Job turnover among university presidents in the United States of America

This paper examines job turnover among US university presidents from 2001-2006. Using data from the American Council of Education's Survey of American College Presidents, this analysis finds that public (state supported) university presidents' odds of leaving office over a five-year period are approximately 50 per cent higher than are their private (independent) university presidents. This job instability appears to be driven primarily by the higher propensity for public university presidents to leave one institution to become president at another institution. The flatter returns to time in office experienced by public university presidents likely motives this heightened job turnover. Increased competition for university presidents is likely to increase the returns to job mobility in the coming years.