Promotional Information

Without qualification, this book is and will remain the classic on why university presidents succeed or fail. Not to mention the lessons also apply to all top leadership! -- Warren G. Bennis, University of Southern California There are few university presidents like Stephen Joel Trachtenberg-at once knowledgeable, creative, commonsensical, likable, and aggressive (indeed, relentless, even outrageous) in the pursuit of institutional uplift and excellence. -- Jose A. Cabranes, U.S. Circuit Judge (New York) and trustee of Columbia University, former trustee of Yale University and Colgate University

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1. Themes of Presidential Derailment
Part I: Presidents Off-Track
Chapter 2. Presidential Derailments at Private Liberal Arts Institutions
Chapter 3. Presidential Derailments at Public Master's Level Institutions
Chapter 4. Presidential Derailments at Public Research Universities
Chapter 5. Presidential Derailments at Community Colleges
Chapter 6. Firsthand Experiences of Derailed Presidents
Part II: Averting the Train Wreck
Chapter 7. The Upstream Solution: More Thoughtful Academic Searches
Chapter 8. Board Dynamics: A Piece of the Presidential Derailment Puzzle
Chapter 9. Lessons Learned about Presidential Derailments
Appendix: A Year of Presidential Turnover
Bibliography
Contributors
Index

About the Author

Stephen Joel Trachtenberg was a long-serving president of George Washington University and the former president of the University of Hartford. He is the author of Big Man on Campus: A University President Speaks Out on Higher Education, Reflections on Higher Education, and Speaking His Mind: Five Years of Commentary on Higher Education. Gerald B. Kauvar is a research professor of public policy and public administration and the special assistant to the president emeritus at George Washington University. E. Grady Bogue (1935-2013) was the chancellor of Louisiana State University in Shreveport and the coauthor of Quality and Accountability in Higher Education: Improving Policy, Enhancing Performance

Reviews

This book should be read by presidential search committees and purchased by vice presidents worried about their president's success. New England Journal of Higher Education Individuals concerned for the welfare of their institution should have an awareness of change in leadership and its consequences for the university. Presidencies Derailed is a good resource for those serving on search committees, aspiring presidents, and others interested in leadership transitions. This book certainly offered an overview of many timely, practical examples of derailed presidents. Review of Higher Education A book with relevance far beyond academe. Harvard Business Review The authors provide a thoroughly researched account of career fiascos. -- Sara Michael Johns Hopkins University Gazette Every derailed presidency has its own story. The risk of failure is high. Washington Post This is one of the best professional books I have ever read. -- John Boswell johnboswellblog.com