HomePublicationsLearning to Lead, Leading to LearnPart 1 Chapter 1: A Case Study in Presidential Leadership in Perilous Times: Rhetoric, Theater Training, and Life Experience Download Chapter Book MenuLearning to Lead, Leading to Learn SectionsPart 1Part 2ChaptersPrefaceCourse Overview Chapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7Chapter 8Chapter 9Chapter 10Chapter 11Chapter 12Chapter 13Chapter 14Chapter 15Final ClassBook Resources Contributors Playbook Download BookOpen Access PDFdoi.org/10.36284/celelon.oa11ISBN: 978-1-64317-593-5April 20263.2 MBMetrics: 248 views | 61 downloadsISBN: 978-1-64317-592-8April 2026 Elaine Maimon As a former college president, provost, and senior leader, Elaine Maimon brings a wealth of experience to multiple leadership roles. But she credits what she learned as an adjunct instructor and then assistant professor who built the nation’s first writing across the curriculum program for foundational skills. In this chapter, Maimon reflects on how she built on what she learned from collaborating with colleagues about rhetorical strategies, collaboration, and consensus to high-stakes interactions, like those with the Illinois State Legislature, as she developed into an exceptional leader. Related Book Resources These video resources build on key ideas from Maimon’s chapter, illustrating how leadership is grounded in values, lived experience, and intentional decision-making. Together, they highlight how principles such as honesty, fairness, and empathy support ethical leadership, while personal history, education, and mentorship shape how leaders set priorities, navigate challenges, and act with purpose. Values and Principles Guiding Leadership Maimon highlights core human values—honesty, fairness, kindness—and foundational academic principles, showing how they guide ethical leadership and the responsibility to protect students and employees. Forging Your Values for Leadership Maimon connects leadership to lived experience, showing how personal history, mentorship, and values shape strategy. She emphasizes prioritization, “doing the next right thing,” and pairing vision with action to lead effectively without becoming overwhelmed. Example of Leading with Principles Maimon traces her leadership values to formative life experiences, including loss, financial hardship, and educational opportunity, showing how resilience and gratitude shape a leader’s perspective. She emphasizes the lasting influence of family, early schooling, and a deep appreciation for learning in guiding her priorities. Discussion QuestionsIn this chapter, Maimon describes a moment testifying before the Illinois State Legislature when she felt she effectively employed all that she had learned from her experience in rhetoric, theater, program building, and communication. When have you felt that you’ve drawn together what you’ve learned to effectively communicate something you care about as a leader? Deconstructing that moment, how did you learn to do what you did at that time? Cite this Chapter Maimon, Elaine. 2026. “A Case Study in Presidential Leadership in Perilous Times: Rhetoric, Theater Training, and Life Experience.” In Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn: A Collaborative Syllabus for Higher Education Leadership, edited by Linda Adler-Kassner and Chris W. Gallagher. Center for Engaged Learning. https://doi.org/10.36284/celelon.oa11.1. Share:
