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Position and Candidate Specification

Centre College President

Centre College is a small, independent, and selective educational community dedicated to study in the liberal arts as a means to develop the intellectual, personal, and moral potential of its students. Centre nurtures in its students the ability to think logically and critically, to work creatively, to analyze and compare values, and to write and speak with clarity and grace. It acquaints students with the range of accomplishments of the human mind and spirit in a variety of arts and theoretical disciplines. It enables students to choose and fulfill significant responsibilities in society. In short, Centre’s highest priority is to prepare its students for lives of learning, leadership, and service.

A long and rich tradition of tolerance, freedom of enquiry, and community informs all aspects of college life. Centre accomplishes its goals in an atmosphere of caring and respectful relationships among faculty, students, and staff, aided by its broadly conceived, nonsectarian, Judeo-Christian heritage. This tradition commits Centre to a belief in the unconditional value of each human being, to an appreciation of the differences among people, and to a recognition of the close connection between responsible self-development and community well-being.

Confidential: This document has been prepared for the exclusive use of the client named. Because it contains confidential information, its use should be controlled and limited to the executives concerned. This information is given in good faith and is believed to be correct but may require verification. CENTRE COLLEGE About Centre Centre College

BACKGROUND AND RECENT GROWTH

Centre College was founded by Presbyterian leaders and officially chartered by the Kentucky Legislature on January 21, 1819. The name reflects the College’s location in the geographic “centre” of Kentucky. Instruction began in Old Centre—the College’s first building—in the fall of 1820, with a faculty of two and a student body of five, and classes followed the classical curriculum of the day, including Latin, Greek, rhetoric, and logic. Despite early financial hardships, disputes within and outside of the Presbyterian Church, and several wars (including the occupation of Old Centre by both Confederate and Union troops), Centre has remained open and committed to its educational mission since its founding.

Centre is a place of high achievement and high opportunity. Today, Centre offers more than 50 majors, minors, pre-professional and dual degree programs, and graduate partnerships. Students may also design their own major in consultation with an advisor. Study abroad, an internship experience or undergraduate mentored research, and graduation in four years are all guaranteed as integral to the College’s values, forming what is known as the Centre Commitment. The campus is also home to the Norton Center for the Arts, which brings world-renowned performers to central Kentucky and has hosted two vice presidential debates.

Centre’s faculty are the heart of the institution. From one-to-one mentoring to a home-cooked meal and informal conversation, faculty get to know students. Centre has a 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio, with 61 percent of its classes comprised of 20 students or fewer. First-year retention rates stand at 91 percent. Modest and measured enrollment growth over the last five years has expanded total undergraduate enrollment to approximately 1,400 students, with additional net student revenue supporting faculty hires that have added depth and breadth to the overall academic program.

Centre College has seen unprecedented growth over the last two decades under the leadership of President John Roush, improving and adding strength according to every barometer of success. As Centre anticipates a change of leadership, it does so at an auspicious moment, having just celebrated its bicentennial. Fresh on the heels of a successful capital campaign that exceeded its $200 million goal by $10 million and an endowment currently valued at $335 million, Centre looks ahead to its third century of service from a position of strength.

STANDING WITHIN HIGHER EDUCATION

As one of the nation’s premier liberal arts colleges, Centre has been consistently ranked among the top 50 National Liberal Arts Colleges by U.S. News & World Report. Other U.S. News distinctions this year include a #8 national ranking for alumni giving, often seen as a key measure of institutional strength, and a #16 national ranking in the “Best Undergraduate Teaching” category, recognizing the excellence of the College’s faculty. Centre consistently appears on the “Best Value Schools” list, and this year was ranked #38 in the nation. It has also been recognized the last two years as one of the nation’s most innovative schools.

A proud member of Colleges That Change Lives, Centre consistently excels according to every measure in rankings and guidebooks ranging from Forbes and Kiplinger’s to Fiske, Peterson’s, and Princeton Review for both quality and affordability.

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COLLEGE MISSION AND COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Centre College’s mission is to prepare students for lives of learning, leadership, and service. This commitment reflects Centre’s broader statements of purpose, community, and diversity. As the College seeks to recruit and fully include a diverse campus community, the Board of Trustees also recently adopted its own Statement on Diversity, based on an extensive report completed in 2018 titled “Enriched by Our Differences” (all available HERE).

With 65 percent of the Third Century Campaign’s priorities committed to growing the endowment for institutional aid and student scholarships, the current incoming class exemplifies the College’s commitment to quality, opportunity, and diversity. Supported by two new premier scholarship programs, the Grissom Scholars Program and the Lincoln Scholars Program, in addition to a broader constellation of scholarship programs, the incoming class has an ACT midrange of 26-32 and an average recalculated GPA of 3.65, with 12 percent ranking first in their class and 52 percent in the top tenth. In addition to 23 percent domestic students of color, 21 percent are first-generation, and 23 percent are Pell recipients. International students represent 7 percent of the incoming class, and another 5 percent come from homes where a language other than English is spoken. As has been typical in the last decade-plus, 42 percent of the class are recruited student-athletes.

GROWTH AND CAMPUS EXPANSION

Highly residential, 98 percent of the students live in campus-owned or affiliated housing. Students have a variety of housing options that include three new residential facilities completed in the last decade. Pearl Hall, the first Gold LEED residential facility in Kentucky, was completed in 2008; Brockman Commons, completed in 2012, features apartment-style living for 124 upper class students; and 176 students moved into the new Northside Residence Hall this August.

This growth and improvement in facilities is part of more than $130 million in past and current projects that also includes renovation and expansion of buildings integral to the academic and campus life experience.

The 50,000-square foot Campus Center was completed in 2009, also at the Gold LEED level, followed by a 40,000-square-foot Gold LEED-certified expansion of Young Hall, home to the programs in behavioral neuroscience, biochemistry and molecular biology, biology, and psychology. Earlier, in 2005, Sutcliffe Hall, home to athletics and recreation, nearly doubled its footprint, and Crounse hall was renovated, updating the library, classrooms, and faculty offices.

To assure that future capital projects are part of an intentional effort to enhance the student experience, Centre complete a Campus Master Plan in 2018.

The Northside Residence Hall was the first project completed as part of the plan, and a recent $3 million gift from the Austin E. Knowlton Foundation will support renovation and expansion of Franklin W. Olin Hall, home to chemistry, computer science, environmental studies, mathematics, and physics, along with Centre’s newest program in data science, which offers both a major and minor. The project will add nearly 12,000 additional square feet, along with a 4,700-square-foot basement shell.

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PARTNERSHIPS AND ACCREDITATION

Among its important partnerships is the 16-member Associated Colleges of the South. Beyond the ability to share best practices with some of the nation’s premier liberal arts college, ACS sister institutions have also worked collaboratively on grant-supported projects. The recent $850,000 Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant is a perfect example, which supports Centre’s collaboration with Rhodes College and Sewanee: The University of the South to enhance and share select study abroad, study away, and internship opportunities for students at all three institutions.

Centre College is accredited by The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate degrees. In addition, the college is a member of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the Associated Colleges of the South, the College Board, the American Council on Education, the Council of Independent Colleges, and the Council on Undergraduate Research. Centre is also associated with the Presbyterian Church through a formal covenant with the Synod of Living Waters.

DANVILLE, KENTUCKY

With all the charm and security of an historic small town, Danville was aptly named one of the best small towns in America and Ranked #6 in Best College Towns of the South by Southern Living. Students are just a short walk from a coffee shop, pizza pub, yoga and cycle studio, community arts center, regional hospital, gift shops, ice cream shops, and cafés. Students often take advantage of local festivals and events and enjoy easy access to the metro areas of Lexington, Louisville, and Cincinnati.

Outdoor activities abound, from kayaking on local lakes and rivers to spending time at the Central Kentucky Wildlife Refuge to study, students learn more about conservation, and observe nature in unspoiled surroundings. Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill is a landmark destination, home to what was once the third largest Shaker community in the United States, where students regularly hike, bike, horseback ride, or paddle board through 3,000 acres of trails, streams, forests, and wide-open spaces.

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THE OPPORTUNITY

This is a transformative moment for Centre College. Over the course of the past decade, the College has grown its student population, increased the quality and diversity of its students and faculty, and strengthened the fiscal health of the College. A commitment to great teaching, academic rigor, and significant engagement across students, faculty, and staff remain core to the institution. However, as with many residential, liberal arts institutions, Centre is responding to questions about affordability and relevancy, and is striving to recruit and support students and faculty from a variety of socioeconomic and ethnocultural backgrounds, while addressing broader demographic challenges to enrollment.

The next president will have the opportunity to harness these opportunities in ways that further the educational mission of the College, strengthen the community, and serve as an example to institutions across the country. The Centre College community is eager to welcome a new president who will partner with all of Centre’s constituents, and lead it to a future that capitalizes on its strengths and distinctiveness.

The next president will have the following competencies:

CRITICAL LEADERSHIP CAPABILITIES

Visionary Strategic Thinking With a commitment to maintaining a distinct and excellent liberal arts education, the next President of Centre College will:

. Develop a clear and forward-looking strategy for Centre College, with the meaningful input of diverse constituencies, translating a broad vision for the College into clear, specific objectives and plans that enhance Centre’s distinction and reputation.

. Anticipate and respond to how changes in higher education, including changes in student demographics, enrollment, and affordability within the liberal arts affect Centre - recognizing both opportunities and challenges.

. Drive strategic initiatives to address pressure points within the College, including the specific needs of each program, while remaining consistent and aligned with Centre's overall strategy and advancing the academic stature, financial resources, sustainability, reputation, and visibility of the institution.

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Inclusive Leadership & Community Building Centre College is a close, collegial community with a proud history of genuine shared governance, and humble, effective leadership. The next President of Centre College will:

. Collaborate across programs and divisions and share information transparently, engaging stakeholders in the development and articulation of a long-term direction, the actions required to achieve it, and how progress will be measured in order to gain buy-in, trust, and unity.

. Work with key stakeholders across the College to help shape a consensus and engage in a dialogue to reach final conclusions together, compromising as necessary.

. Bolster relationships with a loyal donor community and actively engage new friends by working to support a renewed culture of philanthropy among Centre's many stakeholders.

. Maintain strong ties between the College and the City of Danville, encouraging positive “town-gown” relationships at all levels and supporting the development of community resources.

. Promote diversity and inclusion, provide leadership, vision, and engage the campus community to provide structural support to meet the needs of a diverse, multicultural, and international student body.

Complex Institutional Management While managing competing priorities is a challenge for all institutions of higher education, modestly endowed institutions feel this acutely. The next President of Centre College will:

. Work to meet financial goals of the College, overcoming obstacles and planning for contingencies. . Systematically develop a strong team, attracting and developing individuals to build wide bench strength and balanced capability for the College. . Take specific steps to expand revenue streams and enhance brand recognition. . Use an understanding of higher education and the liberal arts, complemented by a business mindset, to set clear performance goals for the individuals and teams that support Centre's overall operations including development, finance and administration, admissions and financial aid, and communications, among others.

Compelling Storyteller & Communicator Centre is fiercely loved by its loyal Alumni and community but is still considered a “hidden gem” outside of the region. The next President of Centre College will:

. Serve as an engaging presence to prospective faculty, students, families, and alumni, helping attract them to the Centre community. . Partner with the Dean, admissions leadership, and advancement staff to further develop the story of Centre College, and to share broadly with future students, faculty, and current alumni of the institution. . Grow the resources of the College, building strong relationships with alumni and friends and leveraging those relationships to gain support for the College’s strategic priorities.

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IDEAL EXPERIENCE . A record of distinguished scholarly achievement and a demonstrated appreciation for the values and culture of liberal arts education. . Effective and collaborative organizational leadership at a scope and scale commensurate to the College. . A track record in fundraising. . A demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion. . Effective communication at the highest level.

OTHER PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS

. A broadly engaged intellect, reflecting genuine curiosity and a lively turn of mind. . A leadership style that balances personal confidence with the humility to listen, and to credit others. . Warmth and a vivid sense of humor, most especially when college life tries the patience of presidents. . Personal interest in authentically living in and engaging with a close-knit community in Central Kentucky on a personal level.

THE SEARCH PROCESS

A presidential search committee consisting of trustees, faculty, staff, and students will advise the Board of Trustees on the selection of Centre College’s next president. The members of the search committee are actively seeking to identify the best candidates to lead the College. To that end, they welcome your comments, inquiries, applications and nominations. The committee has retained Spencer Stuart to support the search. If you wish to submit your own application materials or nominate someone to serve as the next president of Centre College, please send an e-mail message with supporting materials to [email protected].

Centre College is an equal-opportunity employer and strongly encourages individuals of all backgrounds and cultures to consider this important leadership position. The College’s policies rest on inclusivity including, but not limited to, diversity in nationality, ethnicity, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, ability and economic status.

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