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Brooke Barnett, president of Rollins College, was featured in Inside Higher Ed on April 21, 2026, in a co-authored opinion essay offering academic leaders a practical framework for evaluating the effectiveness of their institutional advancement teams. The piece arrives at a moment when colleges and universities face mounting financial pressures and growing expectations for philanthropic support, making the partnership between academic leadership and advancement more consequential than ever.

Co-authored with Jonathan Purvis, vice president for advancement and marketing at Butler University, the essay draws on the authors' combined six decades of experience across diverse institution types, including large public land-grant universities, regional comprehensives, and liberal arts colleges. Barnett and Purvis introduce a diagnostic framework built around two essential elements that must be balanced—disposition and data. The piece identifies the qualities that distinguish effective advancement leaders, outlines key performance indicators that signal program health, and provides a practical diagnostic matrix for academic leaders to assess whether their team is positioned to support the institution's highest aspirations. The authors also draw on interviews with presidents from a range of institution types, offering a field-tested resource for current and aspiring academic leaders.

As the 16th president of Rollins College, Barnett brings to the conversation a perspective shaped by her career across faculty, dean, associate provost, and provost roles before assuming the presidency. Her thought leadership in this space reflects an ongoing commitment to strengthening the partnerships between academic affairs and advancement that fuel institutional progress—a particular priority at mission-driven institutions like Rollins, where philanthropy and giving support student scholarships, faculty research, and the College's distinctive liberal arts experience.

Learn more about Rollins, a nationally ranked liberal arts college in Winter Park, Florida, and the leadership team shaping its future.