Millions of Americans follow their passions every day as small-business owners in our nation's free enterprise system, which has created more prosperity than any other economic system in the history of the world.
It’s all about clearly defining the role and avoiding being underfoot, writes Steven Bahls. I’ve seen presidents emeriti deeply resent not being asked for more advice or resentful of the changes their successor made. I’ve also seen a few retired presidents undermine their successors with excess presence on or engagement with campus in a way that made it more difficult for their successors to shine. Worse yet, I’ve witnessed how a shrug from president emeritus (e.g. “I don’t know about the new president’s views because she/he seldom contacts me” or “they didn’t talk to me before they did that”) can erode confidence in a new president.