Portrait of American college presidents

Study: Most are older white men

They typically are white, male and in their early 60s. Most hold doctoral degrees and fret over matters such as campus politics, faculty resistance to change and — most commonly — a feeling there is never enough money.

Every five years, the American Council on Education releases a statistical portrait of the nation’s college presidents, and the one released Tuesday suggests that in some ways not much has changed atop institutions of higher learning.

Even so, there are signs that the crowd is diversifying — at least a bit. Minorities comprised 17 percent of those in office as of 2016, up from 13 percent in 2011, the last time the survey was conducted.

Thirty percent of presidencies are held by women. In 2011, it was 26 percent.

Presidents have gotten slightly older, 62 on average vs. 61 five years ago. About one in four held a presidency prior to their current job.

On average, they reported being in office nearly seven years.

Nationwide, women make up the majority of college students. Campuses for decades have sought to boost minority enrollment, adding to debate about whether schools should be doing more to recruit qualified leaders who also reflect the populations they teach.

“Diversifying the college presidency will only continue to grow in importance, especially as the nation’s student body grows ever more diverse,” said ACE president Molly Corbett Broad in a statement accompanying the report.

The American College President Study 2017, produced in association with the TIAA Institute, is considered the most comprehensive look at campus presidencies. It is based on responses from 1,546 campus leaders. ACE, based in Washington, D.C., represents about 1,800 college and university presidents and the executives at related associations.

Asked about their biggest frustrations in leading their institutions, never having enough money was cited by the largest share, at 61 percent. It was followed by faculty resistance to change, 45 percent; lack of time to think, 44 percent; problems inherited from the previous leadership, 35 percent; and belief that presidents must be infinitely accessible, 31 percent.

Western Pennsylvania has seen several transitions in the campus president’s office in recent weeks, the most prominent at Carnegie Mellon University. On June 1, Subra Suresh announced plans to leave office at the end of this month, four years into his tenure.

Presidents indicated that budget and financial management as well as fundraising were the most time-consuming duties.

What’t the best path to the presidency?

The most typical route runs through academic affairs, according to the study. More than four in 10 college presidents — 43 percent to be precise — had previously held a job in that area, the study found.

Bill Schackner: bschackner@post-gazette.com, 412263-1977 and on Twitter: @BschacknerPG