The population of current college and university presidents is still mostly older, male, and White, according to data released today by the American Council on Education in the ninth edition of The American College President: 2023 Edition, the most comprehensive study of presidents from all types of higher education institutions, public and private, two- and four-year.
Despite some efforts within the sector to diversify its ranks, the findings show the average age of presidents is still around 60 and the percentage of women holding the top job at colleges and universities stands at 33 percent, up about 10 percentage points from 2006. Men outnumber women two to one (67 percent). Seventy-two percent of presidents identify as White, which compares with 28 percent of presidents who identified with a race or ethnicity that is non-White.. The survey also found more than half of presidents plan to step down from their current positions within the next five years, potentially impacting several hundred institutions and the many students, faculty, and staff who attend and work at them.
Despite some efforts within the sector to diversify its ranks, the findings show the average age of presidents is still around 60 and the percentage of women holding the top job at colleges and universities stands at 33 percent, up about 10 percentage points from 2006. Men outnumber women two to one (67 percent). Seventy-two percent of presidents identify as White, which compares with 28 percent of presidents who identified with a race or ethnicity that is non-White.
The report contains data on presidential demographics as well as insights about contributing factors and implications for their leadership. Notably, the more than 1,000 presidents and chancellors who responded have faced intensifying pressures in the midst of COVID-19, racial injustice, and other issues during the period between the edition of the American College President Study (ACPS) released in 2017 and this new edition, which uses data collected in 2022.
 
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