Leadership

Crises occur in universities when practices and behavior of institutions, administration, faculty, staff, and students conflict with their ideals. They may occur in isolation as the consequence of individual tragic events or due to unforeseen disasters, such as hurricanes. Crises may also be the consequence of failures in leadership. Crises challenge university presidents to communicate through values, vision, and competence. To take on the risks of innovation, university leaders must build trust and confidence in their ability to lead through both tragic events and bold experiments that do not succeed as planned.