Harvard's Alan Garber, Vanderbilt's Daniel Diermeier, and Princeton's Christopher Eisgruber top the 2026 University President Authority Index. Ranked by tier-one earned media authority across 12 publications.
AI governance in higher education is the operating discipline that determines which institutions absorb AI as capability and which absorb it as liability. The five components, the failure patterns, and what presidents should be asking.
Most universities have AI governance committees that are advisory, infrequent, and lack authority.
More than 100 U.S. colleges have closed or merged since 2020. The demographic cliff, unsustainable tuition discounting, and declining state support are driving a structural wave. Which institutions are at risk and how to prepare.
The president's first statement defines the crisis trajectory. The 12-hour communication cadence, the six characteristics of presidential voice that works, and the five mistakes that extend the cycle by weeks.
