News & Insights
Finding the Right Way in Tough Times
Good advice and insightful voices can provide the guidance you need.
News & Insights
The leader you need now, at this moment
If your school is in transition now, or if you've recently completed a leadership change – or even if you are not even considering one – the issue of leadership transition ought to be a part of regular board discussions. Organizationalsuccession planning is the board's work.
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Resource roundup: Succession planning
Succession planning isn't just for a school's presiding officer. Having a plan for transitionand succession that applies to the entire institution can reduce stress and avert ad hoc emergency decision making when change inevitably occurs.
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The value of interim presidents
The Autumn 2018issue of In Trust magazine includes an interview with William Crothers, interim president at Ashland Theological Seminary. Crothers has served as an interim CEO five times since he retired in 2002 as ninth president of Roberts Wesleyan College. He was happy to share with In Trust readers some of the wisdom that he's gleaned over the years.
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Nontraditional presidents must exercise “enterprise leadership”
In Trust recently published an article titled "Promising Professor vs. Prominent Pastor," which pointed out that most theological schools hire CEOs who have moved up through the faculty ranks, while a third hire CEOs from leadership positions in their denomination or from the business world.
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Understanding the (stained) glass cliff
After a female faculty member was promoted into seminary leadership, a colleague stopped by her office to congratulate her. But he also asked, "Does this mean the school is in trouble?" It didn't — but the colleague was assuming the theory of the so-called "glass cliff" might be at play.
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Unleashing your inner leader
Becoming an effective leader in theological education -- whether as a president, dean, or board member -- usually requires intentional study and practice. Rarely does someone become a great leader through sheer instinct and natural talent. Rather, great leaders combine their natural gifts with the wisdom they gain from experts and real-world experiences.
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The value of successful interim presidencies
According to a 2014 In Trust article by Heidi Schlumpf, "...interim or 'acting' presidents...can be valuable to a seminary, offering stability and continuity, achieving specific – often financial – goals, and providing time to reexamine mission and vision while searching for the most appropriate permanent leader."
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A good example of a presidential search update letter
When a school is looking for a new president, rumors fly and questions abound. The search process takes many months, and often confidentiality is paramount.
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Do you need a search firm to find your next president? Maybe not
What's your process for hiring a new president?Many boards these days rely on consultants or executive search firms to identify candidates, vet their qualifications, gauge their interest, and make recommendations.
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Selecting an effective leader
What are the qualities that make an effective seminary leader? Auburn's Center for the Study of Theological Education set out to answer just that question in their study titled
Leadership that Works. In this study, the research team found that the essential characteristics of high-performing leaders are personal strength, humility, interpersonal skills, and discipline. But in selecting a new president, how do you know whether a candidate possesses all of these qualities or whether a candidate will fit in with your institution's culture and values?
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The board’s responsibility for evaluating the president
"Regular evaluation of presidential performance is among the top responsibilities assigned to boards of theological schools. It is also a task that many board members prefer not to tackle. So they don't."
So begins the In Trust Center's resource guide,The Board's Responsibility for Evaluating the President, a free resource written by governance expert Rebekah Burch Basinger.The guide outlines five principles to consider so that the board and the president can approach the presidential evaluation with confidence and competence.