Higher‑education administrators are confronting two linked problems: managing institutional change and making zero‑sum staffing choices. Thought leadership pieces urge better training for emerging leaders to navigate complex transformations, while campus budget debates focus on which new staff lines—tutors, librarians, advisers or financial aid officers—deliver the biggest impact on student success. Experts argue that change management must be taught as a core competency for academic leaders, with practical toolkits and governance structures to speed decisions. At the same time, finance directors are asking for empirical metrics to prioritize investments in roles that most affect retention and completion—an unresolved question that has prompted calls for new applied research and data infrastructure. The intersection of leadership capacity and scarce resources means boards and presidents must weigh near‑term operational needs against long‑run institutional missions when allocating new hires.