President

St. Ambrose University, a diocesan, Catholic, doctoral-granting institution located in the beautiful Quad Cities, is a success story in higher education. With an enviable track record of innovation in the curriculum, an engaged and enthusiastic student body, a faculty committed to student success, a solid balance sheet and an endowment that has more than doubled during the past decade, SAU is in an excellent position to face the challenges of higher education's future. To lead the university into that exciting future, St. Ambrose seeks a president.

Located in Davenport, IA on the banks of the Mississippi River, St. Ambrose is positioned in the center of a region of 350,000 people. Only hours away from Des Moines, Chicago, St. Louis and the Twin Cities, SAU provides an optimal combination of an urban environment with the feel of a more intimate community. Having built upon its cherished tradition as a liberal arts institution, the university today offers compelling courses of study in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, the health professions, business, and engineering at the bachelor's, master's, doctoral and micro-credential levels to more than 3000 students. Rooted in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition and peopled by a dedicated, engaged and increasingly diverse faculty and staff of more than 500, St. Ambrose produces graduates who are celebrated by employers and graduate schools as both highly principled and pragmatically prepared for lives of fulfillment and service.

Building on the legacy of retiring President Joan Lescinski CSJ Ph.D., St. Ambrose's new president will be a practicing Catholic with an earned terminal degree and a track record of superior leadership within the academy. Both candidates coming out of academic affairs as well as those with strong leadership experience in other areas will be given full consideration. The successful candidate will understand and embrace the Catholic Intellectual Tradition and will demonstrate a personal commitment to social justice and to living a life in service to others. The president will demonstrate a record of active and productive support of efforts to create, enhance and maintain a diverse student body, faculty and administrative workforce and an inclusive campus community. As would be expected, significant leadership and managerial experience, excellent fiscal skills and the ability to be a productive advocate for the institution, particularly to potential philanthropic investors, are highly sought.

A full Leadership Profile can be found at www.wittkieffer.com. Applications should be submitted as soon as possible, and no later than November 6, 2020, for fullest consideration. Application materials should include, as separate documents, a CV or resume and a letter of interest addressing the themes in the Leadership Profile.

Application materials should be submitted via the WittKieffer Candidate Portal.

Nominations and inquiries may be directed to the WittKieffer consultants supporting this search, Dennis Barden, Jeff Compher, Sheila Murphy and Elizabeth Bohan at: SAUPresident@wittkieffer.com.  

St. Ambrose University is an independent, comprehensive, and Catholic diocesan university firmly grounded in the liberal arts. We serve approximately 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students by providing them the opportunities to enrich their own lives and the lives of others. The University's Core Values include: Catholicity, Integrity, the Liberal Arts, Life-Long Learning, and Diversity. St. Ambrose is known for its academic excellence, integrity, collegiality and a strong sense of community.  People from under-represented populations are encouraged to apply.  EOE.