This is the time of year when academic searches begin, and classified ads appear in massive numbers in The Chronicle of Higher Education and elsewhere. Many ads for academic positions appear to be very broad, even generic, but they may contain important clues about the college and the position that job candidates can draw on to present themselves most effectively.
In this column, I'll try to "deconstruct" two ads in ways that may help you select the searches you're really suited for and to grasp the full message in the ad.
I've chosen two ads for searches on which I am a consultant and for which the institutions have given permission for this exercise: one from Mercy College and another from Alfred University.
Mercy College announces the search for a vice president for institutional advancement. Mercy is a non-sectarian, independent, coeducational college of 7,500 undergraduates and 2,000 graduate students. The College's main campus is in Westchester County (New York), and there are four branch campuses around the metropolitan area. Since its founding in 1950, Mercy has provided educational opportunities to a broad population including those of limited means. In recent years, it has added graduate programs and on-line programs and broadened the curriculum to meet opportunities in the job market. The College has an endowment of $22-million and annually attracts grant support in excess of $3-million.
President Lucie Lapovsky took office in July 1999 and plans to embark upon an aggressive fund-raising program working closely with the Board to build support for Mercy's deeply compelling institutional mission. Her dynamic presence is certain to generate increased levels of support, and the new vice president will be a critical factor in assuring the success of the development effort.
The vice president reports directly to the president and is responsible for planning, coordinating and directing the fund-raising and alumni relations programs for the College. The Institutional Advancement Office is being enlarged and restructured; the new vice president will have the opportunity to build an effective team and develop the College's infrastructure and advancement strategy. Candidates must have evidence of strong leadership and management skills, significant success in fund-raising, and the ability to communicate effectively with both internal and external constituencies. Significant fund-raising experience is required, including organizing and managing advancement offices, foundation relations, and successful grantsmanship. A bachelor's degree is required and a master's degree is preferred. Compensation is competitive.
Looking at the first paragraph, you'll notice several pieces of information that spell out the fund-raising challenges for anyone who fills this position. The college is relatively new, so one might think that the alumni may be relatively young. Many of the students, however, are graduate students or non-traditional undergraduates, so the population may be older than you might think.
The college enrolls many students of limited means, so they do not have inherited wealth. On the other hand, they may be financially successful themselves and able to make gifts to the college. The board and the new president are described as assets to fund raising -- i.e., they understand development and are willing to work hard to raise the money the college needs.
If you are considering being a candidate, take all these elements into account. As you prepare your materials, show that you understand this complex set of factors (age of the students and institution, financial capacity of the alumni, and involvement of the board). If possible, show that you have worked successfully in similar situations.
Another theme of this ad is entrepreneurial spirit. Mercy has branch campuses around the New York metropolitan area as well as on-line programs and a focus on preparing students for the job market. The president is new, she is described as dynamic, and the board is involved in fund raising. And the college's mission -- educating the highly diverse, underserved populations of New York -- is described as "deeply compelling," making it easier for a fund raiser to engage donors.
If you are more comfortable in a traditional setting with a moderate pace, perhaps this opportunity isn't right for you. But if you are energized by the college's distinctive mission, you could be a strong candidate. Find ways to convey your entrepreneurial and energetic style in your materials. If you have worked with other organizations that are driven by strong missions, be sure to describe your efforts.
Further demonstrating that this is not a maintenance operation, the ad says that there is a lot to do organizationally. You see words like "plan," "enlarge," "restructure," "build." Since some of these tasks may not be reflected in your résumé, use your cover letter to show that you have done them successfully.
Take a look now at the ad for the presidency of Alfred University -- a different position at a different type of institution:
Alfred University invites inquiries, nominations and applications for the position of president. The position is available in June 2000 upon the retirement of President Edward G. Coll, Jr., who is completing an 18-year term. The new president will be the 13th in the 163-year history of this independent, non-sectarian University in upstate New York.
Alfred offers degrees ranging from bachelor's to doctorate to approximately 1,900 undergraduate and 400 graduate students, and combines the feel and ethos of a small college with the resources and dynamism of a university. The University is composed of three privately endowed Colleges (Business, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Engineering and Professional Studies), and the publicly funded College of Ceramics, which is a statutory unit of the State University of New York (SUNY).
The University has received wide recognition for its accomplishments, and has been ranked among the top 15 regional universities in the North by U.S. News and World Report for the past 12 years. The Gourman Report ranks the School of Ceramic Engineering and Materials Science first in the country for both undergraduate and graduate programs in ceramic engineering, ahead of much larger institutions. The MFA program is ranked number one in the nation for ceramic art and fifth overall by U.S. News and World Report. External funding for research and new programs recently reached $6 million, including extensive support from private industry.
The president will be expected to provide visionary leadership for this diverse University, to develop an articulated academic vision, to build resources and institutional visibility, and to bring the management skills necessary to lead a complex University with both public and private institution issues. Compensation is highly competitive. Additional information about the University and the position is available on the web at www.alfred.edu/president.
The first paragraph of this ad lets you know that this has been, over all, a very stable institution. On average, presidents have served more than 13 years, and the most recent president stayed 18 years. One might guess from these two pieces of information that tradition is important at this institution, and that change is undertaken only with great care.
Many faculty and staff members, trustees and alumni on this campus have known only one president. Are you someone who is genuinely respectful of the past or are you more comfortable in a climate that has fewer traditions and is more familiar with change? If you pursue this position, your cover letter could include an appraisal of your own experiences and preferences in terms of tradition and change. Show that you have worked in other traditional organizations and found ways to make necessary changes with minimal disruption.
The second paragraph mentions a very unusual institutional structure: Although Alfred identifies itself as a private ("independent") institution, it is composed of both private and public segments. Most presidential searches focus on candidates who know their type of institution, but Alfred is more likely to be open to candidates with both kinds of backgrounds. If you have worked in both public and private institutions, you are likely to be a particularly attractive candidate. If you don't actually have this mixed background, your letter might describe experiences that make you conversant with the issues of both types of institutions.
Another interesting pattern can be seen in the next couple of paragraphs, where a variety of words and phrases point to the need for both external and internal leadership. Internally, the president will be asked to pull together the many segments of the university and give them meaning as a whole. Externally, the president will need to make the institution's excellence and distinctiveness better known.
Not all candidates can claim skill in both internal and external domains. Your letter can show that you have done both of these things, and how effective you have been -- and if you don't have both these kinds of skills, perhaps this isn't the right search for you.
Finally, if you look at both ads in their entirety, you will see that there is a Web site and a search consultant involved. It is absolutely essential that you learn everything you can about the institution before you prepare your materials. Be sure to visit the Web site.
Once you've done that, if you feel you need to know more, contact the consultant to see if more information can be sent to you. Do not ask the consultant to evaluate your credentials; it's your job to decide if you're a good fit. If you do the kind of careful reading I've suggested here, you should be able to make a pretty good guess and to prepare a letter that really speaks to search committee members in their own terms.
