Vice President for Advancement

The College of Wooster invites applications and nominations for the Vice President for Advancement. Reporting to the President of the College, the Vice President will be a proven leader with a passion for fundraising and the ability to develop and implement a strategic vision that supports the College's distinctive curriculum and mission.

Wooster is recognized as America's premier college for mentored undergraduate research. It offers an excellent, comprehensive liberal arts education, culminating with the Senior Independent Study (I.S.), a rigorous, year-long project which is the hallmark of Wooster's curriculum. Mentored by a faculty nationally recognized for excellence in teaching, Wooster graduates are creative and independent thinkers with exceptional abilities to ask important questions, research complex issues, solve problems, and communicate new knowledge and insight.

Wooster enrolls approximately 2,000 students, from 47 states and 39 countries, who choose from more than 50 academic programs in the sciences, humanities, social sciences, and the arts. It has 171 full time faculty, 96% holding a Ph.D. or equivalent terminal degree. The college is located in the city of Wooster, a vibrant community of 26,000 residents, approximately 50 miles from Cleveland and 35 miles from Akron.

In 2007, the College concluded the most successful comprehensive fund-raising campaign in its history which exceeded its $122 million goal by more than 20%, bringing in $147.9 million to support the College's most important priorities. Currently, Wooster is in the leadership phase of the campaign, which is expected to be publicly launched in April of 2017 and to conclude in July of 2018. The campaign focuses on fundraising around the college's priorities of student financial aid, faculty support, experiential education, life sciences, and The Wooster Fund. An emphasis on building broad-based alumni engagement and increasing the overall participation of alumni, parents and friends will also be a focus of the campaign. To date, a public goal has not been announced, but fundraising efforts have already produced a gift total that is the greatest in the College's history. In addition, the $40 million goal for building the life sciences center has been surpassed and the Williams Hall of Life Science is scheduled to open in the Fall of 2018. The success of this campaign, even prior to public announcement, is due to an invested donor community who trust and support the mission of the College, a seasoned staff who value collaboration and innovation, and an institution committed to entrepreneurial vision and making things happen.

The Vice President for Advancement manages all aspects of the College's fundraising efforts and will provide the vision, strategic direction and leadership for all development and alumni relations functions. In addition, the Vice President will build strong and lasting relationships with key College leaders as well as the College's many external constituents. The Vice President will oversee a team of 29 staff members and a budget of approximately $1.2 Million in addition to a separate, board approved, campaign budget, and serve as a key member of the President's Cabinet.

The ideal candidate will be a visionary leader with a deep understanding of and commitment to the mission, values, and goals of the college and be passionate about philanthropy and crafting fundraising strategies. Candidates from both academic and non-academic environments are welcome; a bachelor's degree is expected.

We are particularly interested in candidates who have experience developing and articulating a strategic vision with measurable goals, and have an understanding of the ways fundraising strategies are changing, a willingness to embrace change and seek out innovative solutions. Candidates should have demonstrated success with growing a donor base, soliciting and closing principal gifts, and experience in comprehensive campaign planning and implementation. Experience being a trusted leader who is able to serve as reliable counsel to the Board, President and other staff, while also able to leverage their specialized experience, council, vision and support is required. The candidate should be a strong manager with an approachable and motivational leadership style that promotes mentorship, collaboration, professional development, and innovation. Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills will be required in addition to the ability to successfully recruit, develop, and retain top-tier talent while also maintaining a culture of accountability through data-driven goals and performance metrics. The candidate will serve as an institution-wide partner and team player who is able to engage in constructive dialogue and to advocate persuasively for the mission and priorities of advancement as well as show a commitment to listening and problem-solving.

For best consideration, please send all inquiries, nominations and applications – electronically and in confidence to:

Susan VanGilder, Partner

Kenna Boyd, Associate

Storbeck/Pimentel and Associates, LP

WoosterVPAdvancement@storbecksearch.com

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

It is the policy of The College of Wooster to not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment, and to take affirmative action to employ and to advance in employment all persons, regardless of their status, and to base all employment decisions only on valid job requirements. This policy applies to all employment actions, including, but not limited to recruitment, hiring, upgrading, promotion, rates of pay or other forms of compensation and selection for training at all levels of employment. Employees of and applicants to The College of Wooster will not be subject to harassment, intimidation, threats, coercion, or discrimination because they have engaged or may engage in filing a complaint, assisting in a review, investigation, or hearing or have otherwise sought to obtain their legal rights related to any federal, state, or local laws regarding EEO for minorities, females, qualified individuals with disabilities, or qualified protected veterans.