What You Will Learn

Productive, articulate, responsive leadership is expected as soon as a new college or university president assumes office. Multiple institutional pressures do not permit the luxury of learning on the job. The Harvard Seminar for New Presidents provides new presidents with a practical and conceptual orientation to the presidency. It familiarizes new presidents with the opportunities and hazards they will likely face and prepares them to respond to the multiple responsibilities and constituencies of their new role.

Program Overview

In sessions ranging from fundraising to building the administrative team, the seminar focuses on the critical issues of the first months and years of the presidency. It provides a chance for new presidents to reflect on their own situations and to consult with experts about their special concerns and circumstances. Most importantly, the seminar introduces presidents to an extraordinary peer group of colleagues from around the country.

Program Objectives

Intensive, interactive sessions address key topics critical to the first years of a presidency:

• The Contexts of Leadership explores the importance of the culture and traditions of an institution. How can the president be sensitive to organizational culture and the important traditions of the institution while encouraging and managing change?
• Governance addresses the role of governing boards, the relationship between the president and the board of trustees, and specific steps the chief executive can take to improve board performance. What are the similarities and differences between boards of public and private institutions?
• Presidential Fundraising examines important components of the fundraising process, and the president's role in assuring its success. What should a president do to become an effective fundraiser? What should a president expect from the chief development officer?
• Presidential Perspective on Financial Management introduces new presidents to the role of financial information in institutional decision making. How can the president be a better manager and consumer of financial data? What are some strategies for improving campus productivity and cost containment?
• Building the Administrative Team focuses on the president as chief executive and senior personnel officer. How do presidents assess the staffs they inherit and develop them into effective working teams?
• Academic Leadership explores the position of the president as academic leader. How does the president exert leadership in the academic arena? How does the president sustain his or her own academic interests?
• The Life of the President discusses issues and choices related to the lifestyle of a president. How should the president handle entertainment, identify the role of the spouse, manage the president's house, and live in the spotlight of the presidency?
• Strategic Planning examines the president's role in the design and implementation of strategic planning efforts, and discusses how to develop and sustain institutional performance indicators.

Who Should Attend

• First-time college and university presidents ranging from those who have been appointed but not yet assumed office to those within the first 12 months of their presidency
• Presidents from all sectors of American higher education—colleges, universities and community colleges
• Enrollment is limited to approximately 45 new presidents

Faculty Chair

Judith Block McLaughlin is Educational Chair of the Harvard Seminar for New Presidents.  A Senior Lecturer on Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, she directs the Higher Education master's degree program and the Higher Education doctoral concentration. McLaughlin's teaching and research interests focus on leadership and governance in higher education. She is Chair of the Massachusetts Public Education Nominating Council, the body that nominates trustees for the state's colleges and universities. McLaughlin has written and consulted extensively on leadership transitions, presidential assessment, board-president relationships, senior staff functioning and board governance.

Additional Faculty

Lawrence Bacow, President in Residence, HGSE; President-Emeritus, Tufts

Lee Bolman, Marion Bloch/Missouri Chair in Leadership, Bloch School of Management, University of Missouri-Kansas City

Kent Chabotar, President, Guilford College

Drew Gilpin Faust, President, Harvard University

Elaine Tuttle Hansen, President, Bates College

James Honan, Senior Lecturer on Education, HGSE

Freeman Hrabowski, President, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Paul LeBlanc, President, Southern New Hampshire University

Richard Light, Walter H. Gale Professor of Education, HGSE

Peter Mercer, President, Ramapo College of New Jersey

Dana Mohler-Faria, President, Bridgewater State College

Scott Nichols, Senior Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations, Boston University

Shirley Raines, President, The University of Memphis

William Ryan, Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy; Research Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School

Stephen Sweeney, President, The College of New Rochelle

Testimonials and Stories

"The seminar provided a practical, down-to-earth and engaging experience which helped clarify many issues and at the same time gave me a terrific network of new friends and colleagues to call on in the future."
John A. Fry
Franklin & Marshall College (PA)

"We rubbed elbows with some of the best thinkers in higher education and had the opportunity to share our stories as first-time presidents. We became and remain a community of colleagues and friends."
Margaret Lee
Oakton Community College (IL)

"We rubbed elbows with some of the best thinkers in higher education and had the opportunity to share our stories as first-time presidents. We became and remain a community of colleagues and friends."
Margaret Lee
Oakton Community College (IL)

Enrollment Instructions

Admissions decisions will be made within 4–6 weeks of receipt of a completed application. The Admissions Committee strives for representative diversity among participants and institutions.

Testimonials and Stories

"The seminar provided a practical, down-to-earth and engaging experience which helped clarify many issues and at the same time gave me a terrific network of new friends and colleagues to call on in the future."
John A. Fry
Franklin & Marshall College (PA)

"We rubbed elbows with some of the best thinkers in higher education and had the opportunity to share our stories as first-time presidents. We became and remain a community of colleagues and friends."
Margaret Lee
Oakton Community College (IL)

Enrollment Instructions

Admissions decisions will be made within 4–6 weeks of receipt of a completed application. The Admissions Committee strives for representative diversity among participants and institutions.

Fees

The comprehensive program fee includes tuition, all course-related materials, hotel accommodations, most meals during the program and several special events.

Cancellation Policy

Cancellations must be submitted via fax or email. Full refunds will be given up to 30 days prior to the start of the program. Due to program demand and pre-institute preparations, cancellations received 29–14 days prior to the start of the program are subject to a fee of 10% of the program tuition. Cancellations received within 13 days prior to the start of the program and no-shows are subject to the full program tuition. Please note: cancellation fees are based upon the date the written request is received.

Since the Harvard Graduate School of Education is not responsible for non-refundable travel arrangements or other expenses incurred, it is recommended that you not make lodging and travel arrangements until you are admitted to the program. The Harvard Graduate School of Education reserves the right to change faculty or cancel programs at its discretion. In the unlikely event of program changes, the school is not responsible for non-refundable travel arrangements or other planning expenses incurred.