Students today are considering colleges' and universities' commitment to sustainability in their application and enrollment decisions. To remain competitive, higher education institutions must not only make environmental sustainability a strategic priority, they must also ensure it’s embedded throughout the entirety of their ecosystem, including curriculum, research, student life, enrollment, facilities, trustee ...
Given the headlines over the past few years about the innumerable challenges facing college Presidents, and the decreasing tenure of those in the position, there is an understandable concern within the sector about the future of the top leadership position. I can confidently say there is no need to panic. The college presidency remains a highly sought after position, and there are scores of...
Higher education institutions are taking steps to position themselves as local and global leaders in environmental sustainability. They are doing so in support of important institutional values and priorities, as well as in response to student applicants who see the area as integral to their own moral principles. Many students actually consider an institution’s commitment to environmental...
The Student Affairs team plays a key role in enhancing the student experience, providing the ‘beyond the classroom’ essentials needed to make an institution and its students successful. Institutions strategizing for sustained growth through increasing enrollment, retention, and graduation rates will benefit from the pivotal role of the Student Affairs division and its leadership.
Higher education leaders must take a multifaceted approach to shaping strategy and outcomes for an institution. They are tasked with cultivating financial stability and growth, advancing academic excellence and student success, and ensuring the mission and goals of the institution are fulfilled.
The appointment of an exemplary candidate - one who is a proven, respected, trustworthy leader - is...
Leadership search in higher education continues to be challenging in the aftermath of COVID-19 as institutions struggle to hire and retain top academic leaders.
According to a 2023 survey of 446 college leaders in The Chronicle of Higher Education, 84% of respondents reported that hiring in academic administration roles has been problematic, whereas 13% reported it as a serious problem.
Beyond...
This is the first in a series of articles and other resources that AGB Search is creating for academic officers, primarily Chief Academic Officers and Deans.
In our work with institutions and leaders we see a clear need for supporting academic roles within higher education’s changing landscape. Higher education’s well-documented transitions have a significant impact on the roles of academic...
Higher education talent acquisition continues to change; executive search firms can help
The post-pandemic era of ‘The Great Resignation’ led to a record number of voluntary resignations in the higher education sector. At the same time, leadership roles in higher education have been changing and becoming more multifaceted due to the complexity of our world and the challenges facing higher...
People often think of leadership as a solitary endeavor. It can feel that those to whom you report expect you to keep everything running smoothly under all manner of circumstances, and those who report to you expect you to have all the answers regardless of the situation.
As a firm rooted in shared governance, we at AGB Search believe leadership is maximized when developed within a framework that...
AGB Search Principals Monica Burton and Peggy Plympton, in conjunction with Senior Principal Lyn Harper of Mercer, hosted Building the Workforce for the Future, the sixth event in the Leadership Connections in Higher Education series for higher education leaders. The session centered around the presentation of a Workforce Planning project undertaken by Villanova University in partnership with...
There has long been debate about the value of transparency regarding candidate pools in higher education presidential searches. Some institutions are required by law to reveal the names of applicants in a presidential search, including semi-finalists and finalists. Others, while not legally required to do so, will reveal the names of finalists, as they may be expected to conduct campus tours and...
AGB Search Principals Monica Burton and Peggy Plympton, in conjunction with Senior Principal Lyn Harper and Partners Jonathan Gordin and Krista Mayor of Mercer, hosted HR Transformation at the University of California: Levers and Strategies, a virtual session held to discuss how the University of California System transformed its systemwide human resources (SWHR) department. The fifth event in...
AGB Search Principals Monica Burton, Peggy Plympton, and Kim Bobby, in partnership with Lyn Harper, Senior Principal for Mercer, hosted HR & DEI – An Integrated People Strategy, a virtual breakfast session held to discuss how human resources and diversity, equity, and inclusion leaders in higher education are working together to foster a true sense of engagement and belonging among faculty, staff...
Updated November 2021
Across the landscape of higher education, the search committee plays a central role in the recruitment and hiring of presidents and senior executives. At the same time, it is widely recognized that not all search committees are created equal; many function well and add significant value to the search process, while at other times, they may wander off track, lose their...
When we meet with higher education leaders, we ask what concerns they have about their institution and the search process. There are several common themes on the minds of institutional leaders as we begin the year, from changing student demographics to cybersecurity. In this article, we examine some of the most critical issues leaders are facing as they plan for and conduct searches, and some...
AGB Search Principals Ms. Monica Burton and Dr. Margaret “Peggy” Plympton, in partnership with Jane Bierwirth, Co-Head of Asset Management for RSR Partners, hosted The Higher Education Investment Office: Strategy and Leadership, a virtual breakfast session held to discuss strategy and leadership in the higher education investment sector. This was the third event in this recently launched series, ...
AGB Search Principals Monica Burton and Peggy Plympton, in partnership with Karen Hutcheson, partner, and Lyn Harper, principal, of Mercer, hosted Human Resources in Higher Education: A Renewed Appreciation, a virtual breakfast session dedicated to discussing prevalent issues in higher education Human Resources with an emphasis on developments and challenges during the pandemic. This was the...
Updated March 16, 2023.
Over the last two years, the demographics of the higher education presidency have experienced a considerable shift. Women and people of color now comprise several historic appointments at higher education institutions, from the Ivy Leagues to technical colleges.
We are revisiting a conversation with four AGB Search Executive Search Consultants about their experiences as...
In surveying and interviewing college and university leaders about what they see as silver linings arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, increased collaboration and strategic partnerships will prove to be among the positive outcomes. Below we outline the strategies and programs being implemented at the institutions with whom we spoke.
External Partnerships
During our conversations, leaders placed...
Human Resources serves as a strategic partner in the leadership of many higher education institutions, particularly during times of institutional stress. As executive search consultants serving the higher education market, we wanted to learn what is on the minds of senior HR leaders in this unprecedented time, so we engaged with HR leaders at large and small, public and private institutions to...
Most higher education institutions, at some point, find themselves in need of a seasoned leader who can step in temporarily to maintain continuity during a full search. Below, Joseph Johnston, Ph.D., head of AGB Search’s Interim Search Practice, provides insights about the process and benefits of appointing an interim leader.
When should an institution hire an interim leader?
In most instances, an...
If you have worked most of your career in academia, it is likely you have served on or chaired a search committee for a senior administrative hire and are familiar with the intense process of searching for the right leader. You have spent valuable time in listening sessions expressing your ideas and concerns for the future of the institution, sifted through numerous applications and evaluated...
When a college or university embarks on the critical task of hiring a new president, a strategically developed candidate pool can better position its search committee to find the most effective leader. A committee should consider a range of candidate recruitment methods, with the aim of identifying the individual that can best serve the unique needs of the organization. Following are four...
According to the American Council on Education’s American College President Study, the frequency of presidential turnover is increasing, with more than half of presidents or chancellors intending to leave their positions within five years. These figures point to an urgent need for higher education institutions to prepare effectively and efficiently for the departure of their top executive –...
The National Center for Education Statistics defines a "nontraditional" learner as someone having one or more of the following seven characteristics: older than typical age, part-time attendance, being independent of parents, working full time while enrolled, having dependents, being a single parent, and being a recipient of a GED or high school completion certificate. As U.S. demographics have...
The 2017 American Council on Education's American College President Study found that 54 percent of higher education presidents or chancellors plan to leave their current positions within the next five years. Moreover, the study indicates that, due to an increase in the average age of college presidents, an increase in retirements is likely on the horizon. This trend extends beyond presidents, as...
You've selected your interim appointee, and he or she has accepted your offer. How can you help ensure that your goals for the appointment are met and major problems avoided? Here are four suggestions to prepare the new interim leader and your institution for success.
1. Make sure you've clarified whether, if interested, the appointee can be a candidate for the permanent position. Most interim appointments expressly rule this out for two basic reasons. First, incumbency and candidacy can pull an interim in opposite directions, possibly tempting him or her to avoid hard decisions or to make them based on self-serving criteria. Even the perception that this is...
The merits of behavioral interviewing have long been touted as a way to understand how a candidate for a particular position will perform in specific situations. As Katherine Hansen has noted, the premise behind behavioral interviewing is that the most accurate predictor of future performance is past performance in similar situations. Behavioral interviewing has been found to be 55 percent...
In recent years, innovation and entrepreneurship have emerged as significant strategic initiatives on college and university campuses. In a 2015 Fast Company article titled “The Next Hot Trend on Campus: Creating Innovation,” the author notes that “innovation centers are transforming higher education campuses and powering the future of learning.” A 2016 New York Times feature highlighted...
The higher education landscape is changing rapidly, and with it the attributes essential to being an effective leader. It is no longer sufficient to be intelligent and accomplished; leaders must be adaptable, innovative, proactive, and masterful at interpersonal relationships. But how do you measure these less concrete characteristics when hiring new leadership?
Many assessments have been designed...
An Institution Asks: What is the appropriate role of the campus community in finalist interviews?
There is no one right way to conduct finalist interviews. The best structure for finalist interviews will be unique to each institution, balancing factors such as campus culture, history, and expectations for openness; institutional structure (number of campuses, for instance); and the desire to create a process that will attract and protect candidates with high needs for confidentiality, such as...
A Candidate Asks: I have concerns about confidentiality, but the institution is holding open campus interviews. What are my options?
If you have confidentiality concerns, be sure to make that clear to the search consultant early in the process, as sometimes search committees have the flexibility to keep the final interview process closed or protected. Even in an open process, there are things a committee can do to limit exposure, such as not providing a press release announcing the interviews, sharing the interview schedule...
An Institution Asks: Should we consider using video technology in place of the more traditional “airport” interviews for semifinalist candidates?
An in-person interview for semifinalist candidates is a tried and true way to help search committees determine qualifications and fit for leadership positions. But it is expensive for institutions and difficult to schedule both for committee members and candidates. We have seen a number of committees opt for the “Skype” interview to help narrow the pool of qualified candidates. This can be...
A Candidate Asks: How should I prepare for a Skype-enabled semifinalist interview?
The short answer is that the preparation is the same as for an in-person semifinalist interview. You should be clear about why you are seeking the position, and be able to explain both your qualifications and interest in an engaging way. You also need to know a great deal about the institution and why the current position is open, what the institution hopes to accomplish with a new hire, and how...
An Institution Asks: How does a research associate support an AGB Search search?
AGB Search has a dedicated group of researcher associates who complement the efforts of the consultant for the search committee. Personally, I approach each search as a new puzzle, incorporating all sorts of clues that will fit together to form a final, complete picture. I help build a pool in myriad ways: studying the institution and the role the selected candidate will have within it; learning...
A Candidate Asks: How does a research associate support candidates in a search?
Interactions between the research associates and candidates is often limited. These few interactions, however, can allow me to build a rapport with a candidate, which can lead to me recommending them for a later search. Astute candidates realize that I am an extension of the consultant and enjoy building a professional collaboration. It’s an exciting view from the sideline I sit on to see...
An Institution Asks: How do we handle questions from our colleagues regarding internal candidates?
Two and possibly three issues are connected to this question. The first is the institution’s willingness to consider internal candidates. It is in the institution’s best interest to be clear from the beginning of a search that not only will internal candidates be considered, but well qualified internal candidates will be encouraged to apply. Such willingness sends an important message to leaders...
A Candidate Asks: Is the institution interested in considering only those who have held a similar position elsewhere or is it willing to consider someone who is ready for the next step?
While on the one hand the answer to this question should be self-evident based on the stated required qualifications for the position, in reality candidates may be reading between the lines that only those currently in a similar position need apply. I encourage hiring authorities to be open to considering rising stars and to state their required qualifications so that they will not preclude such...