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
Stuart Dorsey
Senior Consultant
Stuart.Dorsey@academicsearch.org
Dr. Stuart Dorsey is known for his unique ability to mediate, facilitate compromises, and smooth over even the most contentious circumstances. By spending the first part of his career on Capitol Hill in the 1980s, he honed his negotiation skills and gained the unwavering confidence to take on any task head-on. Since joining Academic Search in 2019, he’s been a successful Senior Consultant for an array of searches.
Dr. Dorsey was the 15th President of Texas Lutheran University for eight years and the ninth President of the University of Redlands for five years. Under his leadership, both schools expanded their course offerings and extended campus footprints. TLU added a nursing program, built a football stadium, and renovated its performing arts auditorium while Dr. Dorsey was at the helm. He was also Vice President of Academic Affairs and the University of Evansville; associate professor of economics at West Virginia; professor, department chair, and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Baker University; and assistant professor of economics at Western Illinois University. With most of his higher education experience at small private institutions, Dr. Dorsey is intimately familiar with the challenges these schools face and the best methods to overcome them.
After a three-year teaching and academic researching stint at Western Illinois, Dr. Dorsey went to Washington, DC, to work as an applied economist for the Department of Labor, Pension, and Welfare Benefits Administration. He was named chief economist for the Senate Finance Committee under Senator Bob Dole. The late Sen. Dole was regarded as a skilled negotiator and a master of deal-making, and Dr. Dorsey learned the art of compromise from the senator himself. This knowledge gives him the unique ability to mollify divided committees and guide complex searches to success.
Dr. Dorsey served as chair of the Board of Directors of Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas, and he was chair of the Executive Committee of the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities. He has served on numerous boards and councils, including the President’s Council of Division IIII for the National Association of Collegiate Athletics and the Board of Directors for the Network of ELCA Colleges and Universities. The South Dakota native has written numerous articles in publications such as The Journal of Labor Economics, Journal of Human Resources, Southern Economic Journal, and Industrial and Labor Relations Review.
Dr. Dorsey received his bachelor’s degree from the University of South Dakota and his master’s and a doctorate in economics from Washington University in St. Louis.
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
