Advancing through academia to the role of president is still the traditional route, with 54% of college presidents in the US taking this path. That's according to the American Council on Education's 2023 American College President Study, which surveyed more than 1,000 presidents. AdvertisementA 2017 Deloitte survey of sitting college presidents found they "overwhelmingly agreed" that campus leaders need academic experience. Business people aren't a popular choice for the position for several reasons, many of which have to do with a president's responsibilities. AdvertisementCautionary tales of presidents with business backgroundsWhile it's unfair to write off university leaders from business backgrounds, some recent experiments do provide a cautionary tale.

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Persons: —, Bill Ackman, Claudine Gay, isn't, Ackman, Ackman doesn't, doesn't, Benjamin Ginsberg, it's, Ginsberg, Harvard's Gay, he's, Gay, Tim Wolfe, Simon Newman Organizations: Service, Harvard, Business, American Council, Study, Deloitte, Bloomberg, Johns Hopkins University, Faculty, IBM, Novell, University of Missouri, Mary's University, Education's, Futures Lab Locations: Mount St