New UNCF Report Highlights Leadership Challenges at HBCUs

A recent report from the United Negro College Fund found presidents at historically Black colleges and universities tend to have shorter tenures than leaders at other institutions.

Presidents of HBCUs over all spent 4.22 years on average in their roles, according to the analysis by UNCF’s Institute for Capacity Building. Broken down by institution type, private HBCU presidents served an average of 4.42 years, while public HBCU presidents stayed an average of four years. Meanwhile, a 2023 report from the American Council on Education found that college presidents over all serve a 5.9-year term on average.

The UNCF report argued that stable leadership is key to the future success of HBCUs. To bolster retention, it recommends training HBCU boards to improve presidential search processes and strengthen onboarding, mentorship and succession for incoming presidents, among other suggestions.

Walter M. Kimbrough, executive vice president, research and member engagement at UNCF, called the report “a call to action.”

“To thrive, HBCUs need enduring, consistent presidential leadership,” Kimbrough said in a news release. “Achieving this requires reimagining selection processes, rethinking support systems and recommitting to the retention of visionary and innovative leaders.”