One would expect the top priority of a college president to be education. This is not true, according to a recent study done by The Chronicle of Higher Education. The study shows college presidents are more preoccupied with financial issues than education. College presidents believe they are judged more on their balanced budget issues than their educational programs.

“What people need to realize, is that while college is meant to further education, it is also a business,” said senior William Morrison, a business management major. “In order to have the best educational programs possible, colleges need money. They need to have the good facilities, good professors, and an environment in which students feel comfortable, you can’t have that without money.”

The survey was sent out to 1,338 chancellors and presidents of colleges and universities, with 764 responses – a 57 percent response rate.

53 percent of the presidents said that they spend part of every day working on fundraisers for the school, while budget and financial activities were the next most mentioned daily activities at 44 percent.

The addition of educational buildings, student housing, and additional professors, are some reasons presidents feel for the need of such attention to financial issues; most of these problems go hand in hand. Also, the cost of rapidly changing technology increases financial pressure on college presidents.

“Trying to run a college with no money is like trying to run a fine sports car with no gas,” said Kent Chabotar, President of Guilford College. “My first two years at Guilford, finances were top priority, now though, with the finances stabilizing and long term plans in place, it’s mostly educational values that we are concerned with.”

Chabotar, who was a chief financial advisor at Bowdoin College before being hired at Guilford, said “I know the importance of financial issues to colleges.”

Not to be totally biased, the survey indicated that 53 percent of presidents meet with their top academic advisor on a daily basis.

“I believe education should be top priority, but whatever keeps the college in good standing, be it education, finances, or both, is what should take major priority,” said first-year Jill Hayes.

While many sacrifices of leisure and family time come with being a college president, one president of a public university said, “It’s one of the only true dream jobs left.”

Chabotar agrees, “You get to change the life of not just one, but many students, and that makes you feel good at the end of the day.”