President Birge’s best advice after his 10th year at the helm

If President James Birge had anything truly spectacular to say as he reflects on his 10 years of leadership at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, he would have written a book to turn a profit.

It’s just a joke, but one that playfully hides Birge’s true wonderment at the sheer scale and scope required of college and university presidents to effectively lead an institution today.

“It takes four years just to learn the role and then another couple of years to figure out what to do with it,” Birge says. “Some of the really good work we’ve accomplished in the last two or three years is because we’ve got a stable team.”

Among the college’s most notable achievements under Birge are the launch of several majors in nursing and radiologic technology, as well as the expansion of dual enrollment programs to K12 students.

There are a few pieces of advice Birge wants to leave for others as he wraps up his last academic year before retirement, bidding farewell to a 40-year career in higher education.

For one, Birge asks any academic leader interested in assuming the presidency today to grow some thick skin. “There seems to be a momentum in American society toward people being overtly critical, and sometimes unkind. There’s less courtesy, less politeness, and I think people in leadership roles, like college presidents, may suffer from that ethos.”

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Leaders must also be ready to handle crises on campus that affect student safety. An easy first step is solidifying the chain of command for a campus emergency response team, he says. “You have to be prepared to respond without panicking.”

Over the past year, Birge has developed another kind of crisis response to handle the onslaught of policies, executive orders and mandates coming out of the Trump administration.

The ‘wait and see’ approach

The latest asset every college president should acquire today is the ability to manage the campus climate amid the Trump administration’s higher education crackdown, which has directly threatened Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts’ federal funding.

Yet, the start of the academic year has been relatively calm on campus. Birge credits his campus administrators for becoming accustomed to “extreme announcements” coming out of the administration that usually lose steam a day or two later.

Birge’s first lesson was late in January, when the Trump administration rescinded a memo that froze all federal grants.

“While initially, we’d all be panicking a little bit, that’s changed. We just have to wait and see what’s really going to happen.”

The second priority is communicating with the campus community to keep everyone informed about ongoing operations. Administrators must provide assurance that services are continuing as usual and highlight available support resources for those experiencing anxiety.

For example, Birge and his team notified students that FAFSA would not be interrupted by the recent government shutdown and that TRIO programs, though targeted by the Trump administration, are available for students this academic year.