The View from the Helm: Leading the American University during an Era of Change »

Widely regarded as one of the most active and publicly engaged university presidents in modern academia, Duderstadt—who led the University of Michigan from 1988 to 1996—presided over a period of enormous change, not only for his institution, but for universities across the country. His presidency was a time of growth and conflict: of sweeping new affirmative-action and equal-opportunity programs, significant financial expansion, and reenergized student activism on issues from apartheid to codes of student conduct.

Under James Duderstadt’s stewardship, Michigan reaffirmed its reputation as a trailblazer among universities. Part memoir, part history, part commentary, The View from the Helm extracts general lessons from his experiences at the forefront of change in higher education, offering current and future administrators a primer on academic leadership and venturing bold ideas on how higher education should be steered into the twenty-first century.

Contents Preface....................xi
Acknowledgments....................xvii
PART I. THE PATH TO THE PRESIDENCY....................1
1. The Leaders and Best....................3
Institutional Saga....................4
The Michigan Saga....................7
A Heritage of Leadership....................17
Michigan's Character as a Trailblazer....................29
The Role of Institutional Saga in Presidential Leadership....................32
The "What," "How," and "Who" of the University Presidency....................37
2. The Path to the Presidency....................39
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sailor; Rich Man, Poor Man, Beggar Man, Thief; ... and University President....................40
The Academic Leadership Ladder....................44
The Path to the Michigan White House....................48
On to Michigan....................52
Trapped in the Gravitational Pull of Academic Administration....................56
On the Brink....................68
3. The Presidential Search....................71
The Search Process....................72
The Presidential Search: A Victim's Perspective....................76
A Postmortem....................85
Some Advice for Presidential Search Committees and University Governing Boards....................86
Some Advice for Candidates for University Presidencies....................95
So What Are We Supposed to Do Now?....................97
PART II. PRESIDENTIAL LEADERSHIP....................103
4. Presidential Leadership....................105
The Elements of Presidential Leadership....................107
Several Unique Aspects of UniversityLeadership....................111
The Many Styles and Philosophies of Presidential Leadership....................116
Adapting Leadership Styles to the Times and the Institution....................120
A Matter of Personal Style....................124
Movers and Shakers, Pushers and Coasters: The Impact of the Presidency....................128
Leadership for a Time of Change....................129
5. Executive Leadership....................132
The Executive Officer Team....................135
Go Downtown and Get the Money....................143
Bricks and Mortar....................150
Crisis Management....................154
The Challenges of Executive Leadership....................157
6. Academic Leadership....................162
The Academic Clockwork....................164
Academic Leadership....................166
Faculty Quality....................173
Selection and Recruitment of Academic Leadership....................180
Tinkering with Time Bombs....................182
The Challenges to Academic Leadership by the President....................188
7. Political Leadership....................191
Growing Up in a Rough Neighborhood....................192
Defending the University....................196
The Loyal (and Sometimes Not So Loyal) Opposition....................213
The President and the Governing Board....................216
The Broader Political Agenda of the University and the University Presidency....................219
The Hazards of Political Leadership....................222
8. Moral Leadership....................225
The Challenges to Moral Leadership....................227
Social Diversity and Academic Excellence....................230
Student Affairs....................239
Institutional Integrity....................242
The Bully Pulpit....................247
Pastoral Care....................248
Personal Traits and Traps....................257
9. Strategic Leadership....................260
The Approach....................262
The Action Plan....................265
Lessons Learned and the Growing Concern....................267
Institutional Transformation....................269
Experiments and Ventures....................277
More Lessons Learned: The Challenges of Transformation....................279
PART III. THE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT: AN ENDANGERED SPECIES?....................283
10. Life as a University President....................285
The President's Spouse....................286
The Hired Help....................289
A Turn about the University Calendar....................295
Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous....................301
On the Road....................302
A Matter of Style....................306
Always Some Doubts....................307
11. Tilting with Windmills....................309
Windmill No. 1: The Privately Supported Public University....................310
Windmill No. 2: College Sports....................317
Windmill No. 3: University Governance....................327
The Importance of Fighting Losing Battles....................336
12. The Endgame....................338
Survival Instinct....................341
Putting It All on the Line....................344
Wear and Tear....................347
The Two-Minute Warning....................348
Taking Stock....................357
Fading Away....................361
Ten Years after a Decade at the Helm....................363
Whence and Whither the University....................366
Some Final Thoughts on the University Presidency....................370
Notes....................377
Index....................389