Skip to main content

This job has expired

Chancellor/Chief Executive Officer

Employer
Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education
Location
Pennsylvania, United States
Salary
Not specified
Date posted
Feb 8, 2018

View more

Position Type
Executive, Chancellors & Presidents
Employment Level
Executive
Employment Type
Full Time

Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education

Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education (the “State System”)—the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania—is seeking a visionary Chancellor/Chief Executive Officer to lead the 14-university system. The selected executive will bring proven leadership to position the State System to make further advancements in student success, academic quality and relevance, financial sustainability, and service as its universities continue to provide high-quality, high-value educational opportunities.

The Board of Governors for the State System has proactively conducted a top-to-bottom System Review, which led to the start of a comprehensive System Redesign that is being guided by three priorities: 1) ensuring student success; 2) leveraging university strengths; and 3) transforming the governance and leadership structure. The Board is committed to providing strong support to—and working in close partnership with—the Chancellor to direct the State System as it brings about positive and effective change. The effort to redesign the State System is already underway, and the next Chancellor will be key to shaping, guiding, and advancing that effort well into the future.

With a combined enrollment of more than 100,000 students, the State System is among the largest university systems in the United States. It employs more than 10,000 dedicated full-time faculty and staff, also making it one of the largest employers in Pennsylvania. Several of the 14 State System universities are the largest employers within their counties, helping to fuel the local and regional economies, as well as that of the entire Commonwealth. The universities award more than 26,000 degrees each year. The State System generates more than $6.7 billion annually in economic activity that supports about 62,000 jobs beyond its own employee complement. The State System maintains eight collective bargaining agreements with seven separate bargaining units; combined, they cover about 85 percent of all System employees.

Reporting directly to the Board of Governors, the Chancellor is responsible for providing leadership, innovation, and strategic vision as CEO of the State System. The Chancellor will bring leadership acumen to guide the System Redesign in a manner that addresses current educational needs and provides a vision and pathway for innovation, future growth, and achievement. The Chancellor will bring transformational leadership to align efforts across the State System to improve how students learn and courses are delivered. The Chancellor will work with the university leaders to ensure students receive the highest quality and most relevant education possible—delivered in ways most conducive to learning—and will bring strength of leadership to take on the challenge of improving graduation rates across the State System.

With nearly 90 percent of its students coming from Pennsylvania and approximately 80 percent remaining in the state after graduation, the State System seeks a Chancellor who will be committed to working in partnership with all stakeholders—students, faculty, staff, alumni, university leaders and trustees, elected officials, and others from the public and private sectors. The number one goal is to assure that graduates are prepared to be Pennsylvania’s next generation of innovators in business, health, education, the arts, and beyond.

The Chancellor will inspire the State System universities to serve as statewide and regional assets that provide not only educational opportunities, but also serve as cultural and economic development centers. The Chancellor will work with the university presidents to ensure the institutions are poised to prepare students to meet the higher education and workforce needs of every region in the Commonwealth.

The Board seeks a Chancellor with unquestioned integrity, high energy, and demonstrated leadership and administrative abilities who can shape, articulate, lead, and implement the mission of the State System. The Chancellor will require strong executive leadership skills to marshal the talents of the university presidents and the executive staff as they work to identify adequate resources in difficult economic times; seek continuous enhancement in university entrepreneurship and flexibility; implement new ways of conducting operations; and align the academic offerings of the State System with the needs of its students and of the Commonwealth.

This is a career-making opportunity to retool and advance a major public higher education system—one of the largest in the country—and to lead a System Redesign effort that is determining the future course and culture, and reframing and elevating the brand of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education.

Applications and nominations may be received at ChancellorPASSHE@WhelessPartners.com or contact 888.492.8088 x170 for a confidential conversation.

 

Get job alerts

Create a job alert and receive personalized job recommendations straight to your inbox.

Create alert