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
Cynthia Patterson
Managing Director and Senior Consultant
Cynthia.Patterson@academicsearch.org
Dr. Cynthia Patterson joined Academic Search in 2018, after over thirty-five years in multiple leadership positions within education, including serving as a Vice President of Academic Affairs, Chief Student Affairs Officer, and Dean of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Patterson also brings unique experience and expertise in educational technology, having served as a Vice-President for two K12 educational technology companies, and as a Senior Vice President for a data analytics firm.
Within higher education, Dr. Patterson has led major academic initiatives at several institutions and brings a wealth of expertise in strategic planning, curriculum, liberal and professional education, assessment, accreditation, global studies, and faculty development. During her tenure at Lynn University, Dr. Patterson led a university-wide initiative resulting in the creation of a new core curriculum, the Dialogues of Learning, that received national recognition from both the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and Inside Higher Education.
As a former chief student affairs officer and dean, she possesses a deep appreciation for the importance of co-curricular life to student engagement and retention. Her extensive knowledge of student life policies and practices includes over ten years’ experience as an Associate Athletic Director at two Division I universities overseeing the academic and student support services for student athletes while also serving as the chief NCAA compliance officer.
In 2011, Dr. Patterson joined the senior leadership team of Middlebury Interactive Languages (MIL), a joint venture between Middlebury College and K12 Inc., created to develop online world language courses for the K-12 market. During her five years with MIL, Dr. Patterson served as Vice President of Academic Services and Senior Vice President of Operations, directly supervising Client Services, Instructional Services, Implementation Services, Technology Support, and Content Development Departments; including over 20 full-time staff and over 50 part-time teachers. Dr. Patterson then moved into a leadership role as Vice President for Client Services at Fuel Education, a division of K12 Inc., to oversee the implementation of products and services for over 1200 districts and schools with annual revenue over $105 million. More recently, Dr. Patterson served as a Senior Vice President for a data analytics firm, overseeing the professional services engineering team and coordinating cross-functional operations, including data imagery analytics.
Dr. Patterson earned her bachelor’s degree from Rollins College and her doctorate in American History from Northwestern University.
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
