NEW YORK (MainStreet) — If you think that students are the only ones who are uptight about the future of higher ed, think again. College presidents, who are way up the food chain compared to rank and file undergrads, are concerned as well. And based on a recent Gallup Poll, they'd rather not be identified when expressing their opinions.

According to the poll conducted by Gallup Education in conjunction with Inside Higher Education, fewer than four of ten college presidents are confident about the future of their college or university’s finances. A total of 647 college and university leaders from public, private, nonprofit and for-profit higher education institutions responded to the survey. Presidents were not identified by name with a view toward encouraging them to speak freely, but their answers were coded by type of institution so results could be analyzed on a sector by sector basis.

Leticia McCadden, a Washington, D.C.-based public relations specialist at Gallup said, "For-profit institutions are included in the sample,” but noted that “Data for this sub-group of college presidents are not reported due to the sample not meeting a minimum reporting threshold."

"Gallup guarantees the anonymity of respondents unless they grant permission to share their identity or responses," said McCadden. "A high level of assurance regarding anonymity is, of course, a hallmark of Gallup’s survey research practices."

The poll found that college presidents are not sold on the Obama administration's proposal to make community college tuition-free for students with a minimum 2.0 GPA, although some are more opposed than others. The majority of community college heads--68% of them--are in favor of the idea while only 20% of private non-profit colleges like the idea, which has the potential to lure competent students away from their campuses. The Obama college rating system rated low, although the survey didn’t ask for alternatives. "There were no follow-up questions regarding alternative ratings possibilities, though this is certainly an important potential line of inquiry for future studies," said McCadden.

Most presidents want to be more involved in decisions that concern granting tenure, a tricky process that can include a department chair, departmental and campus committees, the dean and the vice president of the institution. It's also a task that may be unlikely to lead to a significant bump in a president’s work load, since the percentage of tenured faculty is shrinking rapidly as adjuncts represent about 75% of the nation's classroom workforce.

College and university presidents are hesitant to express their views about important issues publicly, and believe their opinions will have a limited impact. The survey found that 74% think that presidents "face significant risk if they take controversial positions." Only one in five believes presidents have "real influence on public policy" when they express views on issues not directly related to higher education. But half fear offending donors and trustees and, in the case of public institutions, elected officials that may be involved in making appointments

While budgetary problems aren't contagious, they are crossing state lines in epidemic fashion. Arizona plans to end all state funding for two major community college districts. Louisiana and Wisconsin are weighing huge cuts in support for public higher education. Where the buck—and the bucks—will stop is unpredictable. The shutdown of Sweet Briar College, a 114-year-old women's liberal arts school located in Sweet Briar, Va., shocked many observers of independent colleges, as the institution is considered far from the most financially vulnerable in the sector, at least currently.

56% of the college presidents surveyed said their institution's financial model was sustainable over the next five years; 39% said theirs was sustainable for over a decade.

--Written by John Sandman for MainStreet