Although the landscape surrounding higher education has changed considerably over the past year, the profiles of its leaders remain much the same. Most presidents remain older, White, and male, according to this report from the American Council on Education and the TIAA Institute.
The needle has moved slightly for women and people of color in the presidency, the report says, but these shifts remain localized and isolated—far from ushering in the necessary systemic transformation to achieve parity and equity at the highest level of postsecondary leadership.
At a time when the sector is simultaneously managing complex issues such as ongoing fallout from COVID-19, social injustice, troubling demographic trends, and declining public trust in higher education, diverse leadership is essential to addressing the challenges and opportunities ahead, the report notes.