SEARCH FOR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR NON-DEGREE PROGRAMS SMITH COLLEGE Northampton, Massachusetts

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1 SEARCH FOR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR NON-DEGREE PROGRAMS SMITH COLLEGE Northampton, Massachusetts THE SEARCH Smith College, one of the oldest and most prestigious women s colleges in the country, seeks a strategic, entrepreneurial leader to serve as its Executive Director for Non-Degree Programs. In this newly created role, the Executive Director will be responsible for transforming Smith s existing precollege, professional, and executive education programs into a new strategic venture focused on the rapidly growing non-degree program market. In launching this new endeavor, Smith aims to bring its unique perspective on women s education and leadership to a broader audience of learners and launch new continuing education initiatives tied to core institutional programs. To that end, the non-degree program organization is positioned as one of the college s primary strategic investments, central to its mission, and integral to the achievement of its longterm strategic and financial objectives. The Executive Director for Non-Degree Programs is an inaugural role, realized through the recommendations of an external assessment to help Smith reach its fullest potential in this area. This role aims to centralize and further develop revenue-generating operations focused on promoting women s leadership and other high-priority educational programming. The Executive Director provides the strategic, operational, and financial oversight for this venture and is responsible for understanding marketplace trends, establishing priorities, and working with existing clients to determine future needs. The Executive Director also oversees the branding, marketing, and advertising strategy for non-degree programs and promotes and represents Smith on matters of lifelong learning locally and nationally. Smith College seeks an Executive Director who is an entrepreneur, innovator, and leader, as well as a team player and consensus builder. The Executive Director must have experience in the nondegree program market, understand higher education and business, and possess a broad and sophisticated vision of lifelong learning, a track record of marketing achievement, an understanding of the value and role of technology in education, and an appreciation for and commitment to the mission of Smith College.

2 Page 2 of 7 Central to the role is successful communication and collaboration with other constituencies, both internal and external. The Executive Director reports to the Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration, oversees two direct reports, and manages a team of six staff members who administer executive education and precollege programs. In addition to working closely with college leadership to ensure successful programming and academic offerings, the Executive Director also cultivates relationships in the civic and business community with organizations and individuals that have a vested interest in women s leadership and education. KEY PRIORITIES The primary objectives for the Executive Director are the following: Strategically plan, develop, and implement a distinctive and coherent portfolio of programs and offerings Informed by an extensive external assessment of Smith s current and potential non-degree programs, the Executive Director will identify opportunities for growth and sustainability and determine areas where restructuring and reallocation of resources might be needed. In providing direction for non-degree programs, the Executive Director will design the college s optimum product portfolio and drive the development of new non-degree programs that are in alignment with the vision of serving women across the span of their professional and personal lives. Develop and implement new marketing and enrollment strategies The Executive Director will be an insightful, collaborative, and persuasive marketer, both internally and externally. To maximize reach of Smith s non-degree programs, the Executive Director will engage in outreach and serve as key marketing strategist for expansion of residential, off-site, online, and hybrid programmatic offerings. The Executive Director will oversee the development of a non-degree program marketing function that integrates traditional, digital, and emerging engagement methods to reach and build a customer base. Oversee administrative, operational, and financial administration of programs With keen attention to and the responsibility for success in both content delivery and program logistics, the Executive Director must see that programs operate smoothly. A successful candidate will bring demonstrated successful management experience in complex organizations. This initiative requires an ED experienced with business plans, marketing, setting and managing a budget, and strategic planning. The Executive Director will also build and manage a team of dedicated professionals who are empowered to develop and deliver innovative, high quality nondegree programming. Achieve long-term revenue growth targets The Executive Director will have full profit and loss responsibility for the non-degree programs venture and a clear charge to grow gross and net revenue; these programs are critical to the

3 Page 3 of 7 ongoing vitality of Smith College. The Executive Director will carefully identify needed investments in new offerings and enhanced marketing to reach these financial targets. The ED will develop the internal management structures to monitor financial progress, communicate progress, and gain agreement on revisions to plans and financial projections. Ensure successful learning experiences The Executive Director will focus on cultivating successful learning experiences across the full portfolio of non-degree programs. In this capacity, the incumbent will have full responsibility for the design and delivery of all programs including curricular development, instructor selection, and program assessment. In developing an expanded and strategic portfolio of programs, the Executive Director will foster experimentation with new course formats, enabling technologies, and learning modes (on site, online, and hybrid) and will ensure the assessment of these experiments in line with program goals. Collaborate with key Smith partners to achieve strategic objectives The building of open, supportive, and mutually beneficial partnerships will be the method of choice for expanding outreach activities. The effort to attract new audiences and to devise new ways to package and deliver non-degree courses, services, and products will inevitably intersect with the college s academic departments, facilities management, alumnae network, and other cross-campus collaborators. A primary example is the School for Social Work and its goal of becoming a national leader in continuing education for social workers through online delivery methods Initiate and build strong relationships with leading business, governmental, and civic organizations nationally The Executive Director will foster close relationships with corporate, non-profit, and civic leaders and demonstrate the value of a mutually beneficial relationship between Smith and their organizations, specifically in the area of women s leadership. The ED will analyze the market and strive to establish and maintain partnerships with companies and other organizations that benefit Smith and women around the globe. The incumbent must have the vision to see profitable new directions to pursue that are of high quality and in keeping with the mission, vision, and values of Smith.

4 Page 4 of 7 THE SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE Smith will search nationally for candidates, with an emphasis on experience in non-degree programs in higher education. The college also welcomes candidates with relevant experience in other settings whose intellect, entrepreneurial experience, marketing skills, and leadership indicate a capacity to serve Smith well in this important leadership role. The successful candidate will bring many of the following professional qualifications, skills, experience, and personal qualities: Master s degree plus 5 to 10 years of experience in executive education or other nondegree programs (or an equivalent combination of education/experience); Experience in business development, marketing, and strategic partnership development; Strong leadership and entrepreneurial skills with proven experience growing new revenue generating programs within a higher education setting; Strong interest in women s leadership issues and education; Ability to collaborate with a broad internal and external audience, including corporate clients, faculty, senior administrators, and alumnae; Established network of practitioner connections for teaching and an ability to spot and develop instructor talent; Knowledge of multiple instructional and delivery strategies across face-to-face, online, and hybrid modes of learning; Commitment to and expertise with program assessment of strategic, financial, and learner objectives; Excellent analytical skills and administrative skills; Outstanding verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills; A track record of outstanding management and demonstrated ability to mentor and support staff and provide successful oversight of people, budget, and space; A commitment to the mission, vision, and values of Smith College; Unimpeachable integrity and ethics; Maturity, presence, enthusiasm, optimism, and a sense of humor.

5 Page 5 of 7 TO APPLY Smith College has engaged Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist with this search. Inquiries, nominations, and applications should be directed in confidence to the firm as directed below. Please send resume with cover letter, preferably electronically, in strict confidence to: Rebecca Kennedy, Principal Kaden Stearns, Associate Isaacson, Miller Smith College is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, age, color, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or veteran status in the recruitment and admission of students, the recruitment and employment of faculty and staff, and the operation of any of its programs and activities, as specified by all applicable laws and regulations. SMITH COLLEGE Smith College began more than 140 years ago in the mind and conscience of a New England woman. In her will, Sophia Smith expressed her vision of a liberal arts college for women equal to the best available to men, one that would make it possible to develop as fully as may be the powers of womanhood. In keeping with Sophia Smith s intent, the college aims to produce graduates distinguished by their intellectual capabilities, their capacity for leadership, their ethical values, and their readiness to contribute to the betterment of the world. Today, Smith is among the largest liberal arts colleges for women in the country and offers a broad curriculum of more than 1,000 courses in some 50 areas of study. Its programs in the arts, humanities, social sciences, and sciences have expanded to respond to the intellectual needs of today s students, offering study in computer science, engineering, women s studies, environmental science and policy, neuroscience, and other emerging fields. In particular, Smith has earned a leadership position in preparing women for careers in science and engineering as well as law, medicine, and business. Smith's educational offerings also include a number of coeducational graduate programs, including a nationally recognized School for Social Work with academic semesters during the summer. With a 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio, Smith s enrollment and faculty size allow it to combine the curricular breadth of a small university with the close personal attention of a residential liberal arts college. This supportive academic environment is complemented by a unique residential program in which undergraduates live in one of 35 residential houses accommodating from 10 to 100 students.

6 Page 6 of 7 Smith is a member of the Five College Consortium, one of the oldest and most esteemed collaborative partnerships in American higher education. It includes nearby Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. The consortium provides an array of shared services, including cross-registration, joint courses of study, transportation, faculty appointments and exchanges, and combined library catalogues. Members also collaborate in a variety of administrative areas including joint ownership of a fiber-optic network, a shared property management office, and joint risk management. Over the course of 139 years, Smith alumnae and leadership have prided themselves in their strong financial stewardship. The college has a $1.8 billion endowment, one of the largest at a liberal arts college. Smith s annual operating revenue was $241 million in the fiscal year, with expenses of $232 million. Additional details regarding the college s strong financial position are outlined in the financial statements: LEADERSHIP Kathleen McCartney, previously dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, became the 11th president of Smith College on July 1, President McCartney is an internationally recognized authority on child development and early education. A graduate of Tufts and Yale universities, she has served as a Tufts University trustee and on the founding board of edx, the online education consortium founded by Harvard University and MIT. Michael Howard has served as the Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration at Smith since January 1, He is a member of the President s cabinet and is responsible for the major administrative functions of the college: finance; accounting; information technology; facilities management; human resources; campus sustainability and space planning; dining services; and campus police. The finance and administration department has more than 300 employees. Prior to joining Smith, Mr. Howard served as the Vice President for Finance at MIT. Before working in higher education, he spent more than twenty years as a senior finance and operations executive at Fidelity Investments and as a strategy consultant with Deloitte Consulting. EXECUTIVE EDUCATION Smith College Executive Education for Women has advanced the careers of women leaders since 1977, long before other leadership programs were available to women. The Smith Women s Leadership Ecosystem model of leadership development fosters sustainable, systematic change at all levels of the organization that supports the development, advancement, and retention of high-potential women. Today, corporate learning officers partner with Smith to retain and advance their female talent and engage men as champions for women s leadership. Smith College Executive Education continues to grow a portfolio of international open-enrollment and custom programs for women at all levels of the organization. The growing list of Fortune 500 companies looks to Smith

7 Page 7 of 7 College Executive Education for Women for its expertise and track record in designing and delivering programs that align with their talent development and diversity and inclusion goals. Currently these programs are delivered on-site at Smith or at off-site locations around the world. PRECOLLEGE PROGRAMS Summer Precollege Programs at Smith College offer intellectually stimulating and unique opportunities for high school young women who wish to pursue their academic interests in the classroom and beyond. Smith welcomes to these programs young women from many nationalities and diverse racial and socioeconomic backgrounds who together form an extraordinary intellectual community. The learning environment is hands-on, collaborative, exploratory, challenging, and rich in role models. Smith faculty members offer personal attention in the classroom while encouraging students interests and passions and helping them develop new academic skills. Students take courses and workshops throughout each day and can choose from a variety of organized cultural, social, athletic, and artistic activities at night and on the weekends.