Important, Small Steps for Presidents to Consider

Important, Small Steps for Presidents to Consider Your Political Landscape

1. Create a small team that includes both legal counsel and an expert in sociology and/or racial, gender, sexuality studies, or a related field
2. Identify the state and federal landscape you are in and financial realities
3. There are 4 state-level landscapes, but states vary depending on boards
   
   • States relatively free from legislation restricting higher education
   • States who are free now, but with an election change will not be
   • States who have been deeply impacted by legislation
   • States with legislation that has been introduced but not passed
4. Identify your board in terms of the construct above
5. Using the Framework for Institutional Decision Making, consider the manifold kinds of risks your institution faces—from mission to culture to financial
   
   • Identify your ‘lines in the sand’
   • Communicate those out preemptively so offices, faculty, and staff do not make changes on their own out of fear
   • If you have to make changes bring impacted people in to assist in building rather than ‘demolishing with a pen’
6. Discern between state and federal legislation, pressures and financial risks
7. Recognize time is on the institution’s side as most federal maneuvers are found to be unconstitutional