“This is not a joyful era for higher education,” begins David D Perlmutter (Texas Tech University) for the Chronicle of Higher Education, “[b]ut that doesn’t mean we want or need doom-and-gloom leaders.” In a column for administrators, Perlmutter identifies how pessimistic attitudes amongst postsecondary leadership can negatively impact institutions and undermine the causes that they serve. The author asserts that pessimistic leadership styles should be overcome by leading with reason and acknowledging the harsh realities of leadership today. Perlmutter concludes that today’s challenges in postsecondary education can only be solved through rigorous, realist, and level-headed assessments; but just because one is “serious” does not mean they cannot also be optimistic.
