Three Ivies searching for new president

The recent resignation of Princeton University's president means that three Ivy League schools are looking for new leaders simultaneously, creating a large leadership vacuum inside the eight-member group of schools. Princeton President Harold Shapiro, who has led the school since 1988, declared his intention to resign at the end of the academic year last Friday. And last May, Neil Rudenstine, the longtime president of Harvard University, announced that he will step down at the end of this academic year. Also, Brown University President E. Gordon Gee resigned last spring after just two years in Providence, R.I. But despite the simultaneous vacancies, some experts have predicted that the three top tier institutions will not necessarily be competing for the same candidates. John Isaacson, a partner in Isaacson, Miller -- the Boston-based executive search firm that is helping with Brown's search -- predicted that the unique characteristics of each school could eliminate overlap. "Those are three different institutions," he said. According to Isaacson, the challenges facing college presidents have changed greatly over the years. "Twenty years ago, to be the president of a university, you had to be a distinguished scholar but the fundamental economics were [a] given," he said, alluding to the increased financial pressures many schools are now facing. Isaacson explained that from World War II until the Reagan era, college revenues were rising and university presidents' major concern was how to manage growth. "The main role of a president [today] is matching the revenue with the mission" of the school, he said. Gee left Brown to become the chancellor of Vanderbilt University. Interim President Sheila Blumstein, a former dean and interim provost at Brown, assumed the top post within 48 hours of his announcement. According to Brown spokesman Mark Nickel, the Brown Corporation -- the governing body charged with choosing a new president -- is actively proceeding with the selection process. "The search is ongoing [and] nominations are still open," he said. "Although the search committees have moved through the process of evaluating applicants, the search is open until we find the person we need." The current presidents of both Harvard and Princeton have given their institutions several months notice before they resign at the end of this academic year. The Harvard Corporation is conducting its presidential search without assistance from external search agencies, according to Harvard spokeswoman Rebecca Rollins. "The Corporation is conducting the search using its own resources," Rollins said. "I don't believe President Rudenstine is involved in the search." Both Shapiro at Princeton and Rudenstine at Harvard have had significant impacts on their respective schools. Rudenstine oversaw a multibillion dollar campaign for the Harvard endowment, which has more than tripled during his time as president. Shapiro has had similar success at Princeton, which has seen a record-setting capital campaign -- surpassing $1 billion -- along with the implementation of numerous educational initiatives during his tenure. Gee had the distinction of raising the single largest amount of money in one year at Brown. Resigning only two years into his tenure, Gee had the school's shortest-ever presidency. All three universities are actively soliciting the advice of the members of their schools' communities. Both Brown and Princeton have student representatives serving along with administrators, faculty and alumni on their search committees. Isaacson said the the Brown search has been going smoothly. "We're doing pretty well," he said. "We hope to be the first of the three completed."

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