by Dr. Beverly Tayum
From free speech battles on Texas campuses to Emory’s elimination of DEI offices, from international student anxieties to a Northwestern president’s resignation over frozen federal funding—the crises facing higher education are in the news almost daily.
Few are better positioned to make sense of these turbulent times than Beverly Daniel Tatum, PhD, nationally recognized scholar of race and education and author of the new book Peril and Promise: College Leadership in Turbulent Times (Basic Books; Sept 2, 2025).
In Peril and Promise, Dr. Tatum, known for providing straight talk about leadership that matters, draws on more than 40 years of leadership experience to provide answers to today’s leadership challenges in higher education.
After leading Spelman College as president for 13 years (2002–2015) and holding senior leadership positions at Mount Holyoke College, including interim president, dean of the college, and vice president for student affairs (1998–2002), Dr. Tatum offers a candid look at why today’s college presidency has become “the hardest job in America.” She is available for interviews to discuss the pressing challenges now dominating higher education headlines, including:
- Free Speech & Protests – How presidents balance open expression with campus safety.
- DEI Rollbacks & Affirmative Action – What happens when legal mandates collide with institutional commitments to inclusion.
- Campus Safety & Mental Health – Why leadership must adapt to gun violence threats and post-COVID mental health needs.
- Immigration & International Students – The hidden costs of anti-immigrant policies and the risks of declining global enrollment.
- Leadership & Funding Crises – How presidents can respond to federal funding freezes, shrinking enrollments, and declining public trust.
