POSITION DESCRIPTION: VICE PRESIDENT FOR STUDENT LIFE seeks an innovative, strategic, and forward-looking leader for the newly defined role of Vice President for Student Life. Reporting to President Milton C. Moreland, who took office in July 2020, the Vice President will partner with students, faculty, staff, and administrators to design and implement a new, holistic vision for the student experience at Centre that draws upon national best practices and student development theory. Centre’s new Vice President will create initiatives and policies that are proactive, transparent, and in- clusive of students’ multiple and varied experiences and identities. As Centre continues to welcome a student body that includes more international students and more students from underrepresented backgrounds, the Vice President will be a leading advocate for ensuring that Centre is a place where all students feel connected and can thrive. As part of that effort, the Vice President will also have the opportunity to work closely with faculty, staff, and administrators across the College to reimagine the future of residential life at Centre, as part of the College’s ambitious and ongoing strategic planning process.

ABOUT CENTRE COLLEGE the College’s location in the geographic “centre” of Centre College is a small, independent, and . Instruction began in Old Centre—the selective educational community dedicated to study College’s first building—in the fall of 1820, with a in the liberal arts as a means to develop the intellec- faculty of two and a student body of five, and classes tual, personal, and moral potential of its students. followed the classical curriculum of the day, includ- Centre nurtures in its students the ability to think ing Latin, Greek, rhetoric, and logic. Despite early logically and critically, to work creatively, to ana- financial hardships, disputes within and outside of lyze and compare values, and to write and speak the Presbyterian Church, and several wars (includ- with clarity and grace. It acquaints students with ing the occupation of Old Centre by both Confeder- the range of accomplishments of the human mind ate and Union troops), Centre has remained open and spirit in a variety of arts and theoretical disci- and committed to its educational mission since its plines, and it also enables students to choose and founding. 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 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 con- nection between responsible self-development and community well-being. Centre College was founded by Presbyterian leaders and officially chartered by the Kentucky Legislature on January 21, 1819. The name reflects

2 Centre is a place of high achievement and high 1,400 students, with additional net student revenue opportunity. Today, Centre offers more than 50 supporting faculty hires that have added depth and majors, minors, pre-professional and dual degree breadth to the overall academic program. programs, and graduate partnerships. Students may As one of the nation’s premier liberal arts col- also design their own major in consultation with an leges, Centre has been consistently ranked among advisor. Study abroad, an internship experience or the top 50 National Liberal Arts Colleges by U.S. undergraduate mentored research, and graduation News & World Report. Other U.S. News distinc- in four years are all guaranteed as integral to the tions include a #10 national ranking for alumni College’s values, forming what is known as the giving, often seen as a key measure of institutional Centre Commitment. The campus is also home strength, and a #5 national ranking in the “Best Un- to the Norton Center for the Arts, which brings dergraduate Teaching” category, recognizing the ex- world-renowned performers to central Kentucky cellence of the College’s faculty. Centre consistently and has hosted two vice presidential debates. appears on the “Best Value Schools” list, and this Centre’s faculty are the heart of the institution. year was ranked #27 in the nation. It has also been From one-to-one mentoring to a home-cooked recognized the last two years as one of the nation’s meal and informal conversation, faculty get to most innovative schools, this year at #29 in the know students. Centre has a 10:1 student-to-fac- nation. A proud member of Colleges That Change ulty ratio, with 61 percent of its classes comprised Lives, Centre consistently excels according to every of 20 students or fewer. First-year retention rates measure in rankings and guidebooks, ranging stand at 91 percent. Modest and measured enroll- from Forbes and Kiplinger’s to Fiske, Peterson’s, ment growth over the last five years has expanded and Princeton Review for both quality and total undergraduate enrollment to approximately affordability.

Throughout history, Centre has remained steadfast in its mission of providing a superior education in the liberal arts tradition.

3 LEADERSHIP 3. Residential Experience: Identify goals and Dr. Milton C. Moreland took office as the 21st objectives to enhance the value and impact of President of Centre College on July 1, 2020. He the College’s residential experience and engaged studied archaeology, ancient history, and religion at learning and well-being from that experience. the Claremont Graduate University in California, Strengthen the Centre experience through livelier where he earned his MA and Ph.D. degrees. Prior campus activities and a culture that attracts the to joining the Centre community, Moreland served diverse students of the future. for six years as the Provost and chief academic 4. Diversity & Inclusion: Identify goals and officer at . He first joined the Rhodes objectives to recruit and retain a diverse faculty, campus community in 2003 and was promoted staff, and student body and further a culture of to associate and full professor, serving as the R.A. equity, inclusion, and social justice. Webb Professor of Religious Studies and Chair of 5. Athletics: Identify goals and objectives that the Archaeology Program. further enable Centre intercollegiate athletics, as well as recreational components, to be a STRATEGIC DIRECTION competitive advantage in the recruitment and Within a few months of the arrival of President retention of students; engagement of alumni, Moreland in July 2020, Centre launched a broadly families, and community; and revenue growth. inclusive strategic planning process intended to Provide an exceptional and transformative guide the College’s emergence from the COVID-19 experience to our student-athletes, preparing crisis and into long-term growth and stability. A them for a life of learning, leadership, and Strategic Planning Steering Committee was named service. This includes creating a competitive, in October 2020, and a strategic planning consul- inclusive atmosphere, enhanced by premier tant partner, the Art & Science Group, was identi- athletic facilities and resources. fied shortly afterward. The College’s final strategic plan is expected to be presented to the Board of Trustees for approval in October 2021. At this point in the ongoing process, the Steering Committee and its sub-committees are focused on the following Seven Strategic Planning Pillars: 1. Access and Availability: Identify goals and objectives to increase access to and availability for 21st century students to attend Centre College through targeted financial support. Increase access and availability for an extremely competitive and diverse student body of the future: scholarships and expanded regional, national and international recruiting. 2. Academic Life: Identify and articulate the vision, strategies, and tactics to advance academic innovations, both curricular and

co-curricular, including those that lead to new Centre students will study abroad, have an internship or research opportunity, revenue streams for the College. and graduate in four years.

4 6. Danville and the Community: Identify goals purpose, community, and diversity. As the College and objectives to be an integral, contributing seeks to recruit and fully include a diverse campus member of our communities’ and regions’ future community, the Board of Trustees also recently ad- needs and success. Create priorities and initia- opted its own Statement on Diversity, based on an tives that promote quality of life, community extensive report completed in 2018 titled “Enriched engagement and long-term improvements in by Our Differences.” With 65 percent of the Third regional assets. Invest in new collaborations and Century Campaign’s priorities committed to grow- partnerships that increase our relevance and ing the endowment for institutional aid and student inroads in the region. scholarships, the current incoming class exemplifies 7. Sustainability: Develop the strategy and the College’s commitment to quality, opportunity, tactics essential to achieve our vision of a just and diversity. and equitable community embedded in sustain- Supported by two new premier scholarship ability. At Centre, this process is characterized programs, the Grissom Scholars Program and the by intentional economic, ecologically sound, Lincoln Scholars Program, in addition to a broader and social actions that meet the needs of the constellation of scholarship programs, the incoming present without compromising the ability of all class has an ACT midrange of 26-32 and an average living things to meet their future needs. Sustain- recalculated GPA of 3.65, with 12 percent ranking ability will be woven into the fabric of our culture first in their class and 52 percent in the top tenth. through our academic, scholarly, operational, In addition to 23 percent domestic students of col- and community building practices. or, 21 percent are first-generation, and 23 percent are Pell recipients. International students represent COLLEGE MISSION AND COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, 7 percent of the incoming class, and another 5 EQUITY, AND INCLUSION percent come from homes where a language other Centre College’s mission is to prepare students than English is spoken. As has been typical in the for lives of learning, leadership, and service. This last decade, 42 percent of the class are recruited commitment reflects Centre’s broader statements of student-athletes.

5 Following a student sit-in conducted in May The 50,000-square foot Campus Center was 2018, then-President John Roush released the completed in 2009, also at the Gold LEED level, Centre College Work Plan for Diversity and followed by a 40,000-square-foot Gold LEED-cer- Inclusion and worked to expand the Office of tified expansion of Young Hall, home to the pro- Diversity and Inclusion (ODI), which is led by an grams in behavioral neuroscience, biochemistry Associate Vice President for Diversity Affairs & and molecular biology, biology, and psychology. Special Assistant to the President. The ODI helps Earlier, in 2005, Sutcliffe Hall, home to athletics to lead the community’s continued progress on and recreation, nearly doubled its footprint, and matters of diversity, equity, and inclusion, including Crounse Hall was renovated, updating the library, tracking of goals, outcomes, and key initiatives. classrooms, and faculty offices. To assure that future capital projects are part of CAMPUS AND FACILITIES an intentional effort to enhance the student expe- An average 98% of Centre students live in cam- rience, Centre completed a Campus Master Plan pus-owned or affiliated housing. Students have a in 2018. The Northside Residence Hall was the variety of housing options that include three new first project completed as part of the plan, and a residential facilities completed in the last decade. recent $3 million gift from the Austin E. Knowlton Pearl Hall, the first Gold LEED residential facility Foundation supported renovation and expansion of in Kentucky, was completed in 2008; Brockman Franklin W. Olin Hall, home to chemistry, computer Commons, completed in 2012, features apart- science, environmental studies, mathematics, and ment-style living for 124 upper class students; and physics, along with Centre’s newest program in 176 students moved into the new Northside Resi- data science, which offers both a major and minor. dence Hall in 2020. This growth and improvement Completed in time for the 2020 spring semester, the in facilities is part of more than $130 million in past project added nearly 12,000 additional square feet, and current projects that also includes renovation along with a 4,700-square-foot basement shell. and expansion of buildings integral to the academic and campus life experience.

6 FINANCES AND RESOURCES LOCATION Centre College has long maintained a strong With all the charm of an historic small town, financial position and balanced budget. The College Danville was aptly named one of the best small has an annual operating budget of approximate- towns in America, ranked #6 in Best College Towns ly $54 million and dedicates approximately $40 of the South by Southern Living and the most beau- million additionally to student financial aid. The tiful small city in the Commonwealth according to College endowment is approximately $370 million. MSN. Students are just a short walk from a coffee A recent capital campaign raised over $200 mil- shop, pizza pub, yoga and cycle studio, community lion for campus facilities and endowed scholarship arts center, regional hospital, gift shops, ice cream programs. The campus plant is well maintained, shops, and cafés. Students often take advantage of including new capital projects in the sciences and local festivals and events and enjoy easy access to the in the library that opened in spring 2021. Premier metro areas of Lexington, Louisville, and Cincinnati. scholarship programs (Lincoln, Grissom, Brown, Outdoor activities abound, from kayaking on local and Posse) provide full tuition and support for 50 lakes and rivers to spending time at the Central students in each class (including a new, second Kentucky Wildlife Refuge. Shaker Village of Posse cohort), and Centre is also a longstanding Pleasant Hill is a landmark destination, home to member of the Bonner Scholars program. what was once the third largest Shaker community in the United States, where students regularly hike, bike, horseback ride, or paddleboard through 3,000 acres of trails, streams, and forest.

7 ROLE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR STUDENT LIFE • Associate Dean of Academic Affairs The structure and focus of the Vice President for • Associate Vice President for Diversity Affairs Student Life role at Centre will be reimagined with and Special Assistant to the President this hire. In the past, the Vice President for Student • Chief Communications Officer Life also served as the Dean of Students. In the • Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid future, the Vice President for Student Life title and • Director of Athletics & Recreation the Dean of Students title will be held by two differ- • Executive Assistant to the President ent individuals. The Vice President will seek ways • Senior Investment Advisor to improve and enrich the Centre experience for all • Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, & students by eliminating systemic challenges and Treasurer identifying strategic priorities. The Vice President • Vice President for Academic Affairs & Dean of will have final responsibility for financial and per- the College sonnel oversight for the division, including recruit- • Vice President for Development & Alumni ment, mentoring, and professional development of Engagement division staff. The Dean of Students will serve as the • Vice President for Human Resources & primary day-to-day contact for individual student’s Administrative Services concerns, handling student conduct cases and work- • Vice President for Legal Affairs & Gift Planning ing collaboratively with the Vice President to bring the division’s strategic priorities to fruition. The Vice President will oversee 30 staff in total, The Student Life division includes oversight of including the following direct reports: student health and wellness, public safety, and com- • Assistant Dean & Director of Housing munity engagement. The leadership and staff within • Associate Dean of Students Student Life also work closely with their colleagues • Chaplain in academic affairs, athletics, and human resources, • Dean of Students where the Title IX Coordinator is located. • Director of Counseling Reporting directly to President Milton Moreland, • Director of Public Safety the Vice President will serve as a collaborative and • Director of Student Health Services collegial member of his core cabinet which also in- • Executive Administrative Assistant cludes:

8 OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES of climate, race, and identity. The Vice President The new Vice President for Student Life will have will also model in both their personal and the opportunity to address the following priorities: professional behavior a sophisticated under- • Develop a forward-looking strategic vision standing of the complexities of identity and for Centre’s student life division that harmonizes advocacy for a community in which all students with the College’s emerging strategic priorities feel seen, heard, valued, and genuinely welcomed. and historic mission: The Vice President will be • Align Centre’ student life policies and practices charged with collaboratively developing and with nationally recognized best practices: The leading the implementation of a divisional Vice President will bring deep familiarity with strategic plan that aligns with the College’s current wisdom regarding developing programs, overarching strategic direction. Key priorities managing risk, building and sustaining an for the future of Centre’s student life division inclusive campus community, collaborating include continued and intensified focus on: with faculty, and many other areas to their fostering and sustaining an inclusive campus work. They will listen to and meet with division climate for all students, providing meaningful staff and other constituencies around campus and substantive opportunities for community to identify current strengths as well as areas of engagement, and more fully connecting life growth within student life. The Vice President inside the classroom to life outside the class will be responsible for transforming the Student room. Life division over time into a model operation • Collaboratively lead the process of reimagining that is based on nationally recognized and residential life and the first-year experience at proven practices but thoughtfully adapted for Centre: One of the seven pillars undergirding the specific mission and needs of Centre. the strategic planning process is developing a • Mentoring and developing the long-serving compelling vision for residential life that will and committed staff within the Student Life distinguish Centre among its peers. The College Division: The Vice President for Student Life has and will continue to devote significant will build on the expertise of the staff within the resources to this priority, building three new division, further cultivating their talents as residence halls in recent years and earmarking individual contributors and as members of a significant funds for the development of cohesive team. In addition, the Vice President distinctive and innovative first-year experience will recruit, retain, mentor, and support addi- programming. As 98% of Centre’s students live tional new staff as appropriate, with a particular on campus, the opportunity to transform eye toward ensuring that students from student life both inside and outside the class underrepresented backgrounds continue to room through these initiatives is powerful. find in Centre’s student life leaders individuals • Serve as a key leader and partner in sustaining with shared experiences. and enhancing the inclusiveness of the Centre • Partner enthusiastically and effectively with the campus community: The Vice President for Division of Academic Affairs: As is expected at Student Life will be a critical colleague and most residential liberal arts colleges, the partner to the Associate Vice President for relationship between Student Life and Academic Diversity Affairs and Special Assistant to the Affairs at Centre should be strong and mutually President, the Dean of the College, the President, beneficial. The Vice President will work and others in proactively addressing questions closely with the Dean of the College, Academic

9 Affairs staff, and individual faculty to help a climate of inclusivity, and providing individual ensure that all students are supported and professional development and mentoring for all thriving both inside and outside the classroom. staff members to help them achieve their And in developing a new vision for residential personal and professional goals; life and the first-year student experience, the • A willingness to be accessible and visible to Vice President will draw upon and work closely students, and open to hearing their concerns, with faculty and academic leadership. their priorities, and their aspirations, as well as a readiness to advocate for their needs as DESIRED QUALITIES AND CHARACTERISTICS appropriate; The new Vice President should be an experi- • An ability to work closely, credibly, and enced leader with a broad and deep understanding creatively with faculty and Academic Affairs of best practices in modern student affairs, includ- staff as partners in the holistic learning ing fluency and sophistication around matters of enterprise, as befits a residential liberal arts diversity, equity, and inclusion and an active un- college; derstanding of the interconnectedness of academic • A strong sense of how to approach complex and student affairs. The ideal candidate will hold conversations and interactions with diplomacy, an advanced degree and will also bring many of the insight, and emotional intelligence; following complementary skills and experiences to • Strong communication skills, particularly in the their work: areas of writing and public speaking; • A sophisticated understanding of the student • An ability to generate connections with a wide life challenges facing residential liberal arts range of individuals and groups across colleges in the 21st century and a broad sense divisions, excitement and support for a of the most effective solutions to them; strategic vision, and a commitment to the • The ability to confidently lead a team through a mission and priorities of Centre College. time of significant change, including both an examination of high-level mission and strategy, as well as a review and assessment of daily CONTACT operations; For best consideration, please send all • Active engagement in national conversations nominations and applications to: within the student affairs profession about Sue May, Partner best practices in facing common challenges and Alyssa Perez, Senior Associate the ability to identify the most promising Storbeck Search proactive approaches for Centre’s own [email protected] particular context; Centre College is an equal-opportunity employer and strongly encourages • Subject matter expertise and a high degree of individuals of all backgrounds and cultures to consider this position. The personal comfort in leading difficult conversa- College’s policies rest on inclusivity including, but not limited to, diversity in nationality, ethnicity, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, tions related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, ability, and economic status. race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orienta- tion, and other topics; • Experience managing a student affairs team, including recruiting and supporting individuals from underrepresented backgrounds, ensuring

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