Required Reading

The Chronicle of Higher Education recently wrote of an upcoming book by David Riesman '31, professor of sociology emeritus and Judith Block McLaughlin, head of the educational division of Harvard's Seminar for New Presidents. The book, to be titled Choosing a College President: Opportunities and Constraints, details a selection process which they say "serves as a microcosm of institutional politics and pressures." Here is an excerpt from the Chronicle's article:

In an interview, Ms. McLaughlin said she and Mr. Riesman deliberately had chosen not to offer a prescription for finding a new president.

"I think some people would have liked us to tell them, This is the way you do it: Step one, step two, step three," she said. But, she added, "the richness of American higher education is its diversity. The search process reflects that. It needs to be attentive to the protocol on a particular campus, to the traditions, the issues, and the personnel on that campus."