Presidential Search Prospectus

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The Board of Trustees at Hodges University invites applications and nom-inations for the position of president. Hodges seeks a dynamic and visible leader to build on the institution’s well-established excellence in serving the needs of adult learners, and to help shape the next phase of its develop-ment. The next president of Hodges University will take office in July 2016.

The Search for a President at Hodges University

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Founded in 1990 as International College in Naples, Florida, Hodges University is today an independent, not-for-profit institution with campuses located in Naples and Fort Myers on the Gulf Coast in Southwest Florida. The Fort Myers campus, at which the largest share of students are enrolled, opened in 1992. The institution was re-named Hodges University in May 2007 to honor a donation from local benefactors, Earl and Thelma Hodges. 

Hodges University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Collegesto offer associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees. Through its five schools, includ-ing the Johnson School of Business, the School of Allied Health, the Nichols School of Professional Studies, the Fisher School of Technology and the School of Liberal Studies, Hodges’ offerings in-clude business and public administration, manage-ment, accounting, health administration and allied health, interdisciplinary studies, applied psychol-ogy, information technology, cyber security, and other career-oriented disciplines. The institution offers continuing education programs including the Center of Nonprofit Excellence, English as a Second Language, the Center for Lifelong Learn-ing, the Hispanic Institute, and the newly created Identity Fraud Institute.

For most of its history the institution was led by its founding president, Terry McMahan. Fiducia-ry responsibility for Hodges resides in a fourteen member Board of Trustees. Trustees are leaders in the economic and cultural life of Southwest Florida. Under the leadership of the Board and President, Hodges has established itself as the preeminent provider of adult, continuing educa-tion, and degree completion on the Gulf Coast in Southwest Florida. 

ABOUT HODGES UNIVERSITY

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Hodges University’s commitment to flexibility in serving the needs of adult learners is embodied in its multiple locations and convenient scheduling, and the both Fort Myers and Naples campuses have seen major expansions of physical facilities in recent years. 

The University enjoys close ties with the commu-nities in which it operates, enabling both student success and institutional development. With nearly 100 local employer partners, approximately 7,700 alumni live in the community and work in local management positions. Additionally, continuity on the Board of Trustees and the leadership of President McMahan have helped establish a strong donor base. 

ABOUT HODGES CONTINUED

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In its first two decades, Hodges experienced remarkably robust growth. It is fair to say that the University cornered the market for adult students in the rapidly growing Naples and Fort Myers communities during those years.  Such success surely was a product of both excellent leadership and good fortune. The Board, President McMahan, and his administrative team built an enterprising group of faculty practitioners and marketed their talent and networks to adults in the community who were eager for career development in the local boom-town economies.  

Absent much vigorous local competition, Hodges took advantage of circumstances to become the premier provider of professional education and training in the Fort Myers/Naples region. After the recession of 2008, the counter-cyclical nature of demand for enhanced job skills further drove Hodges to new heights. Indeed, the University reached its record high enrollment of more than 3,000 students in 2011.

Shortly thereafter, however, Hodges experienced some enrollment challenges. With the improve-ment in the economy, some would-be students left for full-time jobs. Other potential enrollees pur-sued online learning options that fit their sched-ules. Competition for the shrinking enrollment base increased rapidly from both for-profit and not-for-profit providers. Enrollments declined to levels not experienced since prior to the recession. 

The University has responded with a number of innovative online programs and pricing mod-els which show some early promise.  Upon the retirement of the second president, the Trustees stepped outside the organization and brought in an innovative interim leader who has worked quickly to invigorate the institution. 

THE CURRENT CONTEXT

It will take a sustained effort to return the insti-tution to stability and success. The campus and community seeks a permanent leader who can build and communicate the plan for Hodges to once again find its way forward.  The time is now for that leader to emerge.

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Leadership Agenda for the Next President of Hodges University1. Provide Dynamic and Visible Leadership Hodges University enjoyed the steady leadership of a long-standing president until recently. As Hodges moves into its next phase, dynamic and visible leadership will be needed. The next president of Hodges University will work within Southwest Florida to strengthen the institution’s ties to the community, and work with on-campus constit-uents to come together around the mission and values of the institution.

2. Telling the Hodges StoryAs one of the first fully accredited institutions devoted primarily to adult learners, Hodges Uni-versity has a proud tradition of providing vision-ary education that meets the needs of Southwest Florida communities. It now stands poised to take advantage of recent trends in higher education to enhance its position as a leader in the field. The next president of Hodges University must share the story of Hodges’ success, and articulate its path to the future.

3. Lead Strategic Initiatives Hodges University remains a renowned leader in adult and continuing education. As Hodges prepares for the next chapter in its history, the next president will need to help build upon a vision that enjoys the support of both on-campus and off-campus constituents. To ensure Hodges’ continued success, the next president will lead the broad-based effort to guide the strategic direction for Hodges’ future.

4. Harness Hodges’ ResourcesHodges University is a dedicated community of on-campus and off-campus constituents, whose passion for the university is one of the institution’s greatest assets. In order to implement the vision for the future, the next president will work with these constituents to harness the university’s human, financial and physical resources to execute future plans.

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REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

An advanced academic degree.

Progressively responsible leadership experience and success in a visible leadership role.

Track record as a campus and community leader, including building teams and providing motiva-tional inspiration.

Demonstrated experience leveraging an organiza-tion’s past success toward future improvement.

Excellent communication skills, including the ability to relate to multiple constituencies on and off campus.

Experience and personal commitment to adult learners and a diverse student body. 

Comfortable with new learning delivery models (e.g. the blended classroom).

Demonstrated fundraising success including iden-tifying both public and private donor sources.

An understanding of the academic enterprise.

A terminal academic degree.

Proven willingness and success at envisioning and implementing innovative, entrepreneurial strategic and, where necessary, transformational institution-al change.

DESIRED CHARACTERISTICS

APPLICATION AND NOMINATION PROCEDURE

In deference to the sensitivity of the positions presently held by many of those who will be nominated and considered, the search will be conducted in strict confidence until finalists are brought to campus. The University is being assisted by Academic Search, Inc. Applications should consist of a substantive cover letter that specifically addresses how the candidate’s experiences match the qualifications, a resume, and a list of five pro-fessional references with full contact information and a note indicating the nature of the applicant’s working relationship with each; references will not be contacted without explicit permission from the candidate. The position is open until filled, but only applications received by December 7, 2015, can be assured full consideration. Applications, nominations, and expressions of interest can be submitted in confidence to:HodgesPresident@academic-search.com.   

Confidential discussions about this opportunity may be arranged by contacting Senior Consultant Jerry Israel at jmi@academic-search.com, or Con-sultant Eric Richtmyer at ewr@academic-search.com, or by phone at 202-263-7485.

Hodges University is an equal-opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability or any other protected characteristics under the law in its hiring practices.

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For more than three decades, Academic Search has offered executive search services exclusively to institutions of higher education. Academic Search was founded on the principle of strengthening higher education lead-ership through professional search services. We are the only search firm in the nation with a formal relation-ship to a premier leadership development program. As the subsidiary of the American Academic Leadership Institute (AALI), Academic Search provides substantial financial support to a number of leadership identifica-tion, development, and support programs across all sectors of public and private higher education. For more information, visit www.academic-search.com.