The resignation on Monday of University of Missouri president Timothy M. Wolfe amid protests about racism on campus has certainly received plenty of discussion in the media — including the experiences of African-Americans on college campuses, and the power of college athletes to affect change in university administrations.
But an aspect that has received less attention is the fact that Wolfe had no experience as an educator before becoming Missouri's president, and that lack of experience prevented Wolfe from understanding how to be successful at his job.
There are many stakeholders at a university: the students, the parents, the faculty, the staff, the community, the administrators, the trustees, the benefactors and, at a public university, the state's elected officials. And all of those stakeholders need to be consulted regularly as policies are enacted. Certainly there will be unpopular decisions that have to be made by a university president, but when the process is open and all stakeholders believe they have an opportunity to be heard, then it is more likely than not that the entire university family will remain supportive of their leader.
Wolfe clearly didn't understand this. Believing he need address the concerns of only a few, select stakeholders — as though he were a CEO dealing with major investors and a board of directors — Wolfe was unable to garner the support of the bulk of the university community. His mishandling of racism concerns on campus provided the opportunity for those stakeholders who had been ignored to convince others of Wolfe's leadership failings, leading to his welcomed resignation.