Press Reports About Us & Our Members - LGBTQ Leaders in Higher Education

On behalf of our co-chairs, I would like to share the belated news of the death of one of our members, Richard Ortner. Richard was the president of Boston Conservatory from 1998–2017, and attended several meetings and institutes of LGBTQ Presidents in Higher Education.

Another member, Dr. Jim Gandre, president of Manhattan School of Music, knew Richard well. “I first met Richard in 2000 when I interviewed him for my dissertation which was about the seven independent conservatories in America that survived the 20th Century. At the interview, he welcomed me without hesitation and was so forthcoming about The Boston Conservatory, its history, complete with the glorious parts and the struggles. When I got to know him as a fellow conservatory president, I grew to love his out-of-the-box way of thinking and his intense passion for his work and the arts. You couldn’t help but love this guy!”

Please see the moving tribute to Richard Ortner prepared by Boston Conservatory at Berklee.

~ Terry Allison, executive director of LGBTQ Presidents in Higher Education

A Push to Meet Full Need

Inside Higher Ed – April 13, 2018

Lawrence University embarked on an ambitious plan in 2014 to join the exclusive ranks of so-called full-need colleges — those that provide financial aid to cover all tuition and fees for admitted students with “demonstrated financial need.”

LGBTQ College Presidents: Work Not Over for Those Who are ‘Out’

DIVERSE: Issues in Higher Education – May 30, 2017

When Dr. Raymond E. Crossman, president of Adler University, first helped to launch LGBTQ Presidents in Higher Education back in 2010, it began with only a dozen or so members. Today, as the organization plans to hold its third annual leadership institute in Seattle, Washington, from June 23 to 25, the organization boasts a membership of more than 80 leaders from campuses throughout the United States.

Gay College Leaders Reflect on Barriers, and How Far They’ve Come

The Chronicle of Higher Education – June 27, 2016

Raymond E. Crossman remembers exactly where he was last June when he heard that the U.S. Supreme Court had issued a ruling that effectively legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

LGBTQ Leaders Explore Pathways to Success

Diverse: Issues in Higher Education – June 26, 2016

Scheduled to coincide with NYC Pride, LGBTQ Presidents in Higher Education held its second annual LGBTQ Leadership Institute where issues and strategies were discussed and networking was key.

Interviewing Gay Candidates

Inside Higher Education – September 8, 2014

Karen M. Whitney and Jon Derek Croteau offer guideposts for interacting with candidates and finding the best talent for key academic positions.

Gay College Presidents – Organizing for Change!

Lavendar Health – August 1, 2014

“The number of gay college presidents has increased rapidly in the past seven years.” What a revelation this is! Even though I have spent my entire career in academia, I have never given much thought to the life of the presidents of these institutions .. they seem so far removed from the day to day activities of teaching classes, advising students, working on research projects, planning curriculum. And, the image of most college administrators, as in virtually all other corporate or institutional administrative circles, is laden with heterosexual messages … mostly men photographed with their wives at their side.

Gay Presidents Organize

Inside Higher Education – July 24, 2014

The number of openly gay college presidents has increased rapidly in the past seven years. And next year, a group of presidents will host a conference for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer academics who want to climb the college leadership ladder.

In 2014, More Openly LGBT Presidents

Ryan P. Adserias – July 24, 2014

Inside Higher Ed ran this story about the increase in the number of openly LGBTQ-identified college presidents. In 2007, there were only a handful of visible LGBTQ presidents; now in 2014, the organization LGBTQ Presidents in Higher Education boasts a membership 48 strong.

College Chief Speaks Out on Coming Out

The Chronicle of Higher Education – February 3, 2014

Raymond E. Crossman, president of the Adler School of Professional Psychology, discusses the myths that persist about gay presidents in academe.

LGBTQ Presidents Advise Job Seekers

Women in Higher Education – April 2011

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and questioning persons looking to become college presidents should be honest about their identities, advised members of the new LGBTQ Presidents in Higher Education group during the annual meeting of the American Council on Education.

Gay Academics Find New Paths to the Top

The Chronicle of Higher Education – March 27, 2011

At Roosevelt University, a no big deal gay president is known mostly for his accomplishments.

Meeting Of LGBTQ Presidents In Higher Education

Antioch University Los Angeles – November 23, 2010

This past weekend, November 21 and 22, 2010, the second Meeting of the LGBTQ Presidents in Higher Education took place on the AULA campus. President Neal King was especially pleased to host the distinguished group of educational leaders.

Antioch University Los Angeles to Host the Second Annual Meeting of LGBTQ Presidents in Higher Education

GBM News – November 19, 2010

The Second Annual Meeting of LGBTQ Presidents in Higher Education will take place on November 21 and 22, 2010. The meeting will be hosted by Antioch University Los Angeles (AULA) in Culver City, California.

Gay University Presidents Organize

Chicago Tribune – September 16, 2010

Raymond Crossman remembers trying to fit in and find a comfort level while in college. He recalls getting involved with an organization that required a written request to a nondescript mailbox where names were not included and a secret rendezvous was arranged off campus.

Gay College Presidents Form Group

The Washington Post – August 9, 2010

Nine openly gay college presidents gathered in Chicago last weekend and resolved to form an organization to provide professional support to “out” presidents and faculty.

Out Presidents

Inside Higher Ed – August 9, 2010

Nine college and university presidents gathered in Chicago over the weekend and decided to form a new organization that will promote the professional development of gay academics as well as work on education and advocacy issues.

Do Ask, Do Tell

Chicago Reader – July 22, 2010

In August 2007, the Chronicle of Higher Education created a stir by reporting that the appointment of Sean Buffington to the top job at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts had boosted the number of openly gay university presidents in the United States to three. The others cited were Ralph Hexter of Hampshire College and Roosevelt University’s Charles Middleton, who said a “Plexiglas ceiling” had been keeping gays out of academia’s top administrative job. Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force at the time, told the Chronicle the number was a disgrace given that “there’s no shortage of gay people” in higher education.

Gay College Presidents To Meet In Chicago

The Chronicle of Higher Education – May 27, 2010

Openly gay or lesbian college presidents are few and far between. But their numbers are growing, and a group is forming to bring them together in a city where they aren’t so rare: Chicago, which has three openly gay college chiefs.