fail and how university and college leadership can forestall, if not prevent, future leadership failures. Former university president Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, along with professor Gerald B. Kauvar and former chancellor E. Grady Bogue, organize, classify, and explain patterns of leadership failures, drawing on firsthand testimonies from "derailed" university presidents, sixteen case studies in four sectors of higher education, and reviews of the scholarly literature on leadership failures in the public and private sectors.

Reviews

Reviews

This book should be read by presidential search committees and purchased by vice presidents worried about their president’s success.

Individuals concerned for the welfare of their institution should have an awareness of change in leadership and its consequences for the university. Presidencies Derailed is a good resource for those serving on search committees, aspiring presidents, and others interested in leadership transitions. This book certainly offered an overview of many timely, practical examples of derailed presidents.

A book with relevance far beyond academe.

The authors provide a thoroughly researched account of career fiascos.

Every derailed presidency has its own story. The risk of failure is high.

See All Reviews
About

Book Details

Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
6
x
9
Pages
184
ISBN
9781421419879
Illustration Description
1 line drawing
Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments

Chapter 1. Themes of Presidential Derailment
Part I: Presidents Off-Track
Chapter 2. Presidential Derailments at Private Liberal Arts Institutions
Chapter 3. Presidential

Preface
Acknowledgments

Chapter 1. Themes of Presidential Derailment
Part I: Presidents Off-Track
Chapter 2. Presidential Derailments at Private Liberal Arts Institutions
Chapter 3. Presidential Derailments at Public Master's Level Institutions
Chapter 4. Presidential Derailments at Public Research Universities
Chapter 5. Presidential Derailments at Community Colleges
Chapter 6. Firsthand Experiences of Derailed Presidents
Part II: Averting the Train Wreck
Chapter 7. The Upstream Solution: More Thoughtful Academic Searches
Chapter 8. Board Dynamics: A Piece of the Presidential Derailment Puzzle
Chapter 9. Lessons Learned about Presidential Derailments
Appendix: A Year of Presidential Turnover
Bibliography
Contributors
Index

Author Bios
Featured Contributor

Stephen Joel Trachtenberg

Stephen Joel Trachtenberg was a long-serving president of George Washington University and the former president of the University of Hartford. He is the author of Big Man on Campus: A University President Speaks Out on Higher Education, Reflections on Higher Education, and Speaking His Mind: Five Years of Commentary on Higher Education.
Gerald B. Kauvar
Featured Contributor

Gerald B. Kauvar

Gerald B. Kauvar is the special assistant to the president emeritus and a research professor of public policy and public administration at George Washington University. He is a coauthor of Presidencies Derailed: Why University Leaders Fail and How to Prevent It.
E. Grady Bogue
Featured Contributor

E. Grady Bogue

E. Grady Bogue (1935–2013) was the chancellor of Louisiana State University in Shreveport and the coauthor of Quality and Accountability in Higher Education: Improving Policy, Enhancing Performance