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
Christopher N. Butler
Senior Consultant
Chris.Butler@academicsearch.org
Dr. Christopher N. Butler is one of Academic Search’s most prolific consultants, having completed more than 150 executive searches. Since joining the firm in 2014, Dr. Butler’s wealth of experience, knowledge, and unique ability to entrench himself in an institution’s culture is unmatched.
Dr. Butler holds a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His innate interest in understanding an institution’s unique culture, his ability to discern distinctive patterns, and his dedication to thorough vetting are skills that prove invaluable in the realm of higher education recruiting and consulting. Stemming from his personal commitments and professional background having performed ethnographic fieldwork within the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, he emphasizes fair search processes and recruits rich candidate pools. Dr. Butler is also committed to working closely with committees and institutional leaders to ensure honest evaluations and successful placements.
With his professional background and respectful approach, he initiates searches by meeting with and listening to the perspectives of a broad range of stakeholder groups to develop search material and strategies that speak to each institution’s unique culture. This attention to detail allows him to search for candidates who are strong matches for the position, and he can present a rich sense of the institution to potential candidates.
Dr. Butler earned a bachelor’s degree in history and sociology, as well as a graduate certificate in cultural resource management, from West Virginia University prior to his graduate work at UW-Madison. After receiving his doctorate, Dr. Butler was an editorial coordinator and project manager for Apex CoVantage. In that capacity, he worked with a variety of academic presses as manuscripts were finalized for publication.
As a Senior Consultant, Dr. Butler’s sincerity and respect for each institution’s unique culture make him an asset in every search. His searches include chief executive officers, provosts and the full range of cabinet-level vice presidents, deans of major academic units, and endowed chairs at institutions looking to grow and strengthen faculty research capacities. As he continues to excel in his work, Dr. Butler remains committed to the mission of higher education and helping each institution prosper with each successful hire.
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
