One of the difficult but necessary lessons of this moment is that leadership at many institutions had been operating somewhat on autopilot, with leaders focused on real but more familiar and utilitarian functions (e.g. fundraising and glossy storytelling, for example) without having their deeper capacity to navigate complexity and difficulty while living and serving institutional mission and values truly tested.
The past several years have changed that. When circumstances become genuinely difficult, leadership is revealed in the choices made when values and actions carry costs. And, without pointing to any particular institution or leader, some have been shown to be… wanting.
For all the disruption and uncertainty confronting higher education, I see something hopeful in that as well: a call for consequential leadership (thoughtful, ethical, courageous, and willing to put institutional purpose ahead of institutional comfort). I hope, collectively, we answer it.
Excellent article. Wish university leadership would read it.
https://hxlibraries.substack.com/p/when-collegiality-becomes-censorship
Great article...
One of the difficult but necessary lessons of this moment is that leadership at many institutions had been operating somewhat on autopilot, with leaders focused on real but more familiar and utilitarian functions (e.g. fundraising and glossy storytelling, for example) without having their deeper capacity to navigate complexity and difficulty while living and serving institutional mission and values truly tested.
The past several years have changed that. When circumstances become genuinely difficult, leadership is revealed in the choices made when values and actions carry costs. And, without pointing to any particular institution or leader, some have been shown to be… wanting.
For all the disruption and uncertainty confronting higher education, I see something hopeful in that as well: a call for consequential leadership (thoughtful, ethical, courageous, and willing to put institutional purpose ahead of institutional comfort). I hope, collectively, we answer it.
Spot on.
https://hxlibraries.substack.com/p/when-collegiality-becomes-censorship
https://www.unbekoming.com/p/mutation-ii-when-feedback-stops-correcting
https://mises.org/mises-wire/climate-emergency-and-problem-economic-knowledge