When I interviewed Olivia during the summer of 2024, I was collecting stories from higher education administrators about leadership and burnout. Olivia is a senior leader in academic affairs whose role, thanks to mandates by new leaders and people leaving the institution, includes what was previously the work of three people. Olivia told me she had planned to work into her 70s but now dreams of early retirement every day because of her huge workload and toxic executive leaders. She says,
How Leaders Shape, Signal, and Build Cultures: A Discussion Guide for Academic Leaders and Their Teams
Among the many desired traits most prized in academic leadership, the ability to shape (or reshape) institutional culture is sometimes overlooked in favor of fiscal acumen, the ability to drive
Lisa Jasinski
May 4, 2026