A Global Headhunt

But state support is falling rapidly in many countries. In Britain, for example, government contributions dropped from $14,000 per student in 1990 to $9,000 in 2006, according to Universities UK. This decline has made fund-raising an increasingly necessary ability among administrators, and has hiring committees clamoring for Americans (or at least professionals with experience in the United States).

In the past few years, prominent schools around the world have joined the trend. In 2003, when Cambridge University appointed Alison Richard, another former Yale provost, as its vice chancellor, the university publicly stressed the fact that in her previous job she'd overseen "a major strengthening of Yale's financial position." Her hiring was in fact part of a larger initiative—in 2005 Cambridge launched a 10-year, $2 billion development plan, and this year Oxford followed suit with a $2.5 billion campaign of its own (accompanying story). Both schools have opened development offices in the United States, in order to tap wealthy alumni in a country already accustomed to giving.

Of course, fund-raising isn't the only skill outsiders offer. The globalization of education means that more and more "universities will be seeking heads with international experience of some kind or another" to bolster international programs and attract a global student body, says Prof. Rick Trainor, principal of King's College London and president of Universities UK. Foreigners can offer a fresh perspective on established practices. "It can be issues like why are all these people doing three-year degrees or why are the overseas fees all denominated in particular currencies," says Malcolm Gillies, the Australian vice chancellor of City University London. "You have to ask a lot of naive questions—just not too loudly." Loudly or not, such questions are more and more likely to come from Americans these days. In this area at least, U.S. exports still rule.

With William Underhill in London

© 2008