Key points:
- A skilled leader can be a make-or-break asset for an institution
- Cultivating positive relationships with your board of trustees
- How senior leaders navigate multiple offers with integrity
- For more on university leadership, visit eCN’s Campus Leadership hub
Leaders are decisive for the success of institutions and proper fit is decisive for the success of leaders. Your college doesn’t only need a good leader; you need the right leader for your organization in 2026 and beyond.
A leader who combines relevant experience with a clear vision that is articulated within the mission and values of your institution will bring far-reaching growth and resilience to your college or university. The inverse is also true. The most savvy hiring committees understand that a skilled leader who is a poor fit for an institution will have an adverse effect on the health and trajectory of an organization. The erosion is subtle, but significant: decreased efficacy, institutional drift, crumbling staff morale, deteriorating alumni engagement.
If you are going to lead your institution forward, you need the right leaders for your institution in the present moment. Presidents who are intentional about the competencies they recruit for today are quietly building the institutional fortitude they will need tomorrow. While foundational leadership traits remain constant, they should be leveraged with acumen and acuity that are engaged and evolving.
These four skills belong at the top of every position profile.
- AI literacy
Your next dean or VP doesn’t have to be a data scientist, but they do need to understand how artificial intelligence is reshaping student services, academic delivery, and administrative efficiency. Rather than railing against AI as an existential crisis or heralding it as a magic bullet, they recognize that AI is a tool–and it’s not going away. Leaders who can ask the right questions of AI tools, and guide their teams through adoption, will have a measurable advantage.
- Interdisciplinary leadership
Collaboration is a hallmark of a healthy institution. The silos that once defined academic culture are becoming liabilities. If colleges are to thrive, they must work and grow together. Henry Ford noted: “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.” Institutions need leaders who can broker collaboration across colleges, departments, and divisions–and who see the connective tissue between seemingly unrelated fields as an opportunity, not a complication.
- Enrollment strategy
Enrollment is no longer just the admissions office’s problem–it is everyone’s responsibility. New hires at the cabinet and dean level should arrive with a sophisticated understanding of recruitment, retention, and the demographic realities shaping the pipeline. They must both grasp the broad demographic trends and have the critical people skills to identify and implement solutions. Experience translating data into action should be demonstrated in their work history.
- Partnership development
Colleges that thrive are integrated with their community and connected to their constituents. Whether it is corporate workforce agreements, community college articulation pathways, or philanthropic relationships, the ability to build and sustain external partnerships is now a core leadership competency. Candidates who have closed deals, stewarded donors, or grown community relationships bring immediate institutional value.
Engage support
Hiring forward-thinking, culturally attuned leaders is a complex undertaking. If you feel you need extra support as you navigate executive-level vacancies, there are tools to help. Executive search firms and leadership coaching can provide critical support that empowers you to find perspective, center your attention and effort, and achieve results. With proficiency built through countless leadership transitions, these teams help presidents and search committees build position profiles that reflect not just where their institution has been–but where it needs to go.
Through thoughtful planning and focused action, you can meet challenges, propel growth, and continue your institution’s mission with clarity and courage. Well-suited leaders not only deliver quantitative results, but they also foster positive campus culture, invest in future leaders, and lay a foundation for the ongoing health of your college.
Cheryl Hyatt is a founding partner and CEO of Hyatt – Fennell, Executive Search Plus and President and owner of The Charitable Resources Group, Inc.
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