The top jobs at US colleges have few takers

To glimpse the tumultuous transitions in US college leadership these days, look no further than the congressional hearings into anti-Semitism on campuses that have helped topple two university presidents at UCLA and Yale.

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In almost any other era, the next leaders of both colleges would have already been announced. But the uncertainties from California to Connecticut show just how complex top campus jobs have become in an environment that has grown increasingly polarised.

Since December, Cornell University, Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania have abruptly announced departures of their presidents, with the Harvard and Penn exits coming after the leaders' widely derided appearances before Congress.

"There's always something going down in higher ed, and these are hard jobs on a good day," said Ms Margaret Spellings, a former president of the University of North Carolina System who noted that especially now, the nation's campuses are "the front lines of the American public square".

Presidential posts have always been challenging. The jobs can require the aplomb of a diplomat and sterling scholarship, as well as the ability to raise money from demanding alumni, manage exacting faculty members and connect with maturing students - all while conjuring a spirited enthusiasm for American football.

But today, even top-tier presidencies buffeted by protests and politicians, personal attacks and endless scrutiny do not always appeal as they once did.

"I can see why people would be reluctant and think twice about it," said Reverend John I. Jenkins, whose nearly 19-year run as the University of Notre Dame's president concluded in May 2024. "It's not for the faint of heart." A 2022 survey by the American Council on Education found that incumbent presidents were generally newer to their roles than in the past but that more than half expected to step down within five years.