Recently the venerable Washington Monthly took a look at "America's Ten Most Innovative College Presidents" and evaluated college presidents in a refreshing way. Instead of focusing on traditional success factors like selectivity, prestige, and the size of the university’s endowment, it featured presidents who have rolled out innovations in diversity, research, and affordability.
While much of the current conversation in higher education is focused toward what college and university presidents need to do differently to prepare for the future, there is not nearly enough focus on the value system imposed upon them or on how the rest of us in higher education can help them to be successful.
Kim A. Wilcox is Chancellor of the University of California, Riverside. Edward J. Ray is President of Oregon State University.
On college and university campuses across the United States, we're surrounded by a resource that leads to discovery, innovation, and growth—yet we don't embrace it at the leadership level. That resource? Failure.
Editor's note: the inaugural recruitment for University Innovation Alliance Fellows occurred in 2014. If you are interested in applying for the UIA Fellowship Program, please continue to watch the UIA blog & social media feeds for fellowship recruitment opportunities as they post at our campuses. You can also visit the partner employment websites of our UIA campuses for opportunities related to the UIA and student success.