The theme of the October 18th issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education is “The College Presidency Is Broken.”
It’s certainly true that being a college or university president is a hazardous undertaking in today’s toxic political and cultural climate. But a new initiative from the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), inspired by the NCAA’s transfer portal for student athletes, is poised to bring relief to beleaguered leaders in higher education.
On January 1, 2025, the Presidential Transfer Portal (PTP) will be launched. With a minimum of paperwork, a college president will be able to leave his or her current institution via the PTP and take another, less stressful, job.
According to Aaron Nisenson, AAUP’s Interim Executive Director, the PTP will lead to one of the following two vocational destinations: (1) searching for land mines along the Ukrainian/Russian border, or (2) working as a hospital aide in Gaza.
Nisenson observes: “The presidents I’ve talked to are beyond excited about these opportunities. Although they acknowledge the danger of being blown up in either venue, they say they would rather take that risk than spend one more minute sparring with petulant professors, negotiating with outraged students, or testifying before Congressional committees. As one president told me, ‘I knew it was probably time for me to leave my current position when I seriously considered wearing a dynamite-laden vest under my sport coat when I met with faculty union representatives last week. I took that as a sign of stress starting to get the best of me’.
Presidents who wish to take advantage of the PTP should make sure their passports are up to date. Feel free to visit the program’s website, IamOuttaHere.com, for details.
It’s time to shed the vest and breathe deeply again.