Seven Tips for Handling Change at the Top

Change is inevitable, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. An international program can be running smoothly when, suddenly, a senior leader—or sometimes more than one—decides to move on from the institution. While the change is unsettling, it’s also natural.

“There’s a tendency to be afraid of transition, especially if the person is beloved and has been an advocate for your area,” says Cheryl Matherly, vice president and vice provost for international affairs at Lehigh University. “You need to recognize that leadership transition is normal. An organization that is doing good work is going to find its footing.”

Navigating smoothly through transition helps the international program stay on track—and can even open up new opportunities. Here are seven tips to help senior international officers (SIOs) cope with leadership change at their institutions.

1. Recognize that new leadership sets the agenda.

If you think that somehow your office won’t be affected when there’s a change in senior leadership, think again.

“It’s inevitable when you have leadership transition at that level that it’s going to impact you,” says Matherly. “Especially when you’re dealing with a president and a provost”—as was the case at Lehigh in 2020 and 2021—“they’re hired to set the agenda for the university. It’s inevitable that those within the international office are going to have to be prepared to navigate a new direction because that’s what leadership change means.”

Presidents and provosts are leaders who set the agenda and carry the institution forward; they need to be both visionary and