NACCE's 2026 President & CEO Reading Challenge!

The Second Stop: "Transforming Higher Education" by Dr. Mary Landon Darden

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Book Back Cover Description for Transforming Higher Education:

In the face of an unprecedented and existential crisis in higher education, this book presents specific, inspirational success stories from a variety of institutions, all of which have creatively overcome many of the challenges confronting colleges and universities in these calamitous times. It sparks hope for even the most profound transformation and provides examples of readily available tools to get the job done. If you are seeking a leadership pathway into thriving for both now and into the future, this is the place to begin and advance. Authors Darden and Kile present vivid stories from across the country of the emerging technologies, industry and civic partnerships, creative revenue stream development, bold crisis management, dramatic organizational change, innovation and customized innovative processes to generate enrollment, student success, and academic flourishing and enable schools to overcome even the greatest hurdles to emerge triumphant.

Darden’s earlier books include Entrepreneuring Higher Education: Transformation in Times of Profound Change (winner of the 2021 American Bookfest Award in Education and named “one of the best education books of all time” by BookAuthority) and Beyond 2020: Envisioning the Future of Higher Education in America (which has been used as a doctoral-level textbook at Harvard University and other top institutions).  

Dr. Mary Landon Darden is a higher education futurist, author, and leadership expert. She is the Founder and President of Higher Education Innovation LLC, which began in in 2015. The mission of HEI is to “transform higher education.” Darden is the author of three books co-published with the American Council on Education and Bloomsbury Publishing including “Entrepreneuring” the Future of Higher Education: Radical Transformation in Times of Profound Change (2021), which is the Winner of the 2021 American Book Fest Award (education/scholarly) and was named one of the “best higher education books of all time” by “Bookauthority.” This book is that rare nuts-and-bolts guide, based on research and experience, that provides the essential tools for colleges and universities to switch from barely surviving to thriving. Assisted by an impressive array experts and visionaries, Darden presents a do-able roadmap out of the morass of escalating costs and decreasing revenue. Beyond 2020: Envisioning the Future of Universities in America (2009) provides a detailed roadmap to the perils and promise of the Information Age – as it directly applies to the future of American universities. It was adopted as a textbook in the higher education administration doctoral program at Harvard University and is also being used as a strategic planning tool for a number of universities nationwide. It is designed for administrators and higher education scholars. Darden’s third book with co-writer Joanna Kile is titled Transforming Higher Education: How Bold and Innovative Leaders Entrepreneur the Future (2025) and shares success stories of entrepreneurial institutions, presidents, and administrators.

Darden served in higher education leadership in colleges and universities for more than two decades. She holds a doctorate from the Scholars of Practice program in Higher Education Administration at Baylor University. Her dissertation title is Women Presidents in Four-Year Colleges and Universities: An Analysis of Reported Changeable Attributes Contributing to Their Success (2006).    

Darden has received awards for administrative achievements, including the 2001 National Exemplary Award in Community Education from The National Council of Continuing Education and Training. She was named by CIO Views magazine as one of the 2023 “Top Ten Most Visionary Leaders Transforming Education”  She was named by CIO Views magazine as one of the 2023 “Top Ten Most Visionary Leaders Transforming Education,” by The Knowledge Review magazine as one of the “Most Inspirational Leaders Empowering the Education Sector in 2024,” and by The Leaders Globe magazine as one of the “Five Most Inspiring Leaders Transforming the Future of Higher Education in 2024.” Darden is a regular speaker on the topics of leadership and the future of higher education. She has been a keynote speaker for both national and international conferences, including ACE, CEPA, CAP, STATMATS, NCCET, The League for Innovation, and the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. 

Through HEI, Darden works with colleges and universities preparing presidents and future presidents to transform their institutions.

Darden received the 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin and the 2024 Distinguished Baylor University Alumna Award from The Baylor Line Foundation. She has long been active in social justice issues and was recognized nationally for her work in mobilizing churches in Central Texas to respond to the humanitarian crisis following Hurricane Katrina.

Darden lives in Waco, Texas with her husband Baylor University Professor Emeritus Robert F. Darden. They have three grown children and four grandchildren.        

Website:  https://www.heisuccess.com

"As a champion of entrepreneurship in higher education, I found Transforming Higher Education be a compelling call to action. The real-world case examples from small rural colleges to large urban institutions underscore that all colleges have the capacity to turn challenge into opportunity with innovative action and bold leadership."

— Dr. Rebecca Corbin, President & CEO of the National Association of Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE)