Bishop State Community College

inviting applications and nominations for

PRESIDENT

Bishop State Community College, in Mobile, Alabama, seeks a visionary and experienced senior administrator, who will provide exceptional leadership as the President. The President reports to the Chancellor of the Alabama Community College System.

Complete information is available in the Search Profile at http://www.myersmcrae.com/skins/userfiles/file/Bishop.pdf.

Bishop State Community College serves more than 3,100 students annually in southwest Alabama. This presidency provides an excellent leadership opportunity for a well-experienced administrator who is committed to successfully preparing students for career paths that meet the area’s growing economic and workforce development needs.

Responsibilities

As the chief administrative and executive officer of the college, the President is responsible for administering and supervising the total college program of Bishop State Community College. The President will delegate authority and yet retain final responsibility for the effective operation of the college.

The President shall:

• Follow established policies and procedures of the Alabama Community College System Board of Trustees and the Chancellor
• Follow established channels in relating the affairs of the college to the Chancellor and the Alabama Community College System Board of Trustees
• Represent the needs of the college at the state and national levels by attending Presidents’ meetings, serving on special interest committees, and attending regional and national meetings as appropriate
• Appoint all faculty and staff of the institution in accordance with the prescribed procedures, assign their duties and responsibilities, and ensure periodic evaluation
• Report data and information in a timely and accurate manner to the Alabama Community College System office
• Manage the fiscal affairs of the college efficiently and economically
• Interpret the mission of the college to local business, industry, and civic interests
• Involve the community in planning programs and services to be offered at the college
• Promote the maximum utilization of the college’s facilities and resources to the benefit of the community
• Promote the articulation of the college’s programs with secondary and other postsecondary institutions
• Secure, as appropriate, governmental and other outside funding for the college’s projects
• Provide leadership for maintaining quality educational programs
• Create an atmosphere conducive to high faculty, staff, and student morale
• Effectively delegate responsibility and authority to appropriate administrative officers
• Maintain open channels of communication with faculty, staff, and students
• Direct long-range planning activities that include input from the faculty, staff, and students; support continuous professional development activities of faculty and staff; and develop annual and long-range goals for the college
• Provide effective leadership and management for the overall direction of the institution

Qualifications

The President will be expected to display high integrity and trustworthiness and to  provide the vision and courage needed to ensure the continuing success of the Alabama Community College System.

Candidates must have a minimum of five years of senior-level, full-time administrative experience in an applicable institution, government agency, or industry. A master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution is required; an earned doctorate degree from a regionally accredited institution is preferred.

Other requirements include:

• Experience and knowledge of the mission and role of public two-year institutions, particularly their role in academic preparation and in community economic and workforce development
• Experience in interpreting organizational needs, programs, and activities to the employees, the community organizations and agencies, the area school systems, and the legislature
• Experience providing services training for business and industry

Additionally, the successful candidate will possess:

Leadership

• The capacity to be an energetic and highly-visible leader who can articulate and communicate the System’s mission and vision to internal and external constituencies
• A clear commitment to the System’s statutorily defined purpose, including its special emphasis on academic preparation and on workforce training and supporting economic development
• An understanding of the System’s mission as defined by the Alabama Community College System Board of Trustees and the ability to inspire the support of this mission by others
• An understanding of the global dimensions of the economy and workforce issues and the role of community colleges in meeting contemporary education and training needs
• Politically astute advocacy skills, with experience in working successfully with policy makers at the local, state, and federal levels

Management Expertise

• Skills to lead and manage a complex organization
• Financial/business systems
• Resource development
• Strategic planning
• Conflict resolution
• Consensus builder
• Team builder
• Bond issues and construction program support
• Fundraising experience

Commitment

• Strong student-orientation, recognizing that all aspects of the college exist to facilitate learning and student development, so that the student obtains the optimum level of competency and is informed of progress
• An understanding of and support for the System’s open door philosophy, including a strong commitment to access for all citizens
• Demonstrated sensitivity to and an appreciation of ethnic and cultural diversity, with an established record of building consensus and reaching out to various diverse groups
• A record of building partnerships and coalitions with business, government, schools, universities, and other community groups
• An established record as an innovative and creative leader who understands the importance of technology as it relates to economic development, institutional effectiveness, and administrative support
• Evidence of being an accessible leader with responsive listening skills and an active interest in the development of all employees
• Strong evidence of being open-minded, a good listener, and a persuasive communicator with appropriate pleasantry

Educational Philosophy

• Committed to the community college concept of quality education
• Committed to the professional development of faculty and staff
• Student-oriented in the sense of recognizing that all aspects of the college are to facilitate learning and student development, with the student obtaining a level of competencies and the student being kept informed of progress
• Committed to the offering of programs that are relevant to the current needs of business and industry
• Demonstrated knowledge of the academic transfer programs and evidence of ability to work with the four-year institutions
• Demonstrated knowledge of technical programs and evidence of ability to work with business and industry

Personal Characteristics

• Demonstrated sensitivity to all facets of the community, including the needs of the various groups of which it is comprised
• Demonstrated ability to communicate well, both orally and in writing
• Demonstrated ability to work as a team member, which includes all segments of the college faculty, staff, students, and governing boards
• Demonstrated leadership, decision-making, and coordinating abilities in a complex organization
• Demonstrated ability to project a positive public image

Bishop State Community College

Bishop State Community College, founded in 1927, is a state-supported, multi-location, urban community college, located in Mobile, Alabama. One of the nation’s historically black colleges and universities, Bishop State is part of the Alabama Community College System.

The college is an open access institution, accepting individuals who have a high school diploma or a GED. The key objectives of the college are to provide transfer education to prepare students to transfer to other colleges and universities; general education courses to support all college degree programs; and technical, vocational, occupational, and career education courses that prepare students for immediate employment, retrain existing employees, and promote local and state economic stability and competitiveness.

Primarily serving the residents of Mobile and Washington counties in southwest Alabama, the college has four city campuses — Main, Baker-Gaines Central, Carver, and Southwest — all within Mobile’s city limits. Selected classes also are offered at six area high schools in the two counties.

The college serves traditional as well as nontraditional students. In Fall 2015, enrollment totalled 3,112 students, with the vast majority being Alabama residents. More than half of the students attended full time. Of the students enrolled, nearly 60 percent were female and more than 62 percent were African American/Black. The average age of the student body was 25 years old.

With 240 full-time and 124 part-time employees, the college offers Associate of Arts, Associate in Science, and Associate in Applied Science degrees, as well as certificates in occupational and technical fields.

For academic and general education, there are programs in business, computer information systems, mathematics, natural sciences, and social sciences that prepare students to transfer to four-year colleges and universities. 

The Technical/Workforce Development Department serves students desiring short-term training, long-term training, and/or degree programs. Technical programs offered include automotive technology, cosmetology, electrical technology, electronics engineering, diesel technology, instrumentation, air conditioning and refrigeration, graphic communications technology, jewelry design, nail technology, truck driving, drafting and design, process maintenance technology, welding, watch repair, commercial food service, barbering, hair styling, and plumbing.

Bishop State provides a variety of student support services including financial aid, academic advising, career guidance, and counseling services.

The Student Government Association sponsors many activities that appeal to the social, recreational, and career interests. There is also a wide range of student clubs, a college choir, band, and several scholastic and honorary organizations.

Bishop State is a member of the Alabama Junior and Community College Conference and the National Junior College Athletic Association. The college offers men’s and women’s basketball, men’s baseball, and women’s Fast Pitch softball.

Bishop State provides Adult Education for individuals needing to earn their high school equivalence.  Additionally, the Ready-to-Work (RTW) Program offers a system of job readiness, basic computer skills, and Work Keys assessment and testing to adult job seekers and dislocated workers. Work Keys is a job skills assessment system that measures real work skills.

Technical Dual Enrollment provides high school students with an opportunity to take college courses while enrolled in high school.

Bishop State is accredited by the Southern Association of College and School Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate degrees, certificates and short certificates.

Committed to helping each student finish with the skills needed to immediately join the workforce or to pursue further educational opportunities, the college has established strong partnerships with businesses, industries, and organizations. The institution has a $34-million impact on the local economy annually.

Mobile, Alabama

Bishop State is located in Mobile, in the southwest corner of the state on the Gulf of Mexico. With nearly 200,000 residents, Mobile is the third most populous city in Alabama.

As one of the Gulf Coast’s cultural centers, Mobile offers art museums, botanical gardens, a symphony orchestra, a professional opera, a professional ballet company, and significant historic architecture from churches, homes, and buildings. Mobile is known for having the oldest organized Carnival celebrations in the nation.

The city has public and private primary and secondary schools, as well as several colleges and universities. It serves the central Gulf Coast as a regional center for healthcare services with four major medical centers.

Aerospace, steel, ship building, retail, services, construction, medicine, and manufacturing are the city’s major industries. The Mobile Regional Airport has direct connections for four major hub airports.

Application and Nomination Process

Confidential inquiries are welcomed and nominations are invited.

To Apply - Application materials should include: 1) a letter of interest, 2) a comprehensive résumé or curriculum vitae, 3) five references, including email addresses and phone numbers, 4) email and phone numbers of current and immediate past employers, 5) unofficial college transcripts indicating degrees earned, 6) answers to the questions at www.myersmcrae.com/skins/userfiles/file/MMQuestions.pdf

Finalists will be required to provide official college transcripts and submit to a criminal background check.

Submit application materials to: Bishop@myersmcrae.com    

Review of materials begins immediately. For best consideration, submit application materials by April 3, 2017.

Nominations should include the name, current position, email address, and phone number of the individual being nominated. Submit nominations to Bishop-nominate@myersmcrae.com

Kenny Daugherty, Executive Vice President of Myers McRae Executive Search and Consulting, is assisting Bishop State Community College with this search.

Bishop State Community College is an equal opportunity employer. It is the official policy of Bishop State Community College that no person shall, on the grounds of race, color, gender, religion, creed, national origin, age, or disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination under any program, activity, or employment. 

 

Myers McRae Executive Search and Consulting

515 Mulberry Street, Suite 200, Macon, Georgia 31201

(478) 330-6222 | www.myersmcrae.com