| Abstract: | Conclusion In closing, the imperative remains to develop a presidential scorecard that focuses on the elements of leadership that truly further the great work of higher education. The academy requires leaders who are committed to quality, self-renewing change, and integrity in order to weather the current storms of uncertainty and forge a new model for higher academic achievement.The poet, Heinrich Heine, wrote in a letter:  When I lately stood with a friend before the Cathedral Amiens, he asked me why we can no longer build such piles. I replied,  Dear Alphonse, men in those days had convictions. We moderns have opinions, and it requires something more than an opinion to build a Gothic cathedral.  The present and future leaders of America's colleges and universities must have convictions that rival those of the builders of old. Indeed, the work to be done transcends mere bricks, mortar, flesh, and blood. The mind is the agent and the object of our labors; it is both scaffold and structure, chisel and stone, giving shape and substance to human achievement. If the work of the academy is to stand the test of time, the construction must be sound-the builders must build with integrity.Charles J. McClain is currently Commissioner of Higher Education for the state of Missouri. He has held a variety of positions in a long and distinguished career in education. He has been teacher, principal, superintendent, and university president. He founded Jefferson College in 1963 and was president of Northeast Missouri State University for 20 years. |
