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
Richard Cummins
Senior Consultant
Rich.Cummins@academicsearch.org
After four decades in higher education, Dr. Richard Cummins joined Academic Search as a Senior Consultant in 2021. From teaching as a graduate assistant to serving as a college president—while earning advanced degrees along the way—Dr. Cummins has dedicated himself to accessibility in higher education. As a consultant for Academic Search, he is motivated to enrich institutions by finding the most qualified candidates and assisting search committees as they hire esteemed individuals.
Dr. Cummins was President of Columbia Basin College, a baccalaureate-granting community college in Pasco, WA, from 2008 to 2017. He served as the Washington Chancellor for Western Governors University for the subsequent year (2017-2018) before retiring and entering the realm of higher education consulting. Before his appointment to the presidential position at Columbia Basin College, Dr. Cummins started as an English department faculty member in 1990 and subsequently served as an academic dean, executive vice president, and Acting President (2006-2007). He was named President in 2008 and worked diligently to increase CBC’s outreach and retention strategies to increase student success. As a result, CBC achieved Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) recognition in 2008.
As a student, Dr. Cummins earned a B.A. in English from the University of Cincinnati, an M.F.A. from the University of Arizona, and a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University. He is a member of the American Psychological Association.
With a sharp eye for detail and a penchant for meticulous organization, Dr. Cummins’ consulting style pays close attention to guidelines and steps while remaining flexible and intuitive. Throughout the consulting process, Dr. Cummins works closely with the school’s faculty and administration and finds deep satisfaction in assisting search committees as they select outstanding candidates. After an extensive career in community colleges, Dr. Cummins is especially fond of searches that serve open-access institutions, as he believes they are engines for social mobility and economic empowerment that transform lives. However, in every search Dr. Cummins performs, regardless of the institution type, he applies the same level of passion for recruiting the best candidates.
Dr. Cummins received numerous recognitions for his presidential work, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Tri-Cities (WA) Hispanic Chamber, induction into the Mid-Columbia Agriculture Hall of Fame, the Leadership Excellence Award from the Association of Community and Technical Colleges, the Science Advocate of the Year from the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, and the Crystal Apple Award from the school districts in southeastern Washington.
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
