As the higher education industry considers the leadership implications of globalization, technological advances, and an increasingly complex market, the traditional role of the college president may need to be redefined. To determine whether the role of presidents in for-profit colleges--particularly those owned by publicly traded companies--could be considered as an alternative approach, this qualitative multiple case study explores and describes the role of college presidents. Because this segment of higher education leadership has been, until now, unexplored, this study sought to describe the role of for-profit college presidents from the vantage point of five veteran for-profit presidents. What we learn is they view themselves primarily as business people managing complex operations, focusing on business metrics, and attending to the quality of the education their schools deliver. They distinguish themselves from traditional college presidents not through their organizational structure (profit vs. nonprofit) but through their philosophy of education and the career-based missions of their schools. With varied backgrounds and without the levels of academic credentials held by their peers in traditional colleges, these campus leaders spend the majority of their time meeting with and guiding their management teams to achieve results measured by student outcomes (graduation, placement and student satisfaction) and financial performance. What we do not learn from this study is whether their focus on finance, planning, managing others, academics, admissions, and managing by key metrics is an appropriate model for leading colleges in the 21st century; however, the study does provide insight into the people and their roles as it explores their academic background, professional experience, and their commitment to a model of management that may or may not be a model for successful leadership in higher education in the 21st century. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]