Dean of the Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs

DEAN OF THE FACULTY AND VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Creative Thought Matters.

Skidmore College invites applications, expressions of interest, and nominations for the role of Dean of the Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs (DOF/VPAA). The DOF/VPAA will demonstrate and provide exemplary leadership and vision while fostering a culture that empowers creative thought and a wide range of perspectives.

Reporting to President Marc Conner, the Dean of the Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs will serve as the College’s chief academic officer, acting as a strategic and tactical advisor to the President and senior staff and a leader of the faculty in the leadership, development, and execution of the College’s academic enterprise for promoting the College and its mission.

The Skidmore motto, Creative Thought Matters, defines and pervades every aspect of the institution. The College’s curriculum reflects this motto by balancing a commitment to the liberal arts with an emphasis on interdisciplinarity along with preparation for professions, civic leadership, and lifelong learning. A highly selective, nationally ranked liberal arts college, Skidmore currently enrolls approximately 2,600 undergraduate students in 43 degree programs, with an 8:1 student-faculty ratio. Skidmore’s faculty represents many of the top graduate schools in the nation and the world.

Located in Saratoga Springs, New York, the Skidmore campus sits adjacent to the Adirondack Mountains, just a half-hour drive from the tri-city area of Albany, Schenectady, and Troy, and a three-hour drive from New York City, Boston, and Montreal. Rail service from the Saratoga Amtrak station offers additional travel options, including a direct line to New York City. Travel & Leisure calls Saratoga Springs one of “America’s best college towns,” and the historic Saratoga Race Course, Beekman Street Arts District, and Saratoga Spa State Park are just a few of many highlights this city of approximately 30,000 residents has to offer. Saratoga Springs hosts an abundance of cultural, educational, and entertainment offerings, particularly the famed Saratoga Performing Arts Center, which offers world-class performing arts year-round.

Skidmore enjoys a strong financial standing, as supported by its recent Grade A rating from Forbes and an A-1 stable rating from Moody’s. The College currently manages an endowment of approximately $500 million, which allows for financial stability through turbulent economic times, and it operates with an annual budget of about $230 million, including financial aid.

The College seeks a creative and visionary DOF/VPAA who can build upon its academic and programmatic strengths, provide leadership in planning, implementing, and assessing all academic programs, and work effectively with faculty members in all disciplines. The DOF/VPAA will provide support for research within a teacher/scholar model, and oversee recruitment, hiring, performance, and retention of a diverse and high-quality faculty. The next DOF/VPAA will be expected to lead with confidence in the areas of diversity and inclusion, and to champion faculty efforts in these areas.

The DOF/VPAA provides administrative leadership and management for Academic Affairs, Special Programs, Institutional Research, the Lucy Scribner Library, Information Technology (shared report), First-Year Experience, Off-Campus Study and Exchanges, Registrar, Sponsored Research, Academic Advising, the Center for Leadership, Teaching, and Learning, the IdeaLab, the Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery, and the Arthur Zankel Music Center.

The ideal candidate will exemplify the model of excellence for a Skidmore faculty member as teacher-scholar-citizen; possess a distinguished record of teaching, achievement in scholarship, creative, or professional work, and accomplished service; hold a broad and deep understanding of curriculum, interdisciplinarity, and the range of disciplines represented among Skidmore’s academic offerings; and have a passionate commitment to the values and goals of residential liberal education and the ability to articulate them effectively and persuasively both inside and outside the academy.

Additional information about Skidmore College and the DOF/VPAA role is available at: https://assets.storbecksearch.com/files/resources/skidmore-dofvpaa-pd.pdf

NOMINATIONS AND APPLICATIONS

The search process is currently underway and will continue until the position is filled. Nominations, inquiries, and expressions of interest should be forwarded, in confidence, to:

Steve Leo, Managing Director

Jeffrey Alston, Senior Associate

Vicki Henderson, Senior Associate

Storbeck Search

SkidmoreDOFVPAA@storbecksearch.com

For more information about Skidmore College and its programs, please visit: www.skidmore.edu.  

Skidmore College strictly prohibits discrimination and harassment because of race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic predisposition to diseases or carrier status, marital status, criminal arrests and conviction status, military status, domestic violence victim status, familial status and any other category protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. The College also prohibits retaliation in any form against any individual who opposes a discriminatory practice, makes a good faith complaint of harassment, and/or furnishes information or otherwise participates in any investigation of any such allegations, regardless of the outcome.

Skidmore College is an equal opportunity employer. Equal Employment Opportunity laws and regulations prohibit discrimination against employees or applicants for employment based on race, color, creed, religion, gender, age, national or ethnic origin, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, predisposition or carrier status, domestic violence victim status, familial status or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.