The early days of a university presidency can feel like stepping onto a challenging new trail—filled with excitement and a bit of trepidation. To help new presidents navigate the trail successfully, most institutions have an official onboarding process coordinated by an ad hoc presidential transition team, sometimes called the “transition committee,” the  “transition advisory council”, or the “start-up guide.” While the titles and names of these teams and processes vary from institution to institution, their primary responsibility is the same: help pave a smooth and navigable changeover path.
This article is written as a complement to the emerging literature on this topic. Given that the presidential transition team is the subject of much discussion, this piece focuses on the idea of adding a new, external member to the team. For now, I have dubbed this member the “Presidential Transition Partner,” describing them as both the president’s cartographer and sherpa. I see the PTP as helping chart the terrain, set a sustainable pace, and point out the critical signposts ahead. In some cases, the PTP may be charged with leading the internal team or serving as the direct liaison between that team and the incoming president.
Who is the Presidential Transition Partner?
The Presidential Transition Partner (PTP) is a recently retired academic president who works side-by-side with the incoming leader for approximately three months before and three months after their official start date. Selected by the president-elect and, depending on institutional culture, approved by the governing board, the PTP provides steady guidance through the early stretch of the presidency. The relationship the PTP has with the internal presidential transition team is usually defined by the president-elect in consultation with the chair of the governing board.
The Unique Role of a Presidential Transition Partner: Not an Advisor or Coach
Best for practices for onboarding today’s university presidents often highlight the value of an advisor or coach. While there is great value-add in engaging such professionals, the Presidential Transition Partner is not exactly an advisor or a coach. The PTP is a “doer,” a delivery person. They come to this unique post with substantial first-hand experience and expertise. With no learning curve or start-up time, they hit the ground running. From day one, they assume responsibility for helping the incoming president undertake foundational work that would otherwise be “left for later” or piled onto the new president’s already heavy load.
Drawing on my experience both serving as and being supported by a Presidential Transition Partner (PTP), I’ve identified several core responsibilities that are essential to the role:
Key Functions of a Presidential Transition Partner
- Curating essential institutional information from the college website, posted policies, accreditation reports, and public datasets (e.g., federal scorecards).
- Synthesizing high-level themes from these sources and walking the president-elect through areas of concern or opportunity.
- Assessing the status of strategic planning and offering guidance on how to engage with current, emerging, or sunsetting plans.
- Annotating budget materials, ensuring the new president understands key financial challenges and opportunities—or can get the help they need to do so.
- Summarizing key sections in governing and operating documents such as university bylaws, employee handbooks, and collective bargaining agreements (CBAs).
- Helping plan a leadership retreat for cabinet members, rooted in the president’s evolving goals and shaped by early insights gathered during the onboarding process.
Why a PTP is Not an Internal Member of the Team?
Brings First-Hand Presidential Experience
A former president understands the breadth of institutional governance, the pressure of external constituencies, and the complexities of internal operations. They bring both professional expertise and lived experience that few current staff members can offer.
Provides Objectivity Without Internal Agenda
Unlike current administrators who understandably may want to impress their new leader, the PTP is not vying for a position, recognition or job security/promotion. They are uniquely positioned to speak hard truths, ask the right questions, and offer honest feedback—without having to do the political calculus of how this may affect them in the long term.
Offers Protective Cover
The PTP gives the new president a neutral way to ask sensitive questions or request clarity.
“The PTP and I are reviewing some of the budget reports. She asked me about a cash flow trend that looked a bit problematic. Can you, [CFO X] please help me understand the details/discrepancies/missing pieces in this report?”
Does More Than Think and Advise
The PTP doesn’t just recommend actions for the new leader—they roll up their sleeves and do some of the work themselves. They review key institutional plans, reports, metrics, governing documents, and employee manuals, then synthesize themes, assess the status of current initiatives, flag areas of concern, and prepare targeted follow-up questions for the president. Together, the PTP and president discuss not only what the information says, but what it means—perhaps collaborating on early drafts of high-level plans to address anticipated challenges and opportunities.
By doing this work before or just as the president arrives on campus, the PTP accelerates the president’s learning curve, equipping them with fact-based insights, data-driven perspectives, and a clearer view of the institutional landscape from day one.
Serves as Sounding Board for Reflection and Strategy
During the first few months of the presidency, some internal and external constituents will want to “casually” meet with the new president. Whether explicitly or implicitly, these stakeholders are interested in positioning their program as important. Following these meetings, the PTP can serve as a sounding board and perspective-shaper for the president. The two of them can revisit conversations through a strategic and long-term lens that is not always in focus during the “meet and greet” engagements.
Builds Board and Confidence
With a seasoned professional embedded in the transition, trustees and other key players gain confidence that early presidential decisions are being shaped with discernment, preparation, and context.
What the PTP Is Not
The PTP is not an executive coach, interim administrator, or crisis consultant. They neither hold line authority, an operational role, nor budgetary control. They function as an engaged and expert contributor—a trusted colleague who rolls up their sleeves to handle early summary, analysis, and review work. Part worker-bee, part presidential whisperer, part leadership “angel.”
Other Key Elements to Consider
Selection & Compensation
The incoming president selects the PTP, usually with governing board approval. Compensation is typically modest—a part-time consultancy funded by the institution or board. Some retired presidents have even expressed willingness to serve in this role pro bono.
Confidentiality & Ethics
The PTP frequently operates under an official nondisclosure agreement and discloses any potential conflicts of interest, especially if connected to prior leadership or major donors.
Evaluation & Feedback Loop
At the six-month engagement mark, the president and PTP review what worked, what didn’t, whether the agreement should be extended, and how the model could be improved for future use.
Potential to Scale
This model could be adapted across institutions or systems—a “counseling cadre” of experienced presidents offered through associations, leadership development firms, or transition networks. It could also be used as part of the onboarding process for provosts, CFOs, and other executive officers of the university.
Why Adding a Presidential Transition Partner to the Presidential Transition Team Makes Sense
The Presidential Transition Partner supports the incoming president during the most formative phase of their journey: the initial ascent. By adding an action-oriented guide with first-hand presidential experience to the internal transition team, the new leader gains the best of both worlds.
- From inside: the support, institutional knowledge, and network access of an internal presidential transition team.
- From outside: the objectivity, presidential perspective, and nuanced insights of a seasoned peer.
Rather than replacing the valuable work of transition committees, advisory councils, or professional coaches and advisors, the PTP enhances and complements those efforts—bridging the gap between offering suggestions and giving advice, and actively assisting the president in early tasks such as reviewing policies and bylaws, analyzing budgets, and summarizing key articles in faculty and staff handbooks or collective bargaining agreements. In this way, the PTP becomes one more integral member of a larger onboarding ecosystem, ensuring that the president’s early months are anchored in both collaboration and informed decision-making.
