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
Shirley Robinson Pippins
Senior Consultant and Senior Executive Coach
Shirley.Pippins@academicsearch.org
Dr. Shirley Robinson Pippins has an exceptional ability to assemble candidate pools brimming with leadership qualities, integrity, and potential. She has demonstrated expertise in identifying phenomenal talent and finds deep satisfaction in presenting search committees with applicants who can lead organizations to success.
Dr. Pippins joined Academic Search in 2016, and she has experience in all areas of higher education. She was president of two community colleges, Thomas Nelson for eight years and Suffolk County for five years, and she was President of Victory University, a private Christian liberal arts school in Memphis. With her years of executive experience, Dr. Pippins can weather any challenge that may arise in a search.
After serving successfully in two presidential positions, Dr. Pippins was selected as the Senior Vice President of Programs and Services at the American Council on Education (ACE). She oversaw ACE’s leadership development and diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. She also served in volunteer leadership roles on the Executive Committee of the American Association of Community Colleges (chair of the Audit and Finance Committee), and vice chair of HERS, an organization dedicated to creating and sustaining women leaders in higher education.
Dr. Pippins currently serves as faculty for three nationally recognized leadership development programs: the Executive Leadership Academy (ELA) with UC Berkeley, the Leadership Institute for Tomorrow (LIFT) with California State University Fullerton, and the American Academic Leadership Institute (AALI). Most recently, her partnership with the Advancing Leadership Institute for Instructional VPs in Equitable Education (ALIVE) project of the CCCCIO has resulted in the advancement of academic leaders of color to executive positions in the California Community College System.
As a Senior Consultant, Dr. Pippins immerses herself in the institution’s staff, culture, and community to pinpoint the types of candidates who will excel there. Her ability to recognize strengths and thoroughly analyze each applicant’s skillset is unmatched, and she assembles impressive candidate cadres that often exceed the institution’s expectations. Her work has resulted in the appointment of many historic firsts.
Dr. Pippins enjoys working with higher education institutions of all types, though she has a particular affinity for community colleges and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. She is also known for her successful identification of Presidents/CEOs and Chancellors. In the last year, she successfully led searches for the Chancellors of the Virginia Community College system and the California Community College system. The East Chicago, IN, native is also an accomplished negotiator and facilitator, and her skills are especially advantageous in the final stages of a search.
Dr. Pippins earned her Ed.D. from Teachers College, Columbia University. She also has a master’s and bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois, where she was a member of America’s oldest honor society, Phi Beta Kappa.
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
