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
Kate V. Nolde
Senior Consultant
Kate.Nolde@academicsearch.org
Ms. Kate V. Nolde is a highly experienced Academic Search Senior Consultant who has been instrumental in many of the firm’s most significant hires. Her deep understanding of executive recruiting and placement comes from decades of professional and personal wisdom. Her vast network is unrivaled in the realm of executive searches, as she has served clients at every level of higher education. She has dedicated her career to improving institutions by recruiting distinguished applicants and helping administrators make the decisions that will enrich their programs.
In the 27 years of her executive search career, Ms. Nolde has worked tirelessly to locate, cultivate, and present the most esteemed candidates in the field. Her extensive list of placements includes presidents, provosts, deans, directors, and more at revered universities, community colleges, public, private, and faith-based schools across the United States. Regardless of the position she is tasked with filling, Ms. Nolde contributes her wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm to every search equally.
Ms. Nolde joined Academic Search in November 2016 after 18 years with RPA Inc., a Pennsylvania-based search firm at which Ms. Nolde served as Vice President and Senior Consultant. With RPA Inc., Ms. Nolde was one of its first employees and helped it expand to become the nationwide recruiting competitor it is today.
The Pennsylvania native attended Ithaca College for her first two years of school before taking a six-year hiatus to gain work experience and save money. During that time, she worked as a resident advisor with Red Rock Job Corps Center near her hometown. Eventually, with enough money saved and the opportunity to redirect her focus on her education, the tenacious Ms. Nolde enrolled at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in communication studies. Shortly after graduation, Ms. Nolde was hired by RPA, Inc., and her prolific career in recruiting and executive searches began.
As one of the nation’s most active and successful executive search consultants, the addition of Ms. Nolde to the Academic Search team is beneficial to our partner institutions. Her profuse networking skills allow her to recruit and consult on a client’s behalf and scour the nation for the best candidates seamlessly. As a result, she has played a role in filling hundreds of executive positions that have incurred long-term success. Today, Ms. Nolde’s deep affinity for working with higher education at all levels propels her commitment to helping students, colleges, and universities reach their full potential.
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
