Presidential Leadership in Institutional Advancement: From the Perspective of the President and Vice President of Institutional Advancement

Abstract

Since the establishment of higher education systems in the US the position of college and university president has evolved. In regards to fund-raising this position has changed dramatically with the creation of the vice president of institutional advancement. Over time these two positions have expanded the fund-raising function into a team effort. Within this team environment leadership is a key attribute to fund-raising success. For fund-raising to be successful the president must be a strong leader who is focused on teamwork, providing communication, and working with the team to set goals and objectives. As the team relationship is so important, this study utilized the Team Performance Questionnaire (TPQ), by Dr. Riechmann, to explore the hypothesis that presidents and vice presidents of institutional advancement will have similar perspectives on presidential leadership as it relates to the fund-raising environment. The findings of this study provide interesting perceptions on presidential leadership in the fund-raising arena. By understanding these leadership perceptions the president and vice president can work toward overcoming misconceptions and develop a dynamic fund-raising team.International Journal of Educational Advancement (2006) 6, 221–231. doi:10.1057/palgrave.ijea.2150019 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]