Pia Lauritzen, Questions (Reflections: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2023) I teach an upper division history course that draws a majority of non-majors. We are at the point of the semester where they must declare the topic of their research papers. I also ask them to identify the question that is…

Mariya P. Ivancheva, The Alternative University: Lessons from Bolivarian Venezuela (Stanford University Press, 2023). Bryan Penprase and Noah Pickus, The New Global Universities: Reinventing Education in the 21st Century (Princeton University Press, 2024) David J. Staley, Alternative Universities: Speculative Design for Innovation in Higher Education pbk.(Johns Hopkins University Press, 2024)…

“The roof is ready to blow off this place!” That’s what a colleague said at a recent campus event, buzzing with the energy of transformation. After years of navigating rough waters—transitioning to all-gender admissions, tightening our financial belts, cycling through staff changes, and coming out on the other side of…

Michael S. Roth, The Student: A History (Yale University Press, 2023). Michael Roth has written an interesting history of higher education through the lens of “the idea of a student.”  He demonstrates that over time and across diverse places, there have been different ideas about who a student is. In…

In a world where the narrative surrounding higher education is increasingly tinged with skepticism and doubt, the call for leaders to champion a message of hope and positivity has never been more urgent. Amidst a chorus of cynicism, it is incumbent upon those at the helm of our educational institutions…

During my time with a small college president labeled as ‘quirky’, I uncovered a troubling reality: ‘quirky’ translated into an ego-driven, brash, and polarizing style. His tenure brought financial distress, warnings from regional accreditors, and rampant employee infighting. Regrettably, this scenario is far from unique. Charismatic leaders can unify and…

As the landscape of higher education shifts, so too must the paradigms of leadership. As we conclude 2023, the call for visionary and transformative leaders—those who see beyond challenges to opportunities, who innovate and pioneer change—is more urgent than ever. Drawing insights from our Season 4 IngenioUs conversations, we present…

The hockey star Wayne Gretzky is purported to have said that one secret of his talent was that he “skated to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.”  The quote has been employed by business strategists to describe a strategy of anticipation rather than reaction. …

A colleague, wearied by the day-to-day challenges, recently confided in me about the hurdles they encounter in pushing forward goals that would benefit students and the institution. This leader, acting and speaking with the best intentions, still faces the inevitable resistance, mostly from faculty and staff. While some pushback can…

Seth Rudy and Rachael Scarborough King, eds. The Ends of Knowledge: Outcomes and Endpoints Across the Arts and Sciences (London: Bloomsbury Academic,2023). One segment of Marc Andreesen’s recently uploaded “Techno-Optimist Manifesto” caught my attention:  “Our enemy is the ivory tower, the know-it-all credentialed expert worldview, indulging in abstract theories, luxury…

Academic leadership is an incredibly engaging discipline in its own right. You may hold a degree in educational leadership, have devoured countless books or articles, or relished a stellar podcast or two. Even among other leaders at diverse organizations – all striving for similar goals—the journey of a senior leader…

The Integrator Chris W. Gallagher, College Made Whole: Integrative Learning for a Divided World (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2019). Chris Gallagher begins College Made Whole by observing that “colleges and universities are not designed to promote integrative learning.” (xiii) Integrative learners are those with the ability to “connect and synthesize…

By Dr. Kristine Barnett On my campus, the last few months have been marked by orange cones and yellow caution tape. Dumpsters have covered parking spots. The soundtrack to our work week is bulldozers and trucks. The campus is undergoing a bit of a facelift, with buildings being demolished or…

When Bruce Springsteen took to the stage at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA last week, it wasn’t just a concert; it was a masterclass in engagement. For over three hours, ‘The Boss’ had an entire stadium—including me–hanging on to every chord, every lyric, every story. As an educator watching this…

By Dr. Kristine Barnett Out of Office   This installation of The Provost’s Window is delayed, as I took a much-needed vacation. Originally planned for July 2020, this trip was punted more than a few times. It was worth the wait. During my travels, I reflected on how important it…

By Dr. Kristine Barnett Every provost I know is good at juggling. On some days, you are juggling soft round balls. Others find you juggling projects and priorities that are anything but soft. It takes good leadership to keep these things smoothly moving along. And it helps to have a…

As a long-time academic, this time of year always feels like the silly season. Is your desk piling up with last-minute requests? Are you on the receiving end of wide-ranging complaints and grievances? Is campus conflict rearing its ugly head? This time of year can unmoor even the most seasoned…

By Dr. Kristine Barnett Scanning for Leadership Traits – What Are You Looking For? When I interview candidates for academic positions, I ask them to describe their leadership styles and how they will lead from the positions they are in. A candidate I was interviewing recently turned the tables and…

Knowledge Towns David J. Staley and Dominic D.J. Endicott, Knowledge Towns: Colleges and Universities as Talent Magnets (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2023) I have spent the last six months as a consultant with a team developing the campus master plan for a small regional university nestled in Appalachia.  The university…

By Dr. Kristine Barnett I remember my first big workplace doozie, when I was a young pup of 25 working in corporate communications for a major health insurer. To my horror, I realized I had approved printing more than 250,000 copies of a postcard that listed a customer service number…

Universities as Geostrategic Assets William C. Kirby, Empire of Ideas: Creating the Modern University from Germany to America to China (The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2022). My inbox fills each week with reports about the demise of higher education in the United States.  These take various forms: the…

By Dr. Kristine Barnett Chances are, you didn’t get into your leadership position without some help. Maybe you benefitted from a formal mentoring relationship, or maybe you had some informal mentors. Perhaps you are mentoring others. When we are tested, we often turn to the wisdom of our mentors and…

Calm in a Crisis by Dr. Kristine Barnett Chances are, you’ve faced a campus crisis. In fact, it’s possible that some of us are dealing with one right now or have one brewing and we just don’t know it. Whether classified as minor, major, or catastrophic, crises of all magnitudes…

University Design | David J. Staley Paul Anand, Happiness Explained: What Human Flourishing Is and What We Can Do to Promote It (Oxford University Press, 2016). Rather than “what do you want to do?” with your degree, I have taken to asking my students “what do you want to become?” …

If news reports are any indication, much of higher education is in a freefall.  According to the recent Fitch Ratings 2023 Outlook Report, higher education is in a ‘deteriorating state’ due to inflationary costs, labor pressures, and mixed enrollment results. The latest projection is considerably bleaker than the 2021 outlook,…

Strengthening Your Culture IQ Peter Drucker, the renowned management consultant, said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Drucker’s quote reminds us that institutional culture can be a more forceful influence than a great strategy. Leaders need to quickly and accurately read the culture to understand the intangibles of campus life. Of…

University Design | David J. Staley Phillip Brown, Hugh Lauder and Sin Yi Cheung, The Death of Human Capital? Its Failed Promise and How to Renew It in an Age of Disruption (Oxford University Press, 2020) Richard A. Detweiler, The Evidence Liberal Arts Needs: Lives of Consequence, Inquiry and Accomplishment…

Kristine Barnett, Ed.D is a career-long educator and academic administrator who often has a unique perspective on all aspects of academic leadership. Dr. Barnett has cobbled together a career at a variety of institutions that have afforded her several different scenic vistas. For the most part, her leadership has been…

University Design | David J. Staley la paperson, A Third University is Possible (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2017) Clyde W. Barrow, The Entrepreneurial Intellectual in the Corporate University (Palgrave Pivot, 2018)  John Andrew Rice was the designer and founder of Black Mountain College, the arts-centered liberal arts college that…

University Design | David J. Staley Glyn Davis, The Australian Idea of a University (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 2017). Of all the problems facing the higher education sector today, the lack of differentiation may be the root cause of many of them. Too many colleges and universities look like every…

Why does a potential student choose one school over another?   Economists and management scholars and practitioners suggest it comes down to the value proposition or in other words, the value that students and their families attribute to your institution.  Building on the quote from Warren Buffett, “Price is what…

A few days ago, I had coffee with a recent graduate of Ohio State.  An engineering major, he now works for a big Silicon Valley tech firm.  He said that what got him his job was not his major or his grade point as much as the side projects he…

One effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the transition to remote work.  Many knowledge workers have discovered that given the permission to “work from anywhere” they may seek out places with affordable housing, lower cost of living and better quality of life.  Some small towns, secondary cities and rural areas have…

I was recently invited to formally state my teaching philosophy, a useful exercise for any educator to practice every so often.  I wrote that “I am committed to ensuring that undergraduate students are prepared to enter into a world of dynamic change, and to lead and thrive in such a…