Transformational Christian College and University Presidents: An Examination of Fundraising Success

The nature of presidential leadership styles at Christian higher education institutions was examined through the lens of fundraising. There has been a growing understanding that college and university presidents are being called on to play a more significant role in the leadership of their institutions, particularly in light of the fiscal challenges facing higher education. More recently, research has begun to focus on the specific character traits and practices of transformational leaders in an attempt to discern if there are significant differences in organizational and personal outcomes in a variety of settings. By understanding what leadership practices are transformational in nature and their association with successful fundraising, Christian college and university presidents can become more effective leaders as they face the fiscal challenges of higher education. The relationship between the leadership practices of a Christian college or university president and fundraising success was studied to determine if any correlations existed between the practice of leadership and fundraising. The research utilized data collected from institution presidents and administrators through the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) and institution reported data on fundraising. The data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. There was a significant correlation between the practice of individual consideration and fundraising effectiveness r = .445, p=.049, reaching the .05 significance level. There were differences in the grouped means of the transformational, transactional and laissez-faire presidents, but the differences were not statistically significant. Finally, the leadership practices of individual consideration and management-by-exception (passive) combined to account for 37% of the variance in fundraising success