Leading From the Top: Creating Possibility by Leveraging Civic Engagement

Introduction

Higher education has the potential to impact systemic change within the campus and broader community; but creating change is complicated and an entrenched process that requires intentional leadership and focus on the many influencing factors, such as, political, socio-economic, and environmental (Pundyke, 2020). College and university presidents are the highest-ranking leaders within higher education and with this leadership role comes power and ever-growing responsibility (Cook & Kim, 2012). The role of presidents has never been more challenging and all encompassing. From managing financial challenges, such as declining endowments and increased pressure to maximize gifts from donors to balancing competing interests across academe as well as external pressures such as declining enrollments, the pressure for presidents continues to build (Seltzer, 2017). Studies continue to demonstrate the confidence with which President’s report in their preparedness to lead their institution broadly, however that same confidence is not present in leading efforts related to civic engagement, diversity, equity, and inclusion, despite these issues being more present than ever on campuses (Selingo et al., 2017). If college and university campuses are to address the missions they were founded upon, colleges have a duty to promote democracy, transform communities, and serve the greater good (Osteen, 2012; Saltmarsh & Hartley, 2011; Thelin, 2004). The possibilities that exist for presidents to connect their institutions with the greater community via civic engagement has never been rifer with opportunity.

In the midst of a global pandemic, police violence, racial injustice, and the conclusion to a divisive four-year presidency, 2020 presented college and university presidents with challenges on their campuses that resulted in division, violence, and campus closures. The current state of the world also tested the commitment to the purposes and democratic ideals that have guided higher education to influence and shape the world outside the walls of academia. Government and politics have perhaps never been more polarized than the past four years. President Donald J. Trump and conservative media outlets have criticized higher education as having a liberal agenda that indoctrinates and graduates students who are ill prepared and lacking resilience.

Few, if any college and university presidents were prepared for the challenges 2020 presented via a worldwide pandemic drastically changing the scope and delivery of courses and services on campuses across the United States. Suddenly, presidents were faced with making immediate decisions about health and safety of campus community members while balancing innovative strategies to keep campuses open and financially healthy. As campuses serve as microcosms of the larger world, campus communities were faced square on with police violence and racial injustice as summer ushered in a wave of Black community members murders. Protests and calls for justice occurred on campuses and within local communities. Students experienced rubber bullets and tear gas from police as they lived the mission of their institutions and called for change within their communities. The fall semester began with tensions high from a summer of injustice and the 2020 election, leading to divided beliefs and party lines. The contentious conclusion to the election included Donald Trump alleging widespread voter fraud and claiming victory despite no data to support his self-proclaimed win. On January 6, 2021, the U.S. Capitol was violently attacked by rioters provoked by Donald Trump. The rioters were in opposition of the presidential election results and intended to impede the proceedings to certify the electoral college vote at a joint session of congress. As the proverbial dust settled after the January inauguration, campuses continue to consider enmeshed systems of democracy on campus and how this connects to the broader systems of community, state, and nation. This chapter explores the role and opportunity presidents as senior leaders have in creating possibility for their campuses, stakeholders, and communities to dig into justice and civically engage.