President

University at Albany
President

University at Albany, State University of New York (UAlbany) seeks a strategic, experienced and visionary leader to become its next president. The new president will build on a strong foundation and harness a gathering momentum to advance UAlbany’s stature, competitiveness, and service to its students.

One of the four major research universities in the 64-campus SUNY system, UAlbany is one of the nation’s 115 “R1” doctoral degree granting universities, distinguished for its many academic strengths, for its distinctive research portfolio, for its close ties to government and industry, and for attracting one of the most diverse student bodies in the entire system.

With nine schools and colleges across three campuses, the University has an impressive array of highly-regarded programs. U.S. News and World Report ranks UAlbany among the top 150 national universities and gives high rankings to many programs, including Criminal Justice (#2), Public Affairs (#19), Social Welfare (#27), Sociology (#28), Information Studies (#31), Public Health (#31), and Clinical Psychology (#57). UAlbany encompasses over 17,000 students and nearly 1,200 instructional faculty (684 of whom are full-time). Student-athletes compete at the NCAA Division I level.

The University has made considerable progress in the last five years, and it is now poised to advance dramatically on many fronts. UAlbany recently launched its biggest academic expansion in 50 years. In just the last two years, UAlbany hired 137 new full-time faculty and opened two new colleges (College of Engineering and Applied Sciences and College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity).

The University has recently received the two largest gifts in its history and laid the groundwork for an ambitious, comprehensive fundraising campaign; launched a strategic planning process using an innovative “design thinking” approach involving more than 300 faculty and staff; and conducted extensive research on its brand image and marketplace position, in preparation for a transformative branding and strategic enrollment management initiative.

UAlbany is focusing intently on improving the student experience, putting several high-impact strategies in place that have resulted in significant gains in freshmen retention and student satisfaction. Innovative work is also being done on diversity, equity and inclusion; public engagement; undergraduate research; experiential learning; the teaching of writing and critical inquiry; and re-imagining the role of the arts and humanities in the public research university.

UAlbany’s next president must have a great passion for the role of public higher education. Candidates should have a history of leadership in higher education or a similarly complex organization, a record of deep respect for scholarship, and a demonstrated ability to build and cultivate financial support for the University and its programs. Candidates will have an outstanding record of accomplishments sufficient to be accorded an academic appointment and the respect of the University community; a highly developed understanding of academic values, traditions, and culture; an appreciation for scholarly work and the research enterprise; and a history of support for academic excellence.

The ideal candidate must have a thorough understanding of U.S. higher education and its role in economic development, as well as a demonstrated commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion among faculty, staff and students. S/he will be an experienced leader, able to inspire others, with a genuine desire to be part of the UAlbany campus community and a strong commitment to shared governance.

Inquiries, nominations and applications are invited. Interested candidates should submit confidentially, in electronic form (Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF files preferred), a curriculum vitae and any supporting materials that they deem relevant to:

Jett Pihakis and Meredith Rosenberg
Consultants to the Search Committee
Russell Reynolds Associates
UAlbany.President@russellreynolds.com

Review of nominations and applications for the position will commence immediately and continue until the position is filled. References will not be contacted without the prior knowledge and approval of the candidate. To assure sensitivity toward the positions presently held by nominees and applicants, the search will be conducted in strict confidence until an appointment is made and announced. To ensure absolute confidentiality, there will be no public meetings on campus or elsewhere for semi-finalist or finalist candidates.

The full position description can be found at http://www.albany.edu/presidentialsearch/.

State University of New York System Administration is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, creed, age, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, familial status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, criminal conviction, or retaliation.