Re: Skills gap
When I started out at the RI, I worked for a real boss who took care of his employees, communicated well and kept all employees abreast of everything about the company's goals and financial aspects. When new Directors took over, that closeness and care for/about the employees went away. While we never had a "grand vizier," we did have men (all men in this instance) who didn't care to maintain the closeness with employees. The last one had potential and he was turning into a great director. So how long will he stay before moving on? Success breeds opportunity--elsewhere. And HR was already entrenched.
Part of the problem at Universities is the University mentality where higher education is prized above all, including performance.