Calling all wartime leaders for higher ed
Scott Cowen's leadership of Tulane after Katrina is a model for today
Thanks to everyone for the response to my piece about managing anxiety on college campuses given everything that is going on. Hit a chord, I guess.
As I was thinking about how to lead in this moment, I was reminded of Scott Cowen’s extraordinary leadership of Tulane after Hurricane Katrina. He wrote a whole book about it that I highly recommend and a piece in Inside Higher Ed with the quick summary.
I’m out today with my own column in Inside Higher Ed invoking Scott’s leadership with lessons from my own adventures and a combination of what I hope is empathy for all the presidents going through this and a call for more to emerge as wartime leaders.
Keep the faith, everybody.
Leadership is called for, indeed, and I appreciate learning here about how you are aptly, thoughtfully, graciously and skillfully guiding your people thru these trying times. I especially liked your quote that, "McInnis said at Yale, 'Our mission is to create, share and preserve knowledge; to educate and inspire students; and to apply our discoveries to address the world’s greatest challenges. We are committed to navigating these times with a steadfast focus on advancing that mission and on supporting members of our community.' Lovely!