An Invitation to Apply for the Position of Provost and Chief Academic Officer
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
An invitation to apply for the position of Provost and Chief Academic Officer Kenosha, Wisconsin THE SEARCH Carthage College seeks an accomplished and collaborative intellectual leader to serve as its next Provost and Chief Academic Officer. Founded in 1847, Carthage is a selective, private four-year college located on the shore of Lake Michigan, 35 minutes from Milwaukee and 55 minutes from Chicago. The College emphasizes an education in the liberal arts and sciences as preparation for professional fulfillment and service to one's community. Carthage enrolls approximately 2,600 full-time and 200 part-time students, and offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional development programs. Its dedicated faculty consists of 160 full-time teacher-scholars, two-thirds of whom hold tenure or tenure-track appointments, and more than 100 part-time instructors. In recent decades, Carthage has enjoyed prosperity and growth rarely seen at institutions of higher education. Enrollments and applications—and academic quality—have increased steadily and dramatically: over 7,000 high school students applied for the 707 openings in the Fall 2017 freshman class. The College has had operating surpluses for more than 30 years. Since 1999 Carthage has invested more than $200 million in campus facilities, including the $43 million Science Center, the Campbell Student Union, the A.W. Clausen Center for World Business, Hedberg Library, the Oaks Residential Village, and the N.E. Tarble Athletic and Recreation Center. A new residence hall project is underway and set for completion in fall of 2018. The next provost will join Carthage at an exciting moment and build on the institution's singular record of success. A new President, John R. Swallow, began his tenure in summer 2017; he has energized the campus with an inspiring sense of the College's potential and its future. A strategic planning process, adopted in 2015, calls on the College's community to elevate and refine Carthage's student- and learning-centered approach, and to create and implement strategies, programs, and systems that will ensure that Carthage students have the very best educational and developmental experiences. Working with administrators, faculty, and staff, the Provost will play an instrumental and essential role in the execution of this plan and the realization of its aspirational goals. The successful candidate will be a resourceful, imaginative thinker with a record of effective academic and administrative leadership. This individual will also possess the knowledge and experience to develop successful strategies and tactics that strengthen academic programs, their Provost and Chief Academic Officer Carthage College delivery, and their impact. The Provost will serve as a champion of and catalyst for the collective strengths of Carthage's faculty and academic staff, demonstrating a leadership style that is accessible, collaborative, and engaged. An earned doctorate or other terminal degree is required, as is a record of scholarship and teaching commensurate with appointment to the rank of full professor. A committee has been formed and will be assisted by Isaacson, Miller, the national executive search firm. Confidential inquiries, nominations, and applications may be directed to the firm as indicated at the end of this document. BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT Throughout its history Carthage College has evinced flexibility, pragmatism, and ambition. From the outset, it promised a course of study designed to be thorough, practical, and inclusive of all the branches of learning. It was originally chartered in Hillsboro, Illinois and became known as Hillsboro College; relocated to Springfield in 1852 (Abraham Lincoln was one of the institution's trustees) and assumed the name of Illinois State University; and moved in 1870 to the rural city of Carthage, in the west-central portion of the state, which conferred upon the College its permanent name. After sustained financial challenges and searches for a new location, the trustees voted unanimously in 1957 to open a campus in Kenosha, Wisconsin. That campus was launched five years later. Since 1962, Carthage College has been located on an 80-acre arboretum and wildlife sanctuary, on the shore of Lake Michigan. The fourth largest city in Wisconsin, Kenosha is situated in the growing Milwaukee-to-Chicago light industrial-suburban corridor. To the north, Milwaukee is home to a thriving convention and tourism industry, as well as major art and cultural museums, professional baseball and basketball teams, and performing arts organizations. To the south, Chicago is a major national center of art and culture. The immediate area, with affordable housing, is home to the headquarters of major operations of Abbott Laboratories, Jockey International, SC Johnson, and Snap-On. Foxconn Technology Group recently announced that it will build a $10 billion production facility in the region. In the decades following Carthage's move to Kenosha, the College has been on a sustained trajectory of expansion and improvement. The growth of the College has accelerated considerably: whereas the student body numbered 1,300 in 1991, today there are 2,600 full-time students. During this period Carthage's budget surpluses have mostly been placed in the College's endowment. In addition, the last two decades have seen a tremendous investment in facilities. Carthage faculty and staff consistently describe the College's students as inquisitive, open, bright, and engaged. Carthage is a top producer of Fulbright Scholars—in 2016-2017, four students won awards, the highest total among bachelor's degree institutions in Wisconsin—and is ranked fifth in the nation among baccalaureate institutions for student participation in short-term study abroad. More than 50 percent of the entering students in 2017 ranked in the top 20 percent of their high school classes, and 27 percent came from underrepresented groups. With 120 student organizations and 16 sororities and fraternities, and with 24 NCAA Division III and additional club and intramural sports, Carthage offers a vibrant and engaged campus. The College attracts excellent faculty who are committed to teaching and mentoring, service, and scholarship (in the last three years, Carthage attracted $6.4 million in external funding). Ninety-one 2 Provost and Chief Academic Officer Carthage College percent of the faculty hold the doctorate or other terminal degree in their fields. The average class size is 17, and the College has a student-faculty ratio of 12:1. The teaching load is 3-3, with an additional "J" (January/June) term assignment expected for two out of three years. Carthage is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and in accordance with this affiliation is dedicated to freedom of inquiry and the development of the whole person. ELCA colleges and universities educate students for a sense of calling or vocation, which will allow them to live meaningful lives that contribute to the common good. As a community, Carthage embraces the qualities of inclusivity and hospitality. People of all faiths and non-faith traditions are welcomed to engage in meaningful learning and dialogue. Program A Carthage education has three components: free exploration of ideas; immersion in practical and practice-based learning; and a presumption that education promotes service to and engagement with the world. Learning in the liberal arts and sciences develops strengths in analysis, critical thinking, and rigor in self expression; experiential learning opportunities such as internships, study away, and other programs nurture independence, problem-solving, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a tolerance for informed and intelligent risk. A Carthage graduate is well rounded, intellectually flexible, and prepared. Carthage launches students into productive lives. Carthage offers undergraduate and graduate programs in more than 50 areas of study. J-term offerings allow students to focus on a single subject, often through international study. Students also conduct research with faculty mentors in the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience, and they participate in specialized internship programs that provide students to develop professional work habits, build their resumes, and foster professional connections for future employment. For graduate, professional, and adult learners, the College offers an array of part-time undergraduate degree programs as well as master's degrees in education and business design and innovation. Carthage is in the planning stage of a RN-to-BSN program, which has attracted enthusiastic interest. In conjunction with Loyola University Chicago, Carthage also offers a Master of Social Work degree, with Loyola faculty teaching on the Carthage campus. Finances The College's annual operating budget is $118 million. As of February 7, 2017, the endowment was just over $100 million, up from $30 million a decade ago, the result of budget surpluses being placed into the endowment. In December 2016, Carthage completed The Campaign for Carthage, raising $47 million in a three- year campaign and exceeding its goal of $35 million. Leadership In July 2017, John R. Swallow became the 23rd president of Carthage College. He came to Carthage from The University of the South ("Sewanee"), where he served as chief academic and operating officer, overseeing curriculum, enrollment, equity and inclusion, faculty and staff development, fundraising, strategic planning, and student life. Prior to Sewanee, President Swallow was