ABSTRACT
This chapter examines core knowledge and competencies needed for executive leadership in higher education administration as perceived by university presidents. It explores university presidents’ perceptions of their academic doctoral preparation program and how the program helped them prepare for university leadership. The chapter proposes a theoretical framework for preparing individuals for university leadership based on the findings of the entire study. Doctoral guidelines are sets of suggestions to enhance doctoral program effectiveness; by contrast, doctoral standards are sets of rules to guide doctoral program performance. Multigrounded theory (MGT) was used to investigate the knowledge and competencies participants identified as essential for effective leadership in the presidency in higher education administration. The need for consistency and flexibility also has implications for student selection and admission. Presidents believed that higher education doctoral programs needed to have consistency through rigorous enrollment standards.
