Lots of media entities publish lists of higher-education leaders. You know the format: a headshot, a brief capsule, maybe a No. 1 selection.
We wanted to do more than that.
At BINJE, our 2026 BINJE’s Best: Higher Education Leaders is designed as a complete review of the academic year that’s finishing up. But it’s more than a yearbook; it’s an end-of-the-term group project — one that reflects the people, programs and priorities shaping higher education right now.
Inside, you’ll find numerous categories, with a No. 1 selection in each, including:
- Fouryear college presidents
- Community college presidents
- Business deans
- STEM professors
And because leadership extends far beyond the president’s office, we offer the best of the best Campus Leaders, a category recognizing the professionals who keep institutions running day to day — those in government relations, communications, internship programs, campus safety and more.
Colleges are growing and changing. So, we also spotlight the best new schools and the most impactful construction projects redefining campuses across the region. And we have a story highlighting some of the state’s unique courses and programs.
But that’s not all.
Being true to our role as a business publication, we examine where education meets workforce demand — highlighting standout workforce development programs and AIled initiatives, with a No. 1 honor in each category.
Capsules and headshots? Yes — more than four dozen of them, honoring the best of the best. But this issue offers far more than that. (Yes, we print it. Yes, we mail it.)
Here’s hoping we made the grade.
