Block on Board

He's a scientist, a scholar, a car lover and a leader. Meet UCLA's new chief executive up close and personal.

By Mary Daily

Published Jul 1, 2007 8:00 AM

Changes at the Top

Leading a major university has never been a walk in the park. But today it's more complex than ever, and the pressure to succeed is immense. This may be one of the toughest jobs in the world — but those who've done it wouldn't have it any other way.

CEO, spokesperson, fund-raiser, lobbyist, crisis manager, advocate, academic officer, visionary: A university chancellor is all of these, and more.

Running a university has always been demanding. Although the responsibilities have remained the same over time, today the job is far more complex and the pressure to succeed far more intense. The institutions are more complex than ever, thanks to technology and the sheer number of people seeking a college education. Campuses are more diverse, broadening the range of student and faculty needs. And higher education is competitive, with many institutions recruiting the same top faculty and outstanding students.

And there's ever greater scrutiny. Traditionally, chancellors have been critiqued by students, faculty, staff, alumni, oversight boards, members of the community and, in the public institutions, taxpayers. Now there's 24-hour news coverage, digital media and instant worldwide communication as well.

Meanwhile, scandals in the corporate world have yielded greater emphasis on institutional accountability and transparency. "There are higher expectations of performance for [universities], which compounds the pressures on the presidency," says Rick Legon, president of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB).

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and this spring's shootings at Virginia Tech, university heads were in the media spotlight, their actions publicly critiqued. Those tragedies were jolting reminders that leaders are expected to steer their institutions through major catastrophes with steady hands and the right mix of confidence and empathy. And in emergencies, they must act swiftly — not the typical pace of academia.

In addition, the magnitude of university budgets today (UCLA's operating budget for 2006-2007 was $3.6 billion) and, for public institutions, dwindling state support (less than 15 percent of UCLA's budget comes from the state) force a strong emphasis on fund-raising. A survey of more than 750 presidents of four-year institutions by the Chronicle of Higher Education found that more than half spend time every day on fund-raising and more than 90 percent work on it weekly.

Some might assume, then, that they have less time to devote to academics. But the job isn't so compartmentalized, says Albert Carnesale, UCLA's chancellor from 1997 to 2006. "The chancellor's primary role in fund-raising is to set forth an academic vision and identify what must be accomplished to realize it. This focus on academic priorities, I believe, is the most effective and efficient use of the chancellor's time in the fund-raising effort."

A 2006 AGB report acknowledged the benefits of focusing more on academic leadership, but Legon says, "The overwhelming corporate challenges confronting institutions become the critical drivers of skill sets that boards seek."

The Chronicle survey showed that the basic issues on the minds of chancellors and presidents include salaries, diversity, tuition, student needs and rising health-care and technology costs. These are often augmented by the challenges of societal issues. Charles E. Young, UCLA chancellor from 1968 to 1997, remembers being faced with a series of such issues, including campus unrest caused by the civil rights movement and Vietnam, the UC's investments in South Africa, and a hunger strike in support of the establishment of a Chicano Studies Department.

And yet, the Chronicle found that 94 percent of chancellors say they'd do it all over again. "People who haven't done it don't understand it," Young says. "But there is no more important work in the world."

— Mary Daily and Sean Brenner