Several years ago, I stepped into the role of interim vice chancellor while continuing to serve as dean of students. COVID had just upended higher education, and I was tasked with steadying the institution through a time of deep uncertainty. It was one of the most challenging professional stretches I’ve faced, navigating a pandemic, supporting students and staff, and trying to keep the institution moving forward, all without clarity on whether I’d be offered the role permanently. I wasn’t. At the time, that was a painful outcome; with distance, I see the experience differently. It stretched me, taught me, and ultimately positioned me for the work I do today. That perspective has shaped how I think about interim leadership, including the challenges, risks, and surprising gifts. 

What I didn’t fully understand at the time, though, was how leadership limbo reverberates beyond the interim leader. Transitions don’t land evenly across a campus. When stability at the top feels uncertain, the burden often falls hardest on those already navigating structural inequities: first-generation students, marginalized staff, and departments stretched thin. In these moments, interim leaders must hold operational threads together while also safeguarding trust, morale, and a sense of fairness for the community watching what happens next.

These lessons feel increasingly relevant today, as interim roles become more common across higher education. Hiring freezes, budget constraints, and leadership churn have made permanent placements more complex and interim appointments more frequent. According to 2023 research from the American Council on Education, 55% of sitting college and university presidents planned to step down in the next five years. A quarter expected to leave within one to two years, and more than one in four planned to retire without taking another position. That volume of transition is already being felt on campuses and often being bridged by interim leaders.

And while interim roles are often framed as “temporary solutions,” they shape institutional culture in real time. For students and employees, leadership instability can create confusion about priorities, slow decision making, and amplify feelings of vulnerability, especially in communities that rely on consistent advocacy to ensure access, support, and voice. In that sense, interim leadership is never neutral. It can either deepen uncertainty or become a stabilizing force that protects equity and belonging during change.

The individuals stepping into these roles face unique challenges. It is a job defined by contradictions: full responsibility with uncertain authority, high expectations without long-term guarantees, and the constant balancing act of leading today while wondering what tomorrow will hold.

Risks of Interim Roles

To serve as an interim means you’re in charge, but not secure. You make decisions, shape strategy, and maintain stability. And all of this happens with the quiet knowledge that your future in the position, and sometimes your future within the institution, remains unresolved.

If you want the job permanently, each day can feel like a high-stakes audition. Every meeting, every decision, every email becomes part of your unspoken “interview.” Mistakes feel amplified. What might be considered a normal misstep for a permanent leader could instead be perceived as disqualifying for an interim.

If you don’t want the permanent role, a different challenge emerges as you seek to provide steady leadership while preparing to hand over the reins. Either way, the stakes are high, and the personal toll can be significant.

What’s also true is that uncertainty at the top can create a “ripple effect” across campus. Students may wonder whether services will remain funded or whether institutional commitments will hold. Staff may hesitate to move initiatives forward without knowing what the next leader will prioritize. In highly relational environments like higher education, instability is felt far beyond senior leadership, influencing the whole campus.

And even when the interim period ends, complications remain. If you’re hired permanently, the pressure shifts. The people who knew you as a colleague must now adjust to seeing you as the long-term leader.

If you’re not selected, returning to your old role can be awkward. Will the new leader see you as a partner or as a competitor? Will colleagues treat you differently because you once held the job? The emotional whiplash of moving from decision maker to subordinate can be jarring, and institutions rarely provide much guidance for navigating that transition.

How Institutions Can Support Interims

Because interim leaders face unique challenges, they need unique support. Colleagues and supervisors can help in important ways:

  • Acknowledge the limbo | Simply recognizing that interim roles come with uncertainty can ease the isolation many interims feel.
  • Clarify authority | Give interims clear guidance on their decision-making scope. Avoid the trap of expecting them to “keep the seat warm” while also holding them accountable for outcomes.
  • Reaffirm equity commitments | Name what must remain nonnegotiable during the transition (student support, access priorities, and community well-being), so interims can lead with confidence, and the campus feels protected rather than adrift.
  • Offer mentorship | Pairing interims with trusted advisors inside or outside the institution can help them process challenges and avoid burnout.
  • Be patient | Allow space for interims to grow into the role. They may not have sought the position, and time is needed to build confidence and trust.
  • Debrief interims | At the end of their term, regardless of outcome, host a reflection session on lessons learned and successes achieved.

What Interims Can Do for Themselves

While interim roles can feel precarious, they also bring unique opportunities. Interims often have a license to experiment in ways permanent leaders might not. They can pilot new ideas, try fresh approaches, or reset dynamics in ways that help pave the path for the next leader.

When supported properly, interims provide critical stability during transitions. More importantly, they remind us that leadership is not only about titles and permanence. It is about stepping into uncertainty, serving the institution, and leaving it stronger than you found it, regardless of how long you sit in the chair.

For colleagues, the call is clear: Support your interims, recognize the unique pressures they face, and extend grace for the challenges of leading in limbo. For those serving as interims, the charge is to focus on what you can control, nurture relationships, and protect your well-being.

In the end, interim leadership is less about waiting for the “real” leader and more about doing real leadership in real time, often in the most challenging circumstances. And for institutions, it’s also a test of character: How we treat our interim leaders, and how we care for our communities during leadership gaps, signals what we truly value.