The Discovery Stage of Presidential Succession. ASHE Annual Meeting Paper

The activities and behavioral patterns associated with the first stage of "taking charge" by a new college president are examined, based on a sample of 14 new presidents: four from major research universities, four from community colleges, three from public four-year colleges, and three from private colleges. The presidents had been in office for 3 years or less at the time they were interviewed. Of concern were the presidents' initial impressions of the institution, the actions they took when they first arrived, the most important problems they had to address immediately, and their recommendations for what new presidents should do during the first few months in office. Most presidents used both passive and active approaches as they employed four routes to discovery: presidents read to obtain information; they learned about the college from senior faculty and other staff; they talked to as many people on campus as possible; and they quickly became familiar with the budget. Circumstances that modified the workings of the discovery process included: institutions in crisis, presidents who had already been employed by the college before assuming this top post, and presidents who had previously served in this post elsewhere. (SW)