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
Sharon D. Herzberger
Senior Consultant and Senior Executive Coach
Sharon.Herzberger@academicsearch.org
Dr. Sharon D. Herzberger is an esteemed Senior Consultant and Executive Coach with an admirable history of making an impact on the institutions she serves. As President of Whittier College for 13 years, Dr. Herzberger grew enrollment and transformed the private liberal arts school into a thriving institution that earned accolades as one of the most diverse liberal arts colleges in the nation. With four decades in academia fueled by the desire to expand opportunities to people of all backgrounds, her strengths lie in fostering diversity, increasing enrollment, and understanding the factors that lead to good–and bad–decisions.
Before her presidency, Dr. Herzberger was a psychology professor at Northwestern University for five years and at Trinity College for 25 years. She performed extensive research in social psychology and authored numerous scholarly articles and two books. Much of her research focused on biases in individual and group decision-making, giving her a breadth of knowledge that is proving useful in the consulting realm. In addition to teaching, Dr. Herzberger was Trinity’s Special Assistant to the President for Affirmative Action, Associate Vice President for the college’s campaign, Vice President for Student Services, and Vice President for Institutional Planning and Administration.
In 2000, Dr. Herzberger founded the Consortium on High Achievement and Success (CHAS) to reshape institutional practices and promote equitable outcomes among students of all backgrounds. She established a network of like-minded colleagues focused on improving the college experience for historically underrepresented populations on predominantly white campuses. CHAS continues to work toward this objective and includes 18 member schools.
Dr. Herzberger has mentored countless administrators throughout her career as they transitioned to new posts. She continues this work through Rutgers University’s Center for Minority Serving Institutions and provides executive coaching services through Academic Search. She is deeply passionate about cultivating opportunities for personal growth and leadership. She is attentive and inquisitive, and she has the proficiency to help colleges and universities make the strategic decisions necessary to improve outcomes.
Dr. Herzberger has held leadership positions in many national and state organizations. She chaired the NCAA Division III President’s Council and was an NCAA’s Executive Board member. She also served on the boards of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), the Annapolis Group, and the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities.
Dr. Herzberger earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Penn State University and her master’s and doctorate in psychology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
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
