The purpose of this basic interpretive study was to understand how Christian college and university presidents engage in leadership development and how they perceive the potential effectiveness of a formal succession planning program. A total of 16 participants were interviewed for this study, which consisted of current and former presidents and one executive of an organization that works closely with private college and university presidents. The study revealed that all presidents are engaging in leadership development at their institution in either a formal or informal manner, or a combination of both. The study also found that, while many of the participants noted an appreciation for such an intentional approach to training the institution's next president, there are a number of important factors that are too difficult to control. This led some participants to believe that instituting such a program would be insurmountable, while others believed the benefits would outweigh the challenges. The research concluded with three propositions for institutions desiring a culture of internal promotion and intentional leadership development practices. The first proposal included the incorporation of a succession planning program to provide an institution's Board of Trustees with a cadre of internal presidential candidates. The second suggestion included providing senior-level leaders, department chairs, deans, associate vice presidents, vice presidents, and others, with executive-level training. This training goes beyond increasing competencies for current roles and prepares them for greater institutional responsibilities. The final recommendation involved providing professional development for employees at all levels across the institution. Ideally, doing so would incite a greater desire for leadership and a larger pool of qualified candidates for supervisory positions across the institution. [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://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]