Back to Abnormal: HBCU executive leadership turnover in 2022–23 returns to crisis level

from Education News Flash; Back to Abnormal: HBCU executive leadership turnover in 2022–23 returns to crisis level (substack.com)

Former Jackson State University President Thomas Hudson oversaw the hire of football coach Deion Sanders and unprecedented growth in research attainment and output. He resigned in March, 2023 after 2 years and 4 months in the role (photo credit: Jackson Clarion Ledger).

By: William Broussard, Ph.D. and Dakota Doman, Ed. D.

Length of tenure matters to legislators, private sector partners, and alumni/community supporters. In a June 6 webinar sponsored by Ruffalo-Noel Levitz entitled “After Alumni Participation Rate: The Path Forward for Higher Education Fundraisers,” staff pointed out that one of the most important determinants of significant financial support is time. The average length of time between when a donor makes their first donation and their first major gift donation (e.g., an amount large enough to endow a scholarship) is 11.9 years.

Unfortunately, the American Council on Education’s “The American College President” study found that presidential tenures continue to shrink, from an average of 6.5 years in 2017 to an average of 5.9 years, with a median of only 4.5 years in 2023. If, over that twelve-year span, an alumnus, legislator, business-owner, or community member can cultivate relationships with consistent leadership in place long enough to deliver on the promises they’ve made, it stands to reason that they’d increase their investment over time.