Peril and Promise - by Beverly Daniel Tatum (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

In this "timely and critically important book" (Eddie S. Glaude Jr.), a former college president and bestselling author offers leadership lessons for today's troubled campuses

Higher education is under assault from all sides. Scandals, protests, and dramatic resignations dominate the news cycle, and the pressure has grown so severe that the average tenure of university presidents has fallen to less than six years. Even so, Peril and Promise insists, American universities provide the solutions to the ignorance and division that plague our society--but only if wise, courageous leaders step up.

Blending insights from social science with many years of experience as a college president at Spelman and Mount Holyoke Colleges, Beverly Daniel Tatum celebrates the power of leadership to make higher education a force for good. Alongside an unflinching look at the financial challenges, political attacks, and social problems that besiege today's college campuses, she offers real-life leadership examples of institutions that have overcome the steepest odds and produced real transformation in ideas, student bodies, and society at large.

At once conversational and contemplative, Peril and Promise reckons with the complexities of higher education in our time, while exhorting future leaders to take up the mantle and chart a path forward for our campuses and country.

Review Quotes

"Tatum is someone with great judgment and sagacity, patience and persistence. It will be left to the next generation of college leaders to see if her example can translate into their own success. An eloquent, personal case for college leadership based on building communal governance and institutional trust."--Kirkus

"A consummate educator, Beverly Tatum has a talent for making the complex clear and engaging her audience with compelling examples. In Peril and Promise, she brings the challenges--and the opportunities--facing higher education together in a compelling narrative that will both inform and inspire her readers. Highly recommended!"

--Arne Duncan, Managing Partner, Chicago CRED and former U.S. Secretary of Education

"Peril and Promise is both a timely and necessary reflection on the state of higher education today. With the insight only an experienced college president can offer, Dr. Tatum navigates the complexities of leadership in a sector under immense pressure--from cultural shifts and political scrutiny to questions of access, equity, and purpose. This book is an essential read for anyone who cares about the future of higher education and the role it must continue to play in a just and thriving society."--Roz Brewer, Interim President, Spelman College

"With American higher education under assault, Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum has written a timely and critically important book. Peril and Promise details the challenges facing American colleges and universities and, with clarity and wisdom, she offers a brilliant roadmap to secure the future of America's crown jewel. A must read for current leaders of colleges/universities and for those who aspire to lead. And an extraordinary resource for anyone who cares about American higher education!"--Eddie S. Glaude Jr., author of Begin Again

"From 'matters of concern' to 'reasons for joy, ' Beverly Tatum's new book shares wisdom based on her decades of leadership and service in higher education. Peril and Promise has lessons for anyone who cares about colleges and universities and how to change them for the better."

--Michael S. Roth, President, Wesleyan University

About the Author

Beverly Daniel Tatum, PhD, is president emerita of Spelman College. She served as the ninth president of Spelman from 2002-2015. Her visionary leadership as president was recognized in 2013 with the Carnegie Academic Leadership Award. In 2014 she received the Award for Outstanding Lifetime Contribution to Psychology, the highest honor presented by the American Psychological Association. The author of four books, including the New York Times-bestselling Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?, she lives in Atlanta, Georgia.