Term Limits in Academic Public Health Administration

Area of Science:

• Public Health Leadership
• Academic Administration
• Health Policy

Background:

• Leadership positions in academic public health, such as deans, directors, and chairs, play a crucial role in shaping the field.
• The current practices regarding appointment processes and term limits for these leadership roles are not widely understood.
• Understanding these practices and leadership perspectives is essential for effective governance and strategic planning in public health schools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the appointment processes and existing term limits for deans, directors, and chairs in schools and programs of public health.
• To gather the views of these leaders on the appropriateness and potential implementation of term limits.

Main Methods:

• A 10-question electronic survey was distributed to 127 deans and program directors affiliated with the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health.
• The survey was conducted in November and December 2019, yielding a response rate of 46% (58 respondents).

Main Results:

• Most deans and directors (45/54) currently serve without term limits; 9 have terms of 3-5 years without limits on the number of terms.
• Strong support was found for term limits to promote diversity (40/51) and succession planning (40/51).
• Significant support also exists for arguments against term limits, including maintaining stable leadership (40/51), leadership development (37/51), and preserving institutional memory (35/51).
• A majority of respondents (27/53) felt that more restrictive term limits would be appropriate compared to their current situations.

Conclusions:

• Term limits for leadership in academic public health are currently rare, but a considerable number of deans and directors perceive them as appropriate.
• These findings suggest that schools and programs of public health may benefit from reviewing and potentially revising their existing policies on leadership term limits.