College Presidents Share Advice With Aspiring Leaders

HAMPTON, Va.
Aspiring college presidents and executives got a firsthand glimpse at the challenges of such positions when they attended Hampton University's Executive Leadership Summit last month.
The summit brought together former Hampton University executives who are now presidents at other institutions and those who desire to hold such positions for two days of team-building and sharing of knowledge, skills and abilities. Participants were able to hear firsthand about the challenges college presidents face, and were exposed to the range of strategies that current leaders have found successful.
During the past decade, nine members from Hampton's executive team have become presidents at other institutions, carrying with them professional tenets learned while serving under Hampton University president Dr. William R. Harvey. Harvey's executive leadership model emphasizes vision, work ethic, academic excellence, innovation, courage, management, fairness, fiscal conservatism, team building and results.
"The Harvey executive model taught me a new concept; I will call it futuresight," says Dr. Oscar Prater, former president of Fort Valley State University in Georgia. "You have to have a vision. What will this institution look like 10 years from this day with you as the leader?"
Dr. Dianne Suber, president of Saint Augustine's College in Raleigh, N.C., told participants that innovation was one of the most important tenets.
"Innovation is a process that requires one to move out of the comfort zone." Suber told the audience. "It is not always about being right and innovation helps you get over that."