‘Everything’s Great,’ Say Too Many Presidents

The writer is a current president.

Being a president is exhausting. Being around other presidents? Maybe even more exhausting. Not all of us, but definitely too many of us, can’t turn off the posturing. And being around that posturing, especially when behind closed doors, can really deplete me.

I remember as a new president during the dark days of the pandemic talking to other presidents who proclaimed everything was great. They boasted of practically no cases on campus. They flaunted successful enrollment years and budgets that were not just balanced but thriving thanks to governmental support.

And for me? Everything was not great. Enrollment was shrinking rapidly, and the financial pressures were mounting. I was depressed that I might have to close or merge my institution if things persisted. My heart ached from the difficult decisions of layoffs, furloughs, and cuts to our retirement program.

I felt like I couldn’t really share how I was doing for fear of being seen as a failure. My own presidential colleagues didn’t really share a space to be honest and authentic. And back at home, if I shared these concerns with my board, might they think me too weak? Was I not cut out for this job? Many times, I feared I was not.

Over time, things have gotten better for my institution, but not the posturing. A call with a colleague recently felt like an episode of The Twilight Zone. The institution had recently been put on financial warning, but in the call, the president stated that everything was great and the ship had been righted.

A conversation with another president at a conference felt the same. I had just reviewed their finances, having served on the board of a membership organization to which they belonged. On the list of members, they were the weakest in the organization. But to the president, all was well. And the recent news that they were dipping into their endowment to balance the budget? No worries! They were fine.

So, this is my plea to my presidential colleagues: Can we drop the facade? Can we make it OK to share that things are not OK? Can we normalize sharing that things are fairly bad and that we are scared and need support?

I know I for one will be taking a different approach as conference season begins: I will not boast about our enrollment or campaign success. If asked, I will politely share our progress, but I will do so as humbly as I can. Because somewhere in those conversations, there will be a president who is anxious for the future of their institution. The last thing they need is for me to rub salt in the wound. In fact, what they need is someone who will hold space for what they are going through and support them.