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
Suzanne K. Mellon
Senior Consultant and Senior Executive Coach
Suzanne.Mellon@academicsearch.org
Dr. Suzanne K. Mellon’s approach to senior consulting is guided by her experience in health care and higher education administration. She’s highly attentive and perceptive, and she’s calm under pressure and in contentious situations. Dr. Mellon joined Academic Search as a Senior Consultant and Executive Coach in 2021. In the years since she joined the firm, Dr. Mellon has put her vast skillset to excellent use.
Dr. Mellon’s career started in nursing after she received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and master’s from Ohio State in nursing, followed by a doctorate in philosophy from Wayne State University. When Dr. Mellon discovered her interest in mental health, she began working as a psychiatric nurse consultant in home care and later as an academic researcher in cancer survivorship.
As her career progressed, she joined the University of Detroit Mercy and was named Dean of the College of Health Professions and McAuley School of Nursing in 2001. While at Detroit Mercy, the largest Catholic university in Michigan, Dr. Mellon oversaw an 80 percent increase in enrollment in the nursing program, championed a $4 million boost in research funding, and led the university’s first online program development. She also held an affiliate faculty appointment at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Family Medicine and was a full research member with Karmanos Cancer Institute in the Molecular Biology and Genetics program. Dr. Mellon went on to become Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer and a Professor at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire. She led the university’s strategic planning process by creating a detailed five-year plan and guiding the school through the tumultuous 2009 economic downturn.
With her breadth of experience, polished leadership skills, and excellent planning capabilities, Dr. Mellon was named president of Carlow University in 2013. Carlow, a private Catholic university in Pittsburgh, flourished with Dr. Mellon at the helm. She led the school through the development of a new strategic plan, academic program growth, endowment growth, the construction of new buildings, and fundraising. Dr. Mellon also established the Office of Equity and Inclusion, enhanced its Social Justice Institutes, and unveiled the revolutionary center for nursing, the Celtic Simulation Center for Innovative Learning.
As a Senior Consultant, Dr. Mellon’s skill for strategic planning and her purposeful approach to consulting guide her through the process. She intently listens to all members of a search committee, comprehends the institution’s concerns, and works diligently to recruit the candidates who would best suit the school’s needs. Through Dr. Mellon’s time as president, executive vice president/chief operation officer, dean, professor, researcher, counselor, and nurse, she has acquired the necessary skills to assist in filling any position confidently, and she is motivated to help all institutions prosper.
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
