Closing the Leadership Gap: Strategies for Higher Education’s Top Talent Search

By Lauren Dlugosh | JK Executive Strategies

Higher education is facing a leadership crisis. Across campuses nationwide, colleges and universities are struggling to fill key leadership positions — and to keep them filled long-term.

Identifying the Problem

At JK Executive Strategies, we’ve seen a clear trend: leadership vacancies across higher education are growing, particularly in high-impact roles like Presidents, Deans, Provosts, and Department Chairs. These positions aren’t just taking longer to fill — they’re becoming harder to fill altogether.

The challenge isn’t a lack of qualified candidates. It’s a convergence of factors: experienced leaders are retiring at a faster pace, while the next generation is weighing their options carefully — and often looking outside of academia.

Why the difficulty attracting and retaining top talent? Higher education institutions are facing intense public scrutiny, shifting student demographics, enrollment pressures, and financial instability. These realities make leadership roles in academia far less attractive than they once were. Candidates are asking themselves: is it worth it?

Candidate Expectations vs. Institutional Challenges

Today’s leadership candidates have new, non-negotiable expectations: competitive compensation, greater flexibility, meaningful alignment with institutional values, and a clear, authentic vision for the future.

The challenge? Many colleges aren’t adapting their messaging quickly enough. Candidates are often met with outdated job descriptions, slow-moving processes, and vague statements about mission and culture that don’t inspire confidence.

Even when a college’s values are strong, bureaucracy and entrenched campus culture can signal resistance to innovation — a major red flag for candidates looking to make a real impact.

Recruitment & Search Process

One of the most common mistakes colleges make during the executive search process is thinking too narrowly. They lean too heavily on traditional academic pipelines and prioritize credentials over leadership capabilities and vision. In today’s landscape, that’s a missed opportunity.

Institutions that broaden their search — considering leaders from adjacent industries or those with private-sector experience — often discover dynamic candidates who bring fresh energy, strategic thinking, and a results-driven mindset.

However, attracting these candidates requires intentional effort. Colleges must position themselves as willing to innovate, invest, and evolve — not simply maintain the status quo.

Solutions & Strategy

There are clear, practical steps colleges can take right now to improve their leadership search outcomes:

• Modernize the Hiring Process: Move with urgency. Top candidates won’t wait six months.
• Define and Communicate the Vision: Be clear about where the institution is headed — and why strong leadership is critical.
• Align Compensation with the Market: Leadership roles must reflect the value and responsibility being asked of candidates.
• Prioritize Culture Fit and Adaptability: Hire for leadership ability, not just academic pedigree.

Partnering with a firm like JK Executive Strategies can transform the search process. We not only find candidates — we position institutions for success by helping them articulate their vision, streamline their process, and match with leaders who will thrive in their culture.

If I could give one piece of advice to college boards and hiring committees, it would be this: be proactive, not reactive. Build a leadership pipeline before a vacancy becomes a crisis — and be willing to rethink what great leadership looks like in today’s rapidly evolving higher education landscape.