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Position Profile

Nestled in the heart of the Cheltenham Neighborhood, across from the world-famous St. Louis Zoo and Forest Park, St. Louis Community College-Forest Park is the district's city campus. The campus is adjacent to several other major health, cultural and educational centers, such as the St. Louis Science Center and the BJC medical complex.

Forest Park is Missouri's leading provider of health technology training and the premier trainer for the hospitality industry in St. Louis. The campus houses a $5 million Hospitality Studies Center, as well as a Center of Excellence for Emerging and Advanced Information Technology.

The campus serves more than 8,210 students and supports the Harrison Education Center in North St. Louis, offering credit and non-credit courses and contractual training. In the process of active expansion, the college recently broke ground for a New Harrison Education Center in the city’s Jeff VanderLou Neighborhood. The new Harrison Center will be ideally positioned to leverage learning partnerships and provide enhanced educational opportunities for residents of an underserved community. The new center is scheduled to open in 2010.

The president of STLCC-Forest Park will be an experienced academic leader and visionary committed to unifying the college and addressing the needs of a complex and diverse urban campus.

Challenges and Opportunities

  1. To focus on student achievement and success by supporting and reaffirming the commitment to quality developmental, transfer, career, and occupational programs and services.
  2. To connect with and address the needs of underserved populations.
  3. To effectively and prudently manage current resources while identifying new sources of funding and revenue.
  4. To strengthen relationships with the community and develop partnerships and alliances with K-12, community agencies, government, and business and industry.
  5. To lead an effective campus-based strategic planning process within the context of the college’s strategic directions and choices and to address the long-term physical plant needs of the campus.
  6. To encourage and incorporate new technology, social networking and innovative approaches in teaching and learning.
  7. To foster educational pedagogy grounded in the global reality of a changing world while focusing on local priorities.

STLCC-Forest Park seeks an experienced and visionary leader who embraces the community college mission.

Ideal Characteristics

  1. A value-driven and passionate visionary who is a forceful and dynamic advocate for an urban, diverse community college campus.
  2. An educator committed to academic excellence, student achievement and student engagement.
  3. A politically savvy and experienced advocate who understands the complexities of leading a campus that is part of multi-campus district and working in a district environment.
  4. A passionate educator who will be a visible and engaged member of the local community and is committed to civic engagement.
  5. An individual with a proven track record of accomplishments in promoting and establishing successful programs to address diversity at all levels of the institution.
  6. An effective fundraiser with the capacity to identify new sources of revenue and financial support for the campus.
  7. An approachable, collaborative and participatory team builder who embraces participative governance.
  8. A decisive and fair decision maker who is approachable and accessible to faculty, students, staff and all members of the campus.
  9. An effective communicator who listens actively.
  10. A strategic leader who practices data-driven decision making.
  11. An experienced leader with success in working with strong labor organizations.
  12. An innovative and energetic leader who encourages calculated risk taking.
  13. An informed individual who promotes global education.
  14. A leader with a demonstrated capacity to nurture leadership at all levels of the institution.
  15. An individual who will promote consistency, transparency and stability at all levels within the campus.
  16. A technologically savvy educator.
  17. An effective manager with demonstrated experience in budget development and fiscal management.

Preferred Minimum Qualifications:

  1. Doctorate degree from a regionally accredited university
  2. Some college teaching experience 
  3. Leadership experience in a multi-campus and/or multi-college urban setting
  4. Administrative experience with progressively increasing responsibilities

TO APPLY:   Please submit four separate documents: 

  1.  A letter of application that succinctly addresses the challenges and opportunities identified and how your experience and professional qualifications prepare you to serve the needs of the college (not to exceed five pages).
  2. A current resume including an e-mail address and cell telephone number.
  3. A reference list with the names, home and business telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses of eight references (three supervisors [one board member] two direct reports, and three faculty members from current or former institutions).
  4. A Candidate Summary Form. You can download the template for this form.

Nominations and applications will be accepted until the position is filled. The target date for applications is Jan. 11, 2010. The Presidential Screening Committee will review applications in late-January, 2010
 
Electronic copies of the application package must be submitted to searches@acct.org.
 
In addition, please submit a paper copy of your application materials to: 
STLCC-Forest Park: Presidential Search
ATTN:  Dr. Narcisa Polonio
ACCT
1233 20th Street, NW, Suite 301
Washington, DC 20036
 
For additional information, nominations or inquires please contact:  Dr. Narcisa A. Polonio, ACCT Vice President for Education, Research and Board Leadership Services, 202-276-1983 (mobile) or e-mail at npolonio@acct.org; or Julie Golder Alion, J.D., Board Services Specialist, 202-775-4466 (office) or e-mail at jgolder@acct.org.