A late-year surge of presidential hires swept colleges and universities, with boards naming leaders across public and private campuses in December. Appointments announced include Brendan Kelly at Eastern Michigan University, Moez Limayem at the University of South Florida, Rebecca Cantor at Austin College, Matthew Baker at Emporia State and Will Dudley at Claremont McKenna College. Boards cited enrollment growth, community engagement and student-success priorities in their selections. Several incoming presidents are due to start in early 2026, signaling an administration turnover that will shape recruitment, budgeting and strategic priorities ahead of the spring term. The cluster underscores how governing boards are accelerating leadership changes before legislative sessions and transition dates, a pattern that may compress onboarding timelines and heighten early-term scrutiny of new presidents’ plans for enrollment and finances.