The purpose of this study was to identify perceptions of selected two-year and four-year higher education chief executive officers as to the sources of stress associated with the presidency, and what, if any, coping strategies they have developed. This study was guided by the following research questions: 1. What perceptions do selected two-year and four-year higher education chief executive officers have of sources of stress associated with their job that may cause distress? 2. What is the degree of distress associated with each source of stress as perceived by each individual? 3. What are the coping strategies utilized by each individual when distress replaces the normal tension and pressure associated with his job? A survey packet containing a descriptive questionnaire and open-ended questions was used to determine the perceptions of selected two-year and four-year public chief executive officers in the states of Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. Five Carnegie Classifications of colleges and universities were selected in order to establish a control group (N = 140) with similar types of distress that may be associated with the presidency based on the level of the degree offered and the comprehensiveness of the mission of the institution. The data collected from the 92 useable returned questionnaires were entered into a data base for computer analysis and calculations. Specifically, descriptive statistics of the mean, standard deviation and Z-score were used to calculate the degree of distress for each source of stress. Open-ended questions were used to clarify responses on the questionnaire and to examine coping strategies utilized by the respondents. Based on the results, eight primary sources of job stress were identified. The top three were budget, state coordinating/governing agency and career conflict with spouse. Positive and potential negative initial and preferred coping strategies were listed by the respondents. In conclusion, presidents were able to identify primary sources of stress · in order to develop positive coping techniques. Further research is needed to explore stress and coping within the leadership of higher education. / Ed. D.