Sally Clausen Noted Among Nation’s Top College Presidents

Published on under National

UL System President Also Invited To Oxford, England, for Summit on the Changing University Presidency

BATON ROUGE, La. – Inside Higher Ed, an online news magazine based in Washington, D.C., recently recognized University of Louisiana System President Sally Clausen as one of the most entrepreneurial college presidents in the nation.

The article, “Entrepreneurial Women,” by James Fisher, James Koch, and Alice McAdory is based on research originally reported in The Entrepreneurial President, a 2004 book released by the American Council on Education.

The authors, who researched more than 700 university presidents throughout the United States, cited Clausen’s “entrepreneurial leadership and prudent risk taking” as signs of a successful leader.

The authors also concluded that female college presidents exceed their male counterparts in taking risks, challenging the status quo, thinking outside the box, and having a global outlook.

“In a time when the chief executive officers of state higher education systems are frequently criticized as inept, Sally Clausen has established the model for competence and achievement in that arena,” the authors wrote in the 2004 book.

Since becoming the University of Louisiana System’s first female president in 2001, Clausen has been recognized for her leadership, including:

  • Developing a unique open and public process that was used in hiring four university presidents;
  • Overseeing the dramatic turnaround in financial and accreditation aspects at two universities;
  • Increasing above the state level the minimum score needed to achieve teacher certification at UL System schools;
  • Implementing a multi-faceted three-year campaign to inform Louisiana students about rising admissions criteria at the state’s four-year universities; and
  • Supporting UL System university presidents in their goal to exceed national graduation rates by 2012.

In addition to her work at the UL System, Clausen is a national leader in higher education policy. She currently serves as Vice President of the National Association of University System Heads (NASH), on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), on the Southern Regional Education Board, and on the Commission for Graduation Rate Outcomes, a joint venture between AASCU, NASH, and The Education Trust.

Also, Clausen was invited to travel to Oxford, England, September 12-15, to participate in an elite workshop focusing on re-defining the role of a university president.

The three-day workshop entitled, “The Oxford Conclave on Global Ethics and the Changing University Presidency,” will feature discussions with experts on ethics and international issues, including:

  • Howard Gardner, professor at Harvard and author of Leading Minds;
  • Sir John Hume, the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize laureate;
  • Sir Timothy Lankester, President of Corpus Christi College of Oxford University; and
  • Dominique Peccoud, Special Advisor for Socio-Religious Affairs for the International Labour Office and editor of Philosophical and Spiritual Perspectives on Decent Work.

Clausen was nominated for the Oxford summit by her AASCU peers. She was notified through a letter from Kennesaw State University President Betty Siegel.

“Many of us believe that the time has come for a small group of presidents to think together about ways that we can raise our voices more effectively to address the ethical issues facing the world and make them more salient in the lives of our universities,” said Siegel.

For more information about this and other University of Louisiana System national news and initiatives, visit www.ulsystem.net, click on “News” and “National.” “Entrepreneurial Women” can be found on the ULS website or at http://www.insidehighered.com/careers/2005/07/15/koch.

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