Lessons Learned: Reflections of a University President

The William G. Bowen Series

by William G. Bowen

Lessons Learned gives unprecedented access to the university president's office, providing a unique set of reflections on the challenges involved in leading both research universities and liberal arts colleges. In this landmark book, William Bowen, former president of Princeton University and of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and coauthor of the acclaimed best-seller The Shape of the River , takes readers behind closed faculty-room doors to discuss how today's colleges and universities serve their age-old missions.
With extraordinary candor, clarity, and good humor, Bowen shares the sometimes-hard lessons he learned about working with trustees, faculty, and campus groups; building an effective administrative team; deciding when to speak out on big issues and when to insist on institutional restraint; managing dissent; cultivating alumni and raising funds; setting academic priorities; fostering inclusiveness; eventually deciding when and how to leave the president's office; and much more. Drawing on more than four decades of experience, Bowen demonstrates how his greatest lessons often arose from the missteps he made along the way, and how, when it comes to university governance, there are important general principles but often no single right answer.
Full of compelling stories, insights, and practical wisdom, Lessons Learned frames the questions that leaders of higher education will continue to confront at a complex moment in history.

184 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

President emeritus of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Princeton University. He is the author or coauthor of many books, including the acclaimed bestseller The Shape of the River: Long-Term Consequences of Considering Race in College and University Admissions, Crossing the Finish Line: Completing College at America's Public Universities, and Lessons Learned: Reflections of a University President (all Princeton).

Reviews

[Neil R. Coulter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Bowen's musings about his years in university administration (and most particularly, his years as President of Princeton University). There is no central, unifying theme to these chapters; it is simply a man talking about his career and observations. I read it in order to increase my understanding of "talking about universities," and it was very beneficial for that.

Two points Bowen raises were particularly interesting to me. The first is his belief that a university should not espouse a particular view on an issue, but instead should be a place that welcomes discussions from all viewpoints. I found this challenging when considering hosting speakers who represent rather extreme, and widely disagreeable, opinions. I'll continue to mull over Bowen's advice.

The second point--which I agree with wholeheartedly--is Bowen's caution against spending a lot of money on things that aren't directly related to higher education. I've been dismayed to see so many American universities seemingly in a race with each other to have the best student center, dining hall, gymnasium, sports field, etc.--which has even turned into the race to have the greenest buildings; and which has cost so much money. Bowen says:

At a time when there is so much concern about the affordability of higher education and our country's ability to find the resources needed to meet the most basic educational needs, it is especially important, I think, that relatively wealthy institutions avoid spending large amounts of money on projects that are highly visible but not necessarily fundamental to teaching and learning. (82)

Amen!

I appreciated that Bowen can speak with such calmness, as I know to some extent the pressures and stresses of administration. Clearly he has very fine character.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful. Due for some updating given the events impacting higher education over the last 10 years, though.

[UChicagoLaw]

"Bowen was President of Princeton when I was a student there in the 1980s and so this book is interesting to me on many levels. Bowen is a noted scholar of labor economics and higher education and his insights on higher education are tremendous. Even more interesting are his reflections on his service as Provost and President of Princeton, most particularly the lessons he learned. As a university administrator, myself, I found much to learn from this book and I recommend it highly to anyone who cares about higher education, leadership in general, or what it was like to run a university in the 1970s and 1980s." - Michael H. Schill