The President: Leader or Institution

• Date: 01 September 1961
• DOI: 10.1177/106591296101400361
• Published date: 01 September 1961
• Author: Howard J. McMurray
• Subject Matter: Articles

47

of

lay

members

without

infringing

upon

the

freedom

of

institutions

so

necessary

to

the

promotion

of

a

vigorous

educational

system.

But

the

professional

staff

of

the

board

must

have

a

thorough

knowledge

of

higher

education

and

be

thoroughly

cognizant

of

the

values

which

it

contributes

to

society.

The

ability

and

outlook

of

the

professional

executive

officer

of

the

board,

more

than

any

other

factors,

determine

the

effectiveness

of

the

coordinating

effort.&dquo;

The

Presidency

THE

PRESIDENT:

LEADER

OR

INSTITUTION

HOWARD

J.

McMURRAY

University

of

New

Mexico

One

wonders

if

the

office

of

the

President

is

really

understood

even

though

no

subject

in

American

government

and

politics

has

received

so

much

attention

from

writers

at

home

and

abroad.

Those

delegates

who

met

in

Philadelphia

in

1787

wanted

a

central

director

who

could

not

become

a

tyrant,

and

to

secure

this,

they

created

the

presidency

and

the

institution

of

the

separation

of

powers.

Both

are

unique

-

neither

had

existed

before,

the

writings

of

Montesquieu

to

the

contrary

notwithstanding,

and

neither

has

been

copied

successfully

even

though

as

governmental

institutions

they

are

old.

The

President

is,

by

constitutional

provision,

Chief

of

State.

His

duties

as

ceremonial

head

of

the

government

are

many,

diverse

and

burdensome.

Al-

though

they

sometimes

add

to

his

prestige,

influence,

and

public

personality,

they

steal

his

time,

energy,

and

will

to

perform

the

more

useful

functions

of

govern-

ing.

As

Chief

Executive,

his

administrative

duties

and

responsibilities

are

exten-

sive,

diverse,

exacting,

and

confusing

to

him

and

to

the

millions

he

directs.

The

President’s

powers

and

responsibilities

in

foreign

affairs,

also,

are

huge,

time-consuming,

and

enervating.

Leadership,

here

as

elsewhere,

must

be

con-

tinuous.

And

as

in

making

and

keeping

the

peace,

only

central

authority

can

wage

war

successfully.

So

the

President

is

the

Commander

in

Chief

in

our

system.

Both

the

power

and

responsibility

are

truly

frightening.

The

Constitution

also

assigns

to

the

President

the

function

of

Legislative

Leader.

A

legislature

responsible

for

leadership

in

the

government

could

and

would

provide

legislative

leadership:

however,

with

governmental

leadership

taken

away,

it

is

not

possible

for

it

to

provide

legislative

leadership

for

itself.

Sometimes

the

President

can

and

will

assume

this

function

and

we

move.

At

times

presidents

will

not

or

cannot

and

we

stagnate.

The

President

is

the

leader

of

his

party

and

the

party

has

become

the

chief

instrument

of

government

throughout

the

democratic

world.

The

Founding

Fathers

did

not

plan

this

-

in

fact

they

labored

mightily

to

prevent

it.

They

did

not

want

rule

by

&dquo;the

rich,

the

well-born

and

the

good.&dquo;

They

were

unknow-

ingly

running

against

the

major

emerging

forces

of

their

time,

against

the

course