Tag Archives: Lisa Rudgers

Why College Presidents Benefit from Coaching

The essay below, by Mary Sue Coleman and Lisa Rudgers, originally appeared April 20, 2021, in Inside Higher Ed.

Mary Sue Coleman

Being a college president is tough under the best of circumstances. While the pandemic has exponentially expanded the day-to-day work and uncertainty, the job has in truth always been extremely challenging. Pressures from stakeholders across the institution, economic and political stressors, and the precariousness of the sector’s financial model can threaten to undermine even the most determined leader’s ability to sustain forward momentum.

Lisa Rudgers

This is especially true for those taking on higher education’s CEO role for the first time. New presidents must learn how to navigate the institution’s governance and culture, all while balancing the seemingly endless demands from internal and external constituents.

Increasingly, wise boards of trustees and campus leaders are recognizing that executive coaching and mentoring can be an important component in successful presidential leadership over the long haul. Although executive coaching is common in the corporate sector, higher education has been slower to understand the benefits that external coaching and expertise can bring to bear — and the reasons why an experienced, outside perspective is so valuable. Here’s what we’ve learned. Continue reading

A New Partner at PRG

We are delighted to announce that Steve Kloehn, a senior leader in higher education and communications, has joined co-founders Julie Peterson and Lisa Rudgers as a partner in the Peterson Rudgers Group.

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Expanding Our Reach

As Peterson Rudgers Group launches a new year, we have terrific news. Julie and I are delighted to announce two new associates: James Cohen and Debra Serwach. Jim and Debbie will help us continue to expand our reach, our impact…and our joy. Our work partnering with clients in strategy, communications and leadership has been especially rewarding, as is teaming with our talented colleagues.

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We’re two years in, and PRG is expanding

As we approach the second anniversary of our founding, Peterson Rudgers Group is growing! In addition to our two founding partners, Lisa Rudgers and Julie Peterson, we’re delighted to announce that four talented and highly valued colleagues—Steve Kloehn, Colleen Newquist, Grant Schexnider and Sandra Mars—have signed on as associates of PRG. They’ll allow us to expand our reach and impact while maintaining the same high level of expert counsel our clients expect from us—plus they’re smart and creative and a complete joy to work with.

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