Transitions at the top in universities are a predictable part of institutional life and, usually, a sign of a healthy system. Senior managers get promoted, heads of universities retire, take up new leadership positions in different institutions or countries, or move on to other types of work inside and outside higher education. Less frequently, though often more publicly, university leaders have to step down either temporarily or permanently for personal reasons or professional failings.

The spotlight on these transitions at the top is typically focused on individuals. However, there are a range of other transitions that can happen simultaneously or sequentially – a change in leadership of the governing body, changes in membership of the university’s senior leadership team or wider political changes at local or national level. Any of these can have implications for the institution, its staff, students and business.

One transition at the top is often part of a wider “web of transitions” that people are faced with and need to get through. Both the more prominent (and more hidden) transitions create turbulence for institutions and their communities. If the transitions and their potential consequences are noted and attended to, associated risks can be more readily identified, assessed and managed.

Join the authors and guests to help launch a new book to shine a light on a hugely important but previously under-explored area: Leadership transitions in universities: arriving, surviving and thriving at the top by  Dr Tom Kennie and Professor Robin Middlehurst.

You can watch a recording of the event here. 

Agenda 

16.00 Welcome and Overview

16.10 Leadership transitions and their importance – Professor Peter Mathieson, Principal, University of Edinburgh and Professor Mary Stuart, Vice Chancellor, University of Lincoln

16.25 Overview of the book: The Why, The What and our core propositions – Dr Tom Kennie, co-author 

16.50 Leadership transitions: the personal experience and stories – Professor Robin Middlehurst, co-author

17.10 Leadership transitions: a US perspective – Dr Peter Eckel, University of Pennsylvania

17.40 Event close

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Transitions at the top in universities are a predictable part of institutional life and, usually, a sign of a healthy system. Senior managers get promoted, heads of universities retire, take up new leadership positions in different institutions or countries, or move on to other types of work inside and outside higher education. Less frequently, though often more publicly, university leaders have to step down either temporarily or permanently for personal reasons or professional failings.

The spotlight on these transitions at the top is typically focused on individuals. However, there are a range of other transitions that can happen simultaneously or sequentially – a change in leadership of the governing body, changes in membership of the university’s senior leadership team or wider political changes at local or national level. Any of these can have implications for the institution, its staff, students and business.

One transition at the top is often part of a wider “web of transitions” that people are faced with and need to get through. Both the more prominent (and more hidden) transitions create turbulence for institutions and their communities. If the transitions and their potential consequences are noted and attended to, associated risks can be more readily identified, assessed and managed.

Join the authors and guests to help launch a new book to shine a light on a hugely important but previously under-explored area: Leadership transitions in universities: arriving, surviving and thriving at the top by  Dr Tom Kennie and Professor Robin Middlehurst.

You can watch a recording of the event here. 

Agenda 

16.00 Welcome and Overview

16.10 Leadership transitions and their importance – Professor Peter Mathieson, Principal, University of Edinburgh and Professor Mary Stuart, Vice Chancellor, University of Lincoln

16.25 Overview of the book: The Why, The What and our core propositions – Dr Tom Kennie, co-author 

16.50 Leadership transitions: the personal experience and stories – Professor Robin Middlehurst, co-author

17.10 Leadership transitions: a US perspective – Dr Peter Eckel, University of Pennsylvania

17.40 Event close

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Speakers

  • Tom Kennie

    Founding Director of the Ranmore Consulting Group

    Dr Tom Kennie is a founding director of Ranmore. He is also an Honorary Senior Fellow in the LH Martin Institute at the University of Melbourne. From an early career as an academic (in Jamaica and the UK), a period in the corporate sector latterly as an HR Director and over 20 years experience specialising in senior-level … Continued

  • Robin Middlehurst

    Academic (and Professor Emerita). Former Professor of Higher Education at Kingston University London

    I am an academic (and Professor Emerita) with a life-long interest in the development of higher education people, policies, institutions and systems.  My experience comes from teaching, research and writing; the practice of leadership and governance; consultancy and organisational development; and through various contributions to policy development in the UK and internationally.  I prefer to … Continued

  • Peter Eckel

    Senior Fellow and Director of Leadership Programs, Penn AHEAD, Penn GSE

    Dr Peter Eckel is an expert on higher education management governance, with a special focus on the role that university boards should play in helping institutions fulfill their missions. In addition to his research, Eckel develops and delivers highly innovative capacity-building programs and projects, including consulting efforts to strengthen and advance higher education. He has … Continued

  • Mary Stuart

    Director of Leadership Development at Minerva, UK and former Vice Chancellor, University of Lincoln

    Mary Stuart has had a long career in Higher Education covering most academic roles. She spent 15 years at the University of Sussex moving from a lecturing role to becoming Pro Vice Chancellor for Students and Professor of Continuing Education. In 2005, she moved to Kingston University as Deputy Vice Chancellor and in 2009 was … Continued

  • Peter Mathieson

    Principal and Vice-Chancellor, University of Edinburgh

    Professor Peter Mathieson MBBS(Hons)(London), PhD(Cambridge), FRCP(London), FRCPE, FMedSci, FRSE assumed the office of Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh in February 2018. Peter Mathieson was born and educated in the United Kingdom. He went to a state grammar school in Penzance, Cornwall and was the first member of his family to go to university. … Continued

  • Mark Leach

    Editor in Chief, Wonkhe

    Mark Leach is the founder, Editor in Chief and CEO of Wonkhe. Mark worked in policy, politics and public affairs in and around UK higher education and founded Wonkhe in 2011 while working as a jobbing policy wonk in the sector. The first part of his career took him to the National Union of Students, … Continued