Acknowledgements
Methodology
Introduction: Higher Education in Crisis
1. Lawyers, Leadership, and Higher Education
2. Historically, Lawyers Have Been at the Forefront of Higher Education
3. Lawyers Widely Accepted as Leaders across the Higher Education Landscape
4. Characteristics of Lawyer Presidents
5. Women Lawyers Emerging as Campus Presidents
6. Lawyers Will Continue to Lead Campuses: What Does That Mean for the Future of Higher Education?
Findings
Appendices
Lawyer Presidents, 1700s to 2019
Lawyer Presidents, 2020 to 2021
Women Lawyer Presidents by Name, School, School Type, and Location
Lawyer Presidents of Community Colleges by Name, School, School Type, and Location
Lawyer Presidents of Religiously Affiliated Schools by Name, School, and Location
Lawyer Presidents of HBCUs by Name, School, and Location
Appointments of Lawyer Presidents by Decade
Lawyer Presidents by School Type and Decade, 1700 to 2019
Lawyer Presidents and Where They Attended Law School, 1900–2019
Tables and Charts
Table 1.1. Presidents with JDs, All Survey Years
Table 1.2. Appointments of Lawyer Presidents (by Decade)
Chart 1.1. Distinct Lawyer Presidents Appointed by Decade
Table 1.3. Lawyers Serving as Presidents in Each Decade
Chart 1.2. All Appointments of Lawyer Presidents by Decade
Chart 2.1. Appointments of Lawyer Presidents (1800s)
Chart 2.2. Appointments of Lawyer Presidents (by Half-Century)
Chart 2.3. Lawyer Presidents with Prior Law Professor Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 2.4. Lawyer Presidents at Public Institutions with Prior Law Professor Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 2.5. Lawyer Presidents at Private Institutions with Prior Law Professor Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 2.6. Lawyer Presidents at Community Colleges with Prior Law Professor Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 2.7. Lawyer Presidents at Religiously Affiliated Institutions with Prior Law Professor Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 2.8. Lawyer Presidents with Prior Law Dean Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 2.9. Lawyer Presidents at Public Institutions with Prior Law Dean Experience
(1900–2019)
Chart 2.10. Lawyer Presidents at Private Institutions with Prior Law Dean Experience
(1900–2019)
Chart 2.11. Lawyer Presidents at Community Colleges with Prior Law Dean Experience
(1900–2019)
Chart 2.12. Lawyer Presidents at Religiously Affiliated Institution with Prior Law Dean Experience (1900–2019)
Table 3.1. Number of U. S. Postsecondary Institutions by Level of Institution and Region: Academic Year 2016–2017
Table 3.2. Number of Lawyer Appointments by State (1900–2019)
Chart 3.1. Top States for Lawyer Presidents (1900–2019)
Map 3.1. Number of Lawyer Appointments by State (1900–2019)
Chart 3.2. Top States for Lawyer Presidents (2010–2019)
Map 3.2. Number of Lawyer Appointments by State (2010–2019)
Table 3.3. Number and Percentage of Schools by State (2018)
Map 3.3. Number of Lawyer Appointments at Public Institutions by State (2010–2019)
Map 3.4. Number of Lawyer Appointments at Public Institutions by State (1900–2019)
Map 3.5. Number of Lawyer Appointments at Private Institutions by State (2010–2019)
Map 3.6. Number of Lawyer Appointments at Private Institutions by State (1900–2019)
Map 3.7. Number of Lawyer Appointments at Community Colleges by State (2010–2019)
Map 3.8. Number of Lawyer Appointments at Community Colleges by State (1900–2019)
Map 3.9. Number of Lawyer Appointments at Religiously Affiliated Institutions by State
(2010–2019)
Map 3.10. Number of Lawyer Appointments at Religiously Affiliated Institutions by State
(1900–2019)
Chart 3.3. Public and Private Institutions with Lawyer Presidents (2010–2019)
Chart 3.4. Public and Private Institutions with Lawyer Presidents (1900–2019)
Table 3.4. Share of Institutional Control Led by JD Holding Presidents
Table 3.5. JD Holding Presidents, by Carnegie Classification and Year
Table 3.6. Distribution of JD Holding Presidents, by Carnegie Classification and Year
Table 3.7. Percentage of Presidents holding JDs, by Carnegie and Control
Table 3.8. Distribution of JD Holding Presidents Each Year, by Carnegie and Control
Table 3.9. Percentage Distribution of Grand Total of U. S. Postsecondary Institutions, by Level of Institution, and Region: Academic Year 2016–2017
Chart 3.5. Community Colleges with Lawyer Presidents (1940–2019)
Chart 3.6. Religiously Affiliated Institutions with Lawyer Presidents (1900–2019)
Chart 3.7. Historically Black Colleges and Universities with Lawyer Presidents (1900–2019)
Chart 3.8. Historically Black Colleges and Universities with Lawyer Presidents (2010–2019)
Chart 3.9. Institutions with Law Schools Who Have Had Lawyer Presidents (2010–2019)
Chart 3.10. Institutions with Law Schools Who Have Had Lawyer Presidents (1900–2019)
Chart 4.1. Top Schools Attended by Lawyer Presidents (1900–2019)
Table 4.1. Presidents Who Hold Additional Post-BA Degrees, among All Presidents
Table 4.2. Presidents Who Hold Additional Post-BA Degrees, among JD Holding Presidents
Table 4.3. JD Plus Other Degrees (1900–2019)
Table 4.4. Prior Presidencies Held among All Presidents
Table 4.5. JD Holding Presidents by Prior Presidency
Table 4.6. Distribution of JD Holding Presidents by Prior Positions for Each Survey Year
Table 4.7. Distribution of All Presidents by Prior Positions for Each Survey Year
Chart 4.2. Lawyer Presidents with Prior Academic Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 4.3. Lawyer Presidents at Public Institutions with Prior Academic Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 4.4. Lawyer Presidents at Private Institutions with Prior Academic Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 4.5. Lawyer Presidents at Community Colleges with Prior Academic Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 4.6. Lawyer Presidents at Religiously Affiliated Institutions with Prior Academic Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 4.7. Lawyer Presidents with Prior Dean Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 4.8. Lawyer Presidents at Public Institutions with Prior Dean Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 4.9. Lawyer Presidents at Private Institutions with Prior Dean Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 4.10. Lawyer Presidents at Community Colleges with Prior Dean Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 4.11. Lawyer Presidents at Religiously Affiliated Institutions with Prior Dean Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 4.12. Lawyer Presidents with Prior Provost Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 4.13. Lawyer Presidents at Public Institutions with Prior Provost Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 4.14. Lawyer Presidents at Private Institutions with Prior Provost Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 4.15. Lawyer Presidents at Community Colleges with Prior Provost Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 4.16. Lawyer Presidents at Religiously Affiliated Institutions with Prior Provost Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 4.17. Lawyer Presidents with Prior Government Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 4.18. Lawyer Presidents at Public Institutions with Prior Government Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 4.19. Lawyer Presidents at Private Institutions with Prior Government Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 4.20. Lawyer Presidents at Community Colleges with Prior Government Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 4.21. Lawyer Presidents at Religiously Affiliated Institutions with Prior Government Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 4.22. Lawyer Presidents with Prior Fundraiser Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 4.23. Lawyer Presidents at Public Institutions with Prior Fundraiser Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 4.24. Lawyer Presidents at Private Institutions with Prior Fundraiser Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 4.25. Lawyer Presidents at Community Colleges with Prior Fundraiser Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 4.26. Lawyer Presidents at Religiously Affiliated Institutions with Prior Fundraiser Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 4.27. Lawyer Presidents with Prior General Counsel Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 4.28. Lawyer Presidents at Public with Prior General Counsel Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 4.29. Lawyer Presidents at Private Institutions with Prior General Counsel Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 4.30. Lawyer Presidents at Community Colleges with Prior General Counsel Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 4.31. Lawyer Presidents at Religiously Affiliated Institutions with Prior General Counsel Experience (1900–2019)
Chart 4.32. Lawyer Presidents Who Were Prior Board of Trustees Members (1900–2019)
Chart 4.33. Lawyer Presidents at Public Institutions Who Were Prior Board of Trustees Members (1900–2019)
Chart 4.34. Lawyer Presidents at Private Institutions Who Were Prior Board of Trustees Members (1900–2019)
Chart 4.35. Lawyer Presidents at Community Colleges Who Were Prior Board of Trustees Members (1900–2019)
Chart 4.36. Lawyer Presidents at Religiously Affiliated Institutions Who Were Prior Board of Trustees Members (1900–2019)
Table 4.8. Distribution of Race among JD Holding Presidents, by Survey Year
Table 4.9. Distribution of Race among All Presidents, by Survey Year
Table 4.10. American Bar Association, National Lawyer Population Survey, Resident Active Attorney Demographics, Race/Ethnicity, 2011–2021
Table 5.1. Distribution of JD Holding Presidents Each Year, by Sex
Table 5.2. Distribution of Presidents Each Year, by Sex
Chart 5.1. Lawyer Presidents—Gender (2010–2019)
Chart 5.2. Lawyer Presidents—Gender (1900–2019)
Chart 5.3. Appointments of Female Lawyer Presidents (by Decade)
Chart 5.4. Female Lawyer Presidents (Last Decade)
Chart 5.5. Female Lawyer Presidents (by Decade)
Map 5.1. Schools with Female Lawyer Presidents (1970–2019)
Chart 5.6. Institutions with Female Lawyer Presidents (1970–2019)
Chart 5.7. Institutions with Lawyer Presidents (1970–2019)
Chart 5.8. Female Lawyer Presidents with Prior Academic Experience (by Decade)
Chart 5.9. Lawyer Presidents with Prior Academic Experience (by Decade and Gender)
Chart 5.10. Female Lawyer Presidents with Prior Academic Experience (1970–2019)
Chart 5.11. Female Lawyer Presidents with Prior Law Professor Experience (by Decade)
Chart 5.12. Lawyer Presidents with Prior Law Professor Experience (by Decade)
Chart 5.13. Female Lawyer Presidents with Prior Law Professor Experience (1970–2019)
Chart 5.14. Female Lawyer Presidents with Prior Law Dean Experience (by Decade)
Chart 5.15. Lawyer Presidents with Prior Law Dean Experience (by Decade)
Chart 5.16. Female Lawyer Presidents with Prior Law Dean Experience (1970–2019)
Chart 5.17. Female Lawyer Presidents with Prior Provost Experience (by Decade)
Chart 5.18. Lawyer Presidents with Prior Provost Experience (by Decade)
Chart 5.19. Female Lawyer Presidents with Prior Provost Experience (1970–2019)
Chart 5.20. Female Lawyer Presidents with Prior Government Experience (by Decade)
Chart 5.21. Lawyer Presidents with Prior Government Experience (by Decade)
Chart 5.22. Female Lawyer Presidents with Prior Government Experience (1970–2019)
Chart 5.23. Female Lawyer Presidents with Prior General Counsel Experience (by Decade)
Chart 5.24. Lawyer Presidents with Prior General Counsel Experience (by Decade)
Chart 5.25. Female Lawyer Presidents with Prior General Counsel Experience (1970–2019)
Chart 5.26. Female Lawyer Presidents with Prior Fundraiser Experience (by Decade)
Chart 5.27. Lawyer Presidents with Prior Fundraiser Experience (by Decade)
Chart 5.28. Female Lawyer Presidents with Prior Fundraiser Experience (1970–2019)
Chart 5.29. Female Lawyer Presidents Who Were Prior Board of Trustees Members
(by Decade)
Chart 5.30. Lawyer Presidents Who Were Prior Board of Trustees Members (by Decade)
Chart 5.31. Female Lawyer Presidents Who Were Prior Board of Trustees Members (by Decade)
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