While stability may be a priority for colleges having budget struggles, a new provost can be the key to moving forward during a difficult time, says Jan Greenwood, president and chief executive officer of Greenwood/Asher & Associates, an executive search firm. A college undergoing budget cuts might be mistaken to seek out a “slash and burn” administrator, however, and should instead be looking for someone with a history of building consensus amid challenges, she says.

“One could paint a picture where you went out and got one of those [slash and burn] types and brought them in and created absolute havoc,” Greenwood says. “But when you hire someone who has an excellent reputation working with people and working through tough, tough issues, then that’s a different proposition.”