As the first organization dedicated to higher education executive search, our service model has always focused on outstanding executive recruitment for colleges and universities. We have years of experience in the sector and understand the unique needs higher education institutions have when hiring.
We’ve proudly concluded more than 2,600 successful searches for Presidents/Chancellors, Provosts, Vice Presidents, and Deans in a variety of disciplines.
Administrative Areas:
Academic Affairs | Admissions & Enrollment | Advancement | Business & Finance | General Counsel | Human Resources | Information Technology | Marketing & Communications | Operations | Student Affairs | Student Success | And Many Others
Academic Disciplines:
Architecture | Arts & Humanities | Business & Economics | Education | Healthcare/Nursing | Hospitality | Libraries | STEM | And Many Others
We’re With You Every Step of the Way
Academic Search serves as your partner in a collaborative search effort. Our senior consultants interact extensively with your search committee to assist with organizing and managing the search process, and informing the crucial decisions of the search committees and hiring authorities.
We use a four-step process to frame our higher education executive search process: organize the search; lead recruitment; evaluate, select, and interview semifinalists; and close the search.
Organize
Academic Search works side-by-side with our partner institutions to analyze your needs, set specific goals, and develop operating guidelines. During this preliminary phase, we meet with appropriate departments such as human resources to ensure that the search process conforms to the regulations, requirements, and culture of our partner institution or organization.
Recruit
A key step in the search process is building a strong candidate pool with the unique qualifications of the open position. By getting to know your institution well, we guarantee we are finding candidates who fit with the mission and culture of the role. We cast a wide net to find the very best candidates, locally, nationally, and globally, and tap into our extensive networks to identify a broad group of candidates.
Through our connection to leadership development programs through our parent organization, the American Academic Leadership Institute, and many of our consultants actively participating in conferences and programs across the country, we are able to tap into an even larger range of candidates who are ready for their next role.
Evaluate, Select, and Interview
We partner with your search committee in designing and implementing a selection process tailored to your needs and campus culture. Our process involves working with you to develop an objective review method for evaluating candidates. Our senior consultants are actively involved in recruitment and evaluation and openly share insights into conversations with candidates and others throughout the interview process.
Close the Search
Our senior consultants work with you to not only select the finalists but also perform background checks and reference calls. We ensure consistent communication with all finalists throughout the process.
Once the campus interviews are completed, we ensure the search is brought to a successful conclusion. Our consultants can help develop recommendations to the hiring authority to facilitate a smooth transition for the newly hired candidate which might include communications strategies and a transition plan.
Beyond the Search
Leadership transitions can be both energizing and stressful times for institutional communities. We strive to guide you and your institution through these changes throughout the leadership lifecycle by providing transition and onboarding support as well as executive coaching.
Why Academic Search
As the first executive search firm dedicated to higher education, we bring a deep understanding of the evolving challenges and opportunities within the higher education landscape. Our team is composed of higher education leaders who bring a wealth of knowledge and expansive networks. Through this experience, we are uniquely positioned to understand, appreciate, and address the specific needs of each institution we partner with.
High Retention Rates
The very high percentages of appointees from our searches who remain in office five years later is strong evidence of our careful attention to institutional/appointee fit.
Meet Our Senior Consultants
Rodney S. Clark
Senior Consultant
Rodney.Clark@academicsearch.org
Mr. Rodney S. Clark brings to Academic Search a wealth of higher education knowledge acquired through decades of administrative and teaching experience at community, private, and R1 institutions across the country.
The Rhode Island native spent most of his prolific career as Director of Admissions and then Dean of the Attleboro campus of Bristol Community College in Massachusetts. He also taught business courses during his tenure, all while playing a crucial role in the college’s enrollment, recruitment, academic affairs, community relations, fundraising, academic advising, and more.
Mr. Clark also served the University of Washington in Tacoma as its interim Associate Vice Chancellor of Enrollment Services in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. This enlightening experience gave him valuable insight into the realm of large state universities and a broader understanding of higher education administration. Most recently, Mr. Clark was the Vice President for Student Affairs and Strategic Enrollment at Pittsburgh Technical College, a private nonprofit institution that awards associate and baccalaureate degrees.
As a teacher, Mr. Clark spent nearly two decades as an adjunct faculty member in business departments at two-year and four-year colleges, providing him with a direct line of communication with students, which aided him in his administrative work and continues to guide him as a search consultant. Additionally, Mr. Clark is a devoted father with three of his four children attending HBCUs. This personal connection to today’s higher education fuels his passion for consulting work, as he sees first-hand the impact exceptional hires have on students.
Not only does Mr. Clark have career experience in higher education, but he holds a deep, personal connection to students who weather a tumultuous path as they work toward their degree. Mr. Clark initially attended a university in the Greater Boston area, but was forced to withdraw for financial reasons. He secured a promising position with Fidelity Investments, but after eight years, he, along with 250 others, was laid off during the economic hardships of the early 1990s. However, during that time, Mr. Clark earned his master’s degree in management from Cambridge College, and was determined to find a new, fulfilling career. He attended a job fair at Roxbury Community College, and through a serendipitous twist, he struck up a conversation with the RCC event organizer. That conversation eventually led to him accepting a position as an assistant registrar, and his career in higher education began.
Mr. Clark’s rich administrative experience is an asset in all types of searches, especially since he has been part of countless search committees. He understands the critical importance of institution fit, potential, and finding applicants who reflect the student body.
We look forward to partnering with you. Contact us for a complimentary search consultation or request for proposal.
1250 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 700 Washington, DC 20036-2657
Phone: 202-332-4049
Fax: 202-234- 7640
