Emotionally Strong Leadership and the Revision of General Education

Abstract

The landscape of higher education in the United States is continually evolving, with the recent disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic emphasizing the need for adaptable and student-centered curricula. At the heart of undergraduate education, general education programs play a crucial role in providing students with a broad foundation of knowledge and skills that transcend disciplinary boundaries. However, challenges in designing, communicating, and assessing the value of general education arise in almost every institutional context. This chapter examines the urgency for timely and accelerated gen ed revisions, the obstacles faced by institutions, and the potential of emotionally strong leadership informed by principles of emotional intelligence (EI) to drive expedited and meaningful curricular innovation. Through an in-depth case study of a small private liberal arts college, the chapter explores how emotionally strong leadership can facilitate effective and accelerated change in the midst of traditional shared governance structures.