Provost Search

  Position Specification

Gettysburg College invites nominations and expressions of interest for the position of Provost.

Reporting directly to President Janet Riggs, the Provost leads the College's academic program and, with other members of the faculty and senior staff, advances the institution and advocates its mission. The Provost is assisted by a Vice Provost, Associate and Assistant Provosts, and a strong staff in recruiting, retaining, and developing a talented and diverse faculty; supporting an integrative, challenging, and invigorating curriculum; developing and managing a complex budget that serves and enhances the College's academicprogram; and providing academic support services to all members of the College community.

The College seeks a bold intellectual and administrative leader, with a distinguished record of teaching, service, and scholarship sufficient to be appointed with tenure in an academic department at Gettysburg College. Candidates should have the ability to articulate a dynamic vision for a residential liberal arts college. Successful candidates will have demonstrated experience in innovative academic program development; faculty hiring, promotion and tenure; and strategic budget planning and management. Additional expectations for the Provost include collaborative management style, record of achievement in promoting diversity, and strong problem-solving, decision-making, interpersonal, and communication skills.

Recognized as one of America’s highly selective private liberal arts colleges, Gettysburg College prepares students to be active leaders and participants in a changing world. The College enrolls more than 2,600 vibrant, engaged students, who work closely with 210 full-time faculty members. The College offers more than forty undergraduate majors and minors and is home to the the Sunderman Conservatory of Music, the Eisenhower Institute, and the Civil War Institute. Within easy driving distance to Harrisburg, PA, Baltimore, MD, and Washington, DC, the beautiful 200-acre campus enjoys a historic location adjacent to the Gettysburg National Military Park. The College’s endowment is approximately $200 million and the annual budget in excess of $100 million. The College is financially strong with a balanced budget, thriving enrollment, and clear strategic directions.

The search committee will begin review of credentials immediately and continue until the position is filled. For best consideration, please submit a letter of interest and curriculum vitae before November 15, 2009. Nominations, inquiries and expressions of interest should be forwarded, in confidence and preferably electronically, to:

Shelly Weiss Storbeck, Managing Partner
Susan VanGilder, Associated Principal
Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates, LLC
1400 North Providence Road, Suite 6000
Media, PA 19063
703/865-8817 (phone); 610/565-2939 (fax)
s.vangilder@storbeckpimentel.com (email)

Gettysburg College is committed to creating a more diverse community; as part of that process, the College encourages candidates from historically underrepresented groups to apply.

Update from the search committee

Dear Colleagues,

We are writing as co-chairs of the provost search committee to let you know that the search for our next provost is moving ahead. Others on the committee include faculty members John Commito, Chris Fee, Rebecca Fincher-Kiefer, Nathalie Lebon, Lisa Portmess, and Sharita Thompson, as well as Associate Dean Tom Mottola and Trustee Lynn Holuba. Co-Director of Human Resources Jen Lucas is serving as search coordinator.

We are using the services of Storbeck/Pimentel to assist us with the search, and Shelly Storbeck and Susan VanGilder, both of whom consulted on the presidential search, will be working directly with us. To get a strong sense of the qualifications and characteristics that we are looking for in our next provost, Ms. Storbeck and Ms. VanGilder have arranged a campus-wide "scoping" process on September 9 and 10. During their visit, they will meet with individuals and groups that represent a variety of campus constituencies including the Faculty Personnel Committee, the Academic Program and Policy Committee, President's Council, Faculty Chairs and Program Coordinators, Directors in the Academic Division, and the Provost's Office staff.

They will also offer a session that will be open to the entire campus community. Specifically, the Open Forum will be held on Thursday, September 10, at 1:00 p.m. in CUB 260. We invite all faculty, administrators, staff, and students who do not have another opportunity to speak with Ms. Storbeck or Ms. VanGilder to participate in this meeting and to share your thoughts about the College's academic programs, future needs, and the kind of leader we are seeking in our next provost.

We plan to post information about the search on the College's website and will let you know as soon as that is up and running. If you have any thoughts, questions, or suggestions that you would like to share with either of us as we go through this process, please feel free to be in touch. We look forward to your continued input and involvement in this important search.

Janet Riggs and Bruce Larson (Provost Search Committee Co-Chairs)