Guiding Academic Institutions through Crossroads and Crisis

Meredith Goldsmith is a professor of English, specializing in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century US literature, and the founding director of the Teaching and Learning Institute at Ursinus College, USA. She has held numerous leadership roles, including assistant and associate dean of academic affairs, special assistant to the president, and chief strategy and innovation officer.

"Today’s leaders need to tap into multiple avenues of insight and reflection to solve complex problems. By applying a literary and cultural lens, Goldsmith significantly expands the dialogue. This book will be a vitally necessary tool that illuminates the challenges of today’s university leaders while also providing timely lessons."Mark Lombardi, President Emeritus, Maryville University, USA"In this unique book, Meredith Goldsmith bridges conflicting notions of higher education as a business and as the pursuit of transcendent wisdom. This well-written glimpse into higher education leadership demonstrates that even in today’s career-oriented world, literature and culture have profound lessons for all those who make leadership a study."Susan Resneck Pierce, President Emerita, University of Puget Sound, USA"Meredith Goldsmith’s exploration of literature from Shakespeare to current mini-series holds rich, often surprising lessons for academic leadership in a time of turmoil. Her readings illuminate issues of power, change, and community that academic leaders, teachers, and students grapple with every day. She has given us an insightful guide—and a fun read."David Scobey, Director, Bringing Theory to Practice

• 1. Introduction 2. Succession and Transition in Higher Education: Reading Shakespeare’s King Lear 3. Leadership on the “Glass Cliff”: Othello and Higher Education’s Placeholder Problem 4. Financial Binds and the Myth of Exceptionalism in Higher Education: The House of Mirth 5. Ambition, Adaptation, and Aims: Sister Carrie and the Academic Workplace 6. Navigating Nuance: Identity and Interpretation in The Chair 7. What Your Students Won’t Tell You: Campus from Students’ Perspective in Dear White People 8. Reflection 9. Appendix: Selected Further Reading