President

President

The Board of Directors of Campus Compact (“the Compact”)–the only national higher education association dedicated to campus-based civic engagement–invites nominations of and applications from seasoned higher education advocates with exemplary organizing and management skills to serve as the organization’s next president. 

Founded in 1985 by the presidents of Brown, Georgetown, and Stanford Universities, along with the president of the Education Commission of the States, the Compact is a national coalition of 750 U.S. colleges and universities, representing approximately 6 million students, committed to fulfilling the public purposes of higher education. The Compact promotes public and community participation that develops students’ citizenship skills, helps campuses forge effective community partnerships, and provides resources and training for faculty seeking to integrate civic and community-based learning into the curriculum. Campus Compact engages with students, faculty, staff, senior leaders, and partners to encourage campuses to develop comprehensive approaches to advancing the public good. Membership includes public, private, two- and four-year institutions across the spectrum of higher education. 

In a moment of intensified racial injustice and the sustained assault on democratic values and norms, Campus Compact challenges colleges and universities to function as vital agents and architects of a diverse and multicultural democracy, committed to educating students for responsible citizenship. Campus Compact challenges all of higher education to make civic and community engagement an institutional priority.

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the new president will embrace this period as an opportunity to convene a variety of stakeholders in the important work of positioning the Compact at the national vanguard of promoting community and civic engagement in higher education. This will require the president to galvanize and inspire a committed staff, optimize the experience of its state and regional affiliates, deepen its engagement with HBCUs and community colleges, grow private philanthropy investment, and execute an ambitious expansion of the Compact’s partnership network.  Practitioner and thought leader, strategist and visionary, implementer and spokesperson, the Compact’s next leader will be a mission-driven, proven executive of inspired and creative leadership, tenaciously committed to the public good and a known champion for equity, diversity, and inclusion. The successful candidate will possess the ability and the enthusiasm to serve as a visible and inspiring advocate for both the Compact and, indeed, each of its member institutions across the country. They will have a deep understanding of power structures and privilege differentials as well as the expertise and temperament to take the lead on important and difficult discussions about race, racial disparity, racial reconciliation, class, disability, gender and sexual identity, and the consequences of privilege within civic engagement and service learning work. Finally, they will be known for results, a bias toward action, and a record of effective administrative management in challenging environments, including accomplishments in navigating complexity and change with financial, communications, and diplomatic acumen.

The Diversified Search Group has been retained to assist in this recruitment. All inquiries, nominations, and applications–which should include a current résumé and a letter of interest tailored specifically to the needs of this role–should be sent electronically, and in confidence, to CampusCompactPresident@divsearch.com