Strategic Focus of University Presidents Unpacked: A Global Study

Universities play a key role in knowledge societies, yet the professional role of university presidents remains underexplored. This study investigates the strategy focus of university presidents in positioning their institutions within the knowledge economies. A new conceptual model based on the Hedgehog-Fox dichotomy by Berlin, combined with an internal-external dichotomy based on work by Mintzberg resp. Christensen results in four strategy directions for university presidents. The study will include 18 in-depth interviews, conducted with presidents from multiple continents. Preliminary findings from seven interviews reveal initial findings on university presidents’ strategy focus. The study addresses a longstanding gap in higher education research and contributes to understanding the strategic influence of university presidents.