An interviewer asked me why the college presidency—and maybe other academic leadership positions as well—is known as a lonely job. I explained that as we move along the leadership path, we have fewer and fewer on-campus peers who truly understand our job and growing responsibilities. There are other factors, as well. Leading often means holding confidential information, which fosters isolation. So, too, does the necessity of putting on a social face even during professional and personal crises. The lack of alone time for busy campus leaders paradoxically contributes to loneliness since we can easily become alienated from our own feelings and thoughts. As a college president I often experienced my mind running on two parallel tracks: one reflecting on a current or past problem and the other engaging with the public about the event of the moment. 

While this kind of loneliness can’t be completely erased, it can be mitigated. I found it important to develop friendships with colleagues from other campuses who shared my job description and understood what my life was like. The support and interest of my husband and children was also essential. Additionally, I found that I needed to schedule time alone in order to muse, dream, and remain in touch with my own mind, body, and spirit. When I did this, it was easier to be more fully present—and hence less alone—when I was with others. Finding true confidants—in my case that meant my psychoanalyst and my rabbi—also helped provide a place where I could integrate my experiences and process even confidential matters with another comforting person. 

Chronic loneliness is a health risk and contributes to a general feeling of stress and unhappiness. Successful leaders must find ways to maintain meaningful connections.  

Questions to consider: Are there specific times in your day or week during which you experience professional loneliness? How can you deepen a currently supportive relationship in ways that make it easier to talk about your hopes and fears? Is there someone in your sphere of influence who is also made lonely by their work? If so, can you reach out and offer some relief?  

Society is still too close to the unfolding shock waves of digital and AI technology to fully understand their impact. But we know from previous epochal changes that those who cannot adapt to new technologies—agriculture, the printing press, industrial revolutions—do not thrive. I have watched the emergence of AI-driven ed tech with this in mind. The mission and vision of CIC members must be represented in these early stages of development. Otherwise the tools, algorithms, and pricing strategies will keep this technology out of reach of our institutions and out of touch with our students’ needs.  

CIC has crafted an ed tech strategy to bring our sector into dialogue with startups, founders, and venture capital firms. The goal is to ensure campus leaders are aware of new technological solutions and that the ed tech community understands the importance of this market. A partnership with ASU+GSV (Arizona State University and Global Silicon Valley) allows CIC to bring a delegation of 75 presidents to the annual ASU+GSV Summit, where they have the opportunity to explore and identify promising emerging technologies, meet with founders and funders, and ensure that our educational values are represented. CIC is also working directly with the developers of promising technology to help create products especially for our sector. And we are using the power of our collective purchasing to shape the pricing climate.  

A Spark of Inspiration

One of my rules for a happy marriage is to always be a friend to your partner’s passions. And so I recently accompanied my husband to a book reading and discussion by one his musical heroes, Geddy Lee, the lead singer of Rush. Rush was a trio of first-generation Canadian boys bucking their family’s expectations by growing their hair long and dropping out of school to tour with their band. But the heart of their story is friendship and importance of loving and being loved. 

What struck me most was Lee's compassion for others and for himself. He spoke honestly about his anger when longtime band mate Neil Peart made the unilateral decision to retire. This forced an end to the band and to Lee’s own musical career. It wasn’t until Lee allowed himself to see Peart's happiness experiencing life off the road and with his wife and child that Lee was able to forgive him. But he also forgave himself for his own anger—recognizing it as a natural consequence of the good work they had done together over a lifetime of touring and recording. When Peart was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor just a year later, Lee was able to be a true friend, erasing all the tension that had arisen between them.  

Lee told this story with tears in his eyes, reminding us to find the places in our own lives where we need to forgive others and ourselves. 

My Effing Life

by Geddy Lee

Geddy Lee is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the rock group Rush. Lee’s frank autobiography reveals the development of his musical craft, his rise to stardom, and his roots in an immigrant Jewish family. His description of his parents' rescue from Bergen-Belson and the life they made as survivors is both harrowing and deeply moving. His examination of a life spent making art with his best friends is inspirational. 

Same as Ever:

A Guide to What Never Changes

by Morgan Housel

Best-selling author Morgan Housel offers an innovative take on predicting the future: Examine what tends to stay the same over time. For the most part, the throughline in history is human nature. Even as technology advances, Housel argues that people crave certainty, are motivated by a good story, and both love and hate iconoclasts. Each of the 23 chapters offers a short explanation of a relatively stable such phenomenon illustrated with memorable anecdotes and examples.  

The Identity Trap:

A Story of Ideas and Power

by Yascha Mounk

Yascha Mounk, a German-born American political scientist and author, has written on right-wing threats to liberal democracy in past publications, but here he takes a critical look at identity politics, arguing that it will not only fail to safeguard liberal values, it may already be undermining them. This book can be paired with Universality and Identity Politics by Todd McGowan, a more academic argument with a similar thesis. 

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