Presidencies Derailed: Why University Leaders Fail and How to Prevent It

University presidents have become as expendable as football coaches—one bad season, scandal, or political or financial misstep and they are sent packing. These high-profile appointments are increasingly scrutinized by faculty, administrators, alumni, and the media, and problems are discussed all too publicly. A combination of constrained resources and a new trend toward hiring from outside of academia results in tensions between governing boards and presidents that can erupt quickly. Sometimes presidents are dismissed for performance, financial, or institutional "fit" reasons, but there are nearly always political reasons as well. Presidencies Derailed is the first book to explore the reasons why university presidencies fail and how university and college leadership can prevent these unfortunate situations.

Personal testimonies from "derailed" university presidents and case studies show how good presidencies go bad. Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, Gerald B. Kauvar, and E. Grady Bogue organize, classify, and explain patterns of leadership failures and offer key advice on how institutions, their boards, and their leaders can avoid these acrimonious battles.