President

The Board of Directors of The IDEA Center invites nominations and applications for the position of President.

The IDEA Center is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to serve colleges and universities committed to improving learning, teaching, and leadership performance. Founded in 1975 and located in the vibrant, growing community of Manhattan, Kansas, the Center supports the evaluation and development of both programs and people of nearly five hundred higher educational institutions. To stay on the cutting edge, The IDEA Center's experts constantly evaluate and reevaluate the services. The emphasis of The IDEA Center always remains on improving teaching, learning, and the higher education process.

IDEA services are built on an extensive, nation-wide research program and provide critical insight to guide personal and programmatic reflection. Each service offers targeted feedback for improving personal performance – while positively impacting the institution’s processes and outcomes. These three goals— Insight. Improvement. Impact.® —lie at the heart of the IDEA model.

The Position:
The President of The IDEA Center is responsible for providing the vision, leadership and direction for all Center products and services and for direct and indirect supervision of Center staff.  Having an entrepreneurial business acumen, s/he will articulate the vision to allow IDEA to grow in its service role to its clients. The President will support the Board of Directors strategic planning process, serves at the pleasure of the Board, and is ultimately responsible for the overall success of the Center.

The President will:
Increase the visibility of the Center while being the leading advocate of its mission, vision, and values.
Ensure all information, products and services are of high quality and consistent with the mission, vision, and values of the Center.
Ensure a positive and sustainable future by being the individual who is primarily responsible for increasing the Center’s client base.
Assure that all Center products and services are current and competitive in the higher education market.
Provide systematic evidence of organizational accountability to the Board of Directors.
Present the Center budget to the Board of Directors and ensure adherence to that budget.
The ability to keep current Board members engaged with, and committed to, the work of the Center and to collaborate with the Board to identify leaders equal to the current caliber of members when positions open.
Assume responsibility for the ethical stewardship of all financial, physical, and human resources.

Be ultimately responsible that all information provided by the Center to any party is accurate.
Build and maintain relationships with individuals and organizations that leverage resources and talents to capitalize on synergistic opportunities through marketing and new business development.
Lead the selection and retention process for senior staff.
Mentor and support the development of the leadership team.
Coordinate the agenda and logistical support for Board meetings with the Chair.
Support processes for selection and orientation of new Board members.

Qualifications:  
The IDEA Center is seeking an experienced leader with: a personal commitment to the practices in support of the use of feedback to improve learning, teaching, and leadership in higher education; the ability to create and effectively articulate an organizational vision; an understanding of higher education leadership evaluation and development, faculty evaluation and development, and assessment/accreditation; and a demonstrated skill at networking with current and potential clients, board members, and other organizations.
The ideal candidate should have an earned doctorate; mid to high-level administrative experience; experience in developing and managing a budget; and a demonstrated entrepreneurial background. S/He must develop an understanding of all Center product areas and be aware of the technological advances, infrastructures and trends that will impact the work of the Center; a comprehensive understanding of the higher education market; have experience in strategic planning; skills necessary for building important relationships for growth of the Center; and an appreciation of commercially driven software development. The new President will have impeccable integrity, exemplary oral and written communication skills, a record of proven leadership ability and vision, and the commitment to the core values of the Center.

The IDEA Center is being assisted by the partners of the search firm: Hyatt•Fennell, LLC. Nominations and application materials should be submitted via email to IDEACenter@hyatt-fennell.com:

Cheryl Hyatt
IDEACenter@hyatt-fennell.com
www.HYATT-FENNELL.com
(US) 724-242-0476

Application materials should include a focused letter of interest, a current résumé, and contact information for five professional references. While the application deadline is April 2, 2012, early submission of materials will afford them optimal attention. All applications and nominations will be considered highly confidential.