The University President

​In order to understand the university president, one must understand the fundamental ambiguities that consist of being the university president. There are four faces of the president. The first is the ambiguity of purpose. The second is the ambiguity of power. The third is the ambiguity of experience. The fourth is the ambiguity of success. What is the president’s purpose in the institution? How does the president use the power of the office? What is learned from being the president? As well as, what experiences are needed to be president? When is a president successful? And what determines their success? These things need to be understood to understand the role of the president.
​At the same time, the university president must understand the symbols they use throughout their time in office. The university president use of symbols creates the culture of the university by several symbols. The role of the president is symbolic and open to interpretation. Board members, faculty, staff, and students attach certain significance to the role of the president and they all have different interpretations of the president. The president must then understand the symbolic acts of the office to communicate effectively the vision of the institution. Symbols, then, define leadership and is defined by the organization and used by the president in a way that best communicates the policies and procedures of the institution.
​The president can use metaphorical symbols which are figures of speech of the organization, the vision, and the activities of the campus. By focusing on specific metaphors the president makes it easier to understand the direction of the university by saying that “everyone needs to pull their own weight.” The physical symbols are those objects that are used to define how the vision is made physical by buildings, structures, and facilities on campus. The president can also use communication symbols that give verbal and written communication that is consistent with the vision that helps individuals understand the vision. The president can use him or herself to personify certain traits that they would like to implement on the campus. Also, the president can change the structural educational process that would allow the campus community to see the rigid focus or flexible perspective to learning. If the president understands the symbols of the president, they can then overcome the ambiguities of the office.