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The College of St. Scholastica
Presidential Search Profile
The College of St. Scholastica, a Catholic Benedictine college in Duluth, Minnesota,
seeks its 12th president, following President Larry Goodwin’s 18 years of distinguished service.
The new president is expected to take office in the summer of 2016. The following profile provides
nominators and applicants with information about the College, its presidency, and participation in the search.
The College was founded in 1912 and sponsored by the
Benedictine Sisters, with a mission of providing intellectual
and moral preparation for responsible living and meaningful
work in a context of Catholic Benedictine values. The Benedictine
Sisters have created a close-knit and outstanding community
of learners on and off campus. The College aspires to develop
thoughtful leaders, sharpened and sensitized by their educational
experience, who are prepared and committed to serving and
transforming the world.
The College offers programs at the undergraduate and graduate
level across six academic schools grounded in the liberal arts,
with excellent professional programs and a particularly strong
focus and reputation in the health sciences and nursing. The
General Education program provides students a foundation in
the liberal arts and sciences, cultivating a conscientious use of
knowledge that prepares them for responsible living in a global
community. The General Education program, Veritas, addresses
the College’s goal of liberal education in the Catholic Intellectual
Tradition. Emphasizing the search for truth across a breadth
of disciplines, each course develops skills and values outlined
by the College’s Learning Outcomes. Central to these efforts
is the particular attention given to the individual student. The
College aspires to be a diverse and inclusive academic
community of excellence.
Since its inception, when a group of pioneering Benedictine
Sisters offered college courses to six young women, the
College boasts more than 26,000 alumni and has grown from
the original campus in Duluth, Minnesota, to include eight
additional extended locations – St. Paul, St. Cloud, Rochester,
Brainerd, Inver Grove Heights, Grand Rapids and Cloquet,
Minnesota, and the Phoenix, AZ, metro area. The Arizona
location had its first on-campus offering in spring 2015.
A variety of learning options such as online, evening, weekend
and accelerated classes are offered for degree and non-degree
programs at the extended campuses. An aggressive strategy
to create new programs has resulted in the growth of academic
offerings and enrollment at the College.
The Duluth campus remains home to traditional undergraduate
and graduate programs, including more than 74 majors and
minors. Overlooking Lake Superior, the 186-acre Duluth campus
is a beautiful setting with a mix of new and historic buildings.
A large on-campus resident population and numerous student
groups make the College a vibrant place of community and
learning. Campus buildings include the expanded Science Center,
Burns Wellness Commons and the iconic Tower Hall, as well as
a library, chapel, 500-seat auditorium, black-box theater,
and on-campus dorms, suites and apartments.
The Benedictines Today:
Their Influence, Spirit and Support of the College
The College maintains a close relationship with the founding
community of Benedictine Sisters. Much of the College’s Duluth
campus is located on property owned by the Benedictine Sisters
Benevolent Association (BSBA) and leased to the College. Sisters
live in their Monastery adjacent to the College; the property also
includes a retirement center with several levels of care, also
sponsored by the Sisters. BSBA is represented by five Sister
members on the Board of Trustees of the College. Two Sisters are
full-time members of the faculty and several others are employed
as staff members or part-time faculty.
The Benedictine Sisters have been a consistent source of
support and revenue for the institution, including investment in
its programs, such as the Catholic Studies degree program, and its
facilities (including, most recently, providing real estate for the
College’s athletic fields). The Sisters enjoy a close relationship
with the College and their support and engagement with the
campus community, particularly with students, are cherished.
The College embraces its Catholic Benedictine identity in
numerous ways. In addition to emphasizing foundational
values of community, hospitality, respect, stewardship, and love
of learning, it created the Dignitas first-year program, which
introduces students to the Benedictine values, the Catholic
intellectual tradition, and Catholic social teaching. New
student orientation also places emphasis on Benedictine values.
The Student Affairs Department developed learning outcomes
designed to integrate the Catholic intellectual tradition and
Catholic social teaching into students’ experiences. An online
orientation program is provided for distance learning students to
introduce them to the mission, and the Benedictine values appear
in course content where appropriate. Furthermore, the College
created the position of Associate Vice President for Mission
Integration, and worked in collaboration with the Association
of Benedictine Colleges and Universities to develop a program
on Catholic and Benedictine identity for senior leaders at
Benedictine colleges and universities.
Duluth, Minnesota - Population 86,265
Set on a ridge overlooking Lake Superior (the largest freshwater
lake by surface area in the world), the Duluth campus is an idyllic
combination of northern Minnesota’s dramatic natural beauty and
the modern conveniences of urban living. Mid-America’s gateway
to the sea, Duluth’s harbor hosts ships from dozens of nations each
year. Duluthians enjoy the beauty and sports of four seasons. In
close proximity to the College are beaches, biking and jogging
trails, ski resorts, cross-country ski trails, boating and fishing sites
and rinks for skating, curling, and hockey. The Boundary Waters
Canoe Area Wilderness is close enough for weekend visits.
The city itself offers a wide variety of cultural activities as well.
The Minnesota Ballet, Duluth Playhouse, and Duluth Superior
Symphony Orchestra provide exciting year-round schedules.
Duluth’s many historical attractions include Glensheen, a 39-room
neo-Jacobean-style mansion built on the Lake Superior shore,
the St. Louis County Heritage and Arts Center, and the Marine
Museum at Canal Park.
Citing the abundance of hiking, skiing, biking and climbing
opportunities, Outside magazine recently voted Duluth the number
one “Outside City” in the country. The same magazine named
Duluth runner-up for “Best Adventure Hub” in a worldwide
survey of destinations for outdoor activities. Travel site
DreamPlanGo listed Duluth as one of “America’s 10 Most
Scenic College Towns.” Coastal Living magazine cites Duluth
as a “Top Coastal College Town.” Duluth’s low crime rate, high
quality of life, and natural beauty frequently earn it high ranking
in “best places to live” surveys. Recently, the nonprofit American
Institute for Economic Research ranked Duluth one of America’s
best small metropolitan areas for college students.
The College of St. Scholastica Today
The College has its main campus in Duluth but also has eight
additional sites for various program offerings. In academic year
2014-15, the Duluth campus was home to 2,859 undergraduate
students, 1,872 of whom were full time. The College’s total
graduate population is 1,378 with a total enrollment of 4,237 for
all campuses. In the past decade, there has been substantial growth
in the graduate, online, and non-traditional adult student market,
with this group comprising half of the student body.
The College is organized into six schools and offers 64 programs
and 10 study abroad programs. The Schools are: Arts and Letters
and Sciences, both of which offer bachelor’s degrees only;
Business and Technology and Education, which offer bachelor’s
and master’s degrees and graduate certificates; and Health
Sciences and Nursing, which offer bachelor’s and master’s
degrees, professional doctorates, and graduate certificates.
The College is proud to educate a population among whom
40.5 percent of the undergraduate students are the first in their
families to attend college. Sixty-six percent of the traditional
undergraduate population is female while 72 percent of the
entire College population is female. Approximately 94 percent of
students are from the United States, 84 percent of whom are from
Minnesota; six percent of students are international and come
from 37 different countries. With a student/faculty ratio of 14 to
1, students receive significant individualized attention.
The College has been accredited continuously since 1931 by the
North Central Association (NCA) Higher Learning Commission
and had its most recent visit in 2012. The College holds a number
of discipline-specific accreditations including: Occupational
Therapy; Athletic Training; Health Information Management;
Physical Therapy; Nursing; Social Work; and Education. The
College was approved to confer its first master’s degree in 1973;
approvals for other master’s degrees were granted subsequently.
In 2004, the Higher Learning Commission of the NCA approved
the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree and in 2006, the
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). The College currently is
seeking approvals for accreditation in the Physician Assistant
and Health Informatics programs.
Students
The Duluth campus offers a small, friendly community that
fosters students’ participation in a variety of activities, from its
22 intercollegiate athletic teams to more than 50 student clubs
and organizations. About 90 percent of first-year traditional
undergraduate students live on campus.
The College has established intercollegiate sports teams in
selected areas designed to increase the gender balance of men
among traditional students. Men’s sports include baseball;
basketball; cross country; football; ice hockey; Nordic skiing;
soccer; tennis; indoor and outdoor track and field; and golf.
Women’s sports include softball; basketball; cross country; ice
hockey; Nordic skiing; soccer; tennis; indoor and outdoor track
and field; volleyball; and golf. There is also strong participation
in intramural and club sports. There is a long tradition of an active
Student Senate.
Seventy percent of students participate in an internship or in
experiential learning opportunities while at the College. Nearly
85 percent of first-year students return for their sophomore year.
Sixty-five percent of students who start at St. Scholastica as
freshmen graduate within four years. This is significantly higher
than many public colleges and universities. More than 97 percent
of graduates are employed or are in graduate school within six
months of graduation. One hundred percent of first-year students
were offered financial aid for 2014-15. Between grants and
loans, first-year students were awarded an average of $22,531
per person.
The College is dedicated to helping students become responsible
members of their communities; this commitment extends to the
global community. St. Scholastica has a tradition of study and
service abroad that goes back 35 years to its first program in
Ireland. The College now offers 10 faculty-led study abroad
options, which include studies in Germany, Russia, Africa,
China, England, and Mexico.
Diversity and Inclusivity
Faculty and Staff
The College is committed to fostering a learning environment that
is culturally diverse and pluralistic. It strives to recognize human
dignity, difference and equality that includes, but is not limited to:
race, age, class, gender, physical abilities/equalities, sexual
orientation, and ethnicity.
The College is served by 174 dedicated full-time faculty
members, 71 of whom are tenured. There are 183 adjunct
faculty members serving on the campus and in the extended
programs. There are 184 committed support and administrative
members. The College community is characterized by an
extraordinary dedication to its mission, a deep commitment to
the success of its students, and a familial atmosphere.
The College has implemented a variety of initiatives to facilitate
a more diverse community of faculty, staff, and students.
In particular, its commitment to attracting a more diverse student
population is reflected in its generous financial assistance to those
in need. The College also welcomes and educates veterans through
the Yellow Ribbon Program and enjoys a strong partnership with
nearby Ojibwe bands.
A cabinet level position of Chief Diversity Officer was created
in 2013 and a diversity office provides a wide range of activities
for the entire community in order to cultivate an environment of
inclusion and support. In 2012, the College’s Multicultural
Leadership Student Orientation program won the Touchstone
Award from the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation.
Alumni
Finances
The College is proud of its more than 22,000 living alumni.
Graduates have distinguished themselves in the fields of
healthcare, especially in nursing, health information management
and medicine; they have also had an impact in the fields of
public service, business, film, and communications. They are
contributing as educational leaders and professors; as law
partners and in positions of international affairs; and in church
and government leadership. Notable examples include alumni
serving as state representatives in Minnesota, as mayor of Duluth,
as a U.S. District Judge, and as an Economic Affairs Advisor on
Africa at the United Nations.
St. Scholastica has doubled its operational budget in the past 15
years and the budget now stands at $73 million; it has achieved a
balanced budget for the past 15 years. The College’s endowment
is approximately $70 million. The most recent capital campaign,
Imagine Tomorrow, raised $35 million for scholarships,
endowment, and facilities. The College also raised $16 million to
expand the Science Center by 40,000 square feet to include new
laboratories, classrooms, offices, and the Benedictine Commons.
St. Scholastica is currently in the silent phase of a seven-year
campaign, A Second Century of Saints. The provisional goal is
$50 million for scholarships, endowment, a graduate health
science campus, and renovation and preservation of specific
buildings. The five-year average rate for monies raised for the
All Saints Annual Fund is $725,783, while the five-year average
for alumni giving is 12 percent.
Recognized for Excellence
Governance
• Within St. Scholastica’s first century of excellence it achieved
a number of higher education milestones, including creating
the country’s first health information management program in
1935. Since then, the College has remained at the forefront of
healthcare education.
• U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks St. Scholastica
among the best colleges and universities in the region for
academic excellence and for the enrollment of veterans.
• Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal places St. Scholastica
as the fourth-fastest growing school in Minnesota.
• In 2014, Money magazine ranked St. Scholastica in the top
third of all four-year colleges in the country based on
graduation rates, educational quality, affordability,
and alumni earnings.
The College of St. Scholastica is currently guided by a
29-member Board of Trustees, five of whom are Benedictine
Sisters. The president of the College and the Prioress of the
Monastery are voting members. Members of the Board with
voice but no vote include a student elected by the Student
Senate, a faculty member elected by the Faculty Assembly,
and a representative of the staff of the College. The Board is
comprised of the following committees: Executive, Audit
and Finance, Trustee, Enrollment Management and Market
Development, College Advancement, Academic Affairs,
and Student Affairs.
Senior Leadership Team
Under the president’s leadership, the following senior staff
members oversee the College’s operations: Vice President for
Academic Affairs, Vice President for Enrollment Management,
Vice President for College Advancement, Vice President for
Student Affairs, Vice President for Human Resources and Chief
Diversity Officer, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, Chief
Information Officer, and Vice President for Finance and Chief
Financial Officer.
An Agenda for Leadership
The College has engaged Academic Search, Inc. to assist in the search for its next president. During the search’s preliminary phase,
the search consultants spent two days on campus to identify the primary opportunities and challenges for which the next president will
provide leadership. The consultants met with all major constituents of the College: trustees, faculty, administrators, alumni, Benedictine
Sisters, students, and support staff. This profile, therefore, will help nominators and prospective candidates understand the College
and the desired characteristics of the next president.
Provide Distinguished and Trusted Leadership:
Challenges and Opportunities
The loyalty and dedication of the College’s faculty and staff
are striking. Many of them have served long years at the
institution with unwavering and passionate support. To lead this
distinguished group of educators, the College seeks a president
who can inspire this academic community and build on its solid
foundation in the Catholic intellectual tradition and Benedictine
values. The president will be expected to: have a clear understanding
of the challenges confronting independent colleges in general,
and St. Scholastica in particular, engage the College community
in discussions of ways in which the College can effectively meet
those challenges consistent with its values and academic mission,
lead in implementing changes and initiatives that emerge from
those discussions, encourage the setting and achievement of high
standards, and serve as an external interpreter and enthusiastic
spokesperson for the College and its programs. The faculty and
staff have asked for a president who is accessible, visible, and
dedicated to transparency.
Clarify Vision, Direction and Identity of
the College in a Changing Environment
While any new president is expected to lead in establishing a
clear vision, direction and identity for an institution, every place
and time presents unique needs and imperatives. Although the
College has experienced positive growth and change in its student
population, there are uncertainties about more immediate and
long-term priorities. Are all academic programs sufficiently
rigorous to meet the expectations of students and employers?
How can sufficient funds be generated to enhance and strengthen
the College, its programs and staff? Is there a clear definition of
the nature and identity of the Benedictine philosophy of higher
education? Given the decline in high school graduates in the
geographic areas from which the College has historically attracted
undergraduates, what strategies are needed to maintain a healthy
proportion of traditional undergraduate students? Since these
students require significant amounts of financial aid, what strategies
can lower the discount rate and increase net revenue? In order to
address these questions courageously, the new president will need
to embody an entrepreneurial spirit and be willing to take prudent risks.
An Agenda for Leadership (cont.)
Build a Diverse Community
The College community is deeply committed to pursuing
diversity in keeping with its strategic priority of inclusive
excellence. The president will be expected to engage the entire
community in reflecting, visioning and planning for the future
of the College within this framework. S/he must embrace
diversity in thought and action, and model a life of intellectual
achievement, acceptance, and inclusion. While the College has
always welcomed both gender and ethnic diversity, it is now
challenged to further diversify all its constituent groups to better
reflect the global world into which it will send its graduates.
Challenges for implementing this commitment remain, despite
the College’s commitment and significant investments in
consultant support, internationalization, outreach programs,
faculty and staff development in multi-cultural awareness as
well as the establishment of an Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
With few students of color to recruit in this area of the state,
the achievement of ethnic diversity goals will require innovative,
aggressive, and effective initiatives in recruitment and retention
in both on- and off-campus programs.
Raise Funds and Allocate Resources
Like many other private colleges and universities, the College
has, since its inception, depended on tuition revenue to cover
most of its costs. Although the College maintains a balanced
budget and anticipates continued fiscal solvency, its financial
health remains a priority. At this time, it is extremely difficult to
become a high-achieving independent college without the benefit
of a healthy endowment. With the College’s endowment of about
$70.8 million, fund development will need the immediate and
focused attention of the president and Board of Trustees. Within
the past few years, the College has begun to address its substantial
capital needs – it is in the silent phase of a $50 million campaign –
but more must be done. The reality is that St. Scholastica is
facing an increasingly competitive environment with a student
body heavily reliant on financial aid.
Implement the Strategic Plan
The College community has a history of strategic planning.
The development and implementation of a new strategic plan
will require the attention and leadership of the next president.
When the new president arrives, s/he is expected to work from
the base of what has already been accomplished while engaging
the St. Scholastica community to recognize and understand the
current and likely future forces affecting the College as a basis for
developing a set of clear and concise goals and priorities for the
future. The new president will engage faculty, staff, and the Board
of Trustees in the development of this plan.
An Agenda for Leadership (cont.)
Strengthen Enrollment Strategically
The president will work closely with the governing board and
propose and advocate optimal enrollment goals to achieve and
maintain a balance of undergraduate and graduate enrollment,
residential traditional campus and extended campus numbers,
and the appropriate mix of online instruction in all programs.
The president will be expected to evaluate the various extended
programs on an ongoing basis, assessing the operation and
contribution of these academic and financial initiatives to the
mission of the College.
Student enrollment and retention remain at the forefront of the
new president’s agenda. While the College has experienced
robust growth in the last two decades, a downturn in the last few
years resulted in necessary reductions in budget and personnel.
The College quickly addressed the causes and results of this
downturn and set itself on a course to reverse the trend.
Projections for new enrollments appear to be trending positively.
Currently, there is greater and more focused attention, as well
as more targeted outreach, both locally and nationally, to attract
future classes of students who aspire to a wider variety of majors.
Faculty members are also developing new interdisciplinary
programs to assist with recruitment and retention.
The new president will want to continue monitoring and
evaluating all recruitment strategies so that the upward progress
remains on a positive track. By establishing short- and long-term
enrollment goals, the president and Board of Trustees will have
to bear in mind the effect that an increased student body at the
Duluth campus would have on the capacity of the physical
plant, faculty and staff workload, and budgetary resources.
Furthermore, managed growth must be accompanied by
maintaining program standards and developing assessment
models that will ensure the highest quality returns for the
students and community.
Desired Presidential Attributes
In addition to an earned terminal degree and significant
demonstrated success in senior leadership within higher
education, the next president will understand, support, and
embrace Benedictine values and the Catholic intellectual
tradition and be able to communicate both within and outside
of the College. While welcoming students of all faiths, s/he
will assure that, as a Catholic college, there is opportunity for
all to grow in the knowledge and practice of their faiths and, in
particular, for Catholics to deepen their knowledge of their faith
tradition. S/he will also be aware of the spectrum of opinion and
conviction on contemporary Catholic issues and their impact on
higher education. In this regard, the president will be called upon
to be a bridge builder and to navigate constructively through
these issues.
The successful candidate will demonstrate a number of
presidential qualities and the following skills:
• Ability to communicate the College’s mission and vision and
the Benedictine values that shape them with spirit and
conviction;
• Aptitude and passion for developing financial support for a
distinctive institution; evidence of success in fundraising and
a willingness to represent the College in the community;
• Demonstrated skill in financial management and experience in
developing and maintaining balanced and effective budgets;
• Ability to deftly articulate the synergy between the liberal
arts and the professions; a commitment to liberal learning in
the humanities and the sciences;
• Ability to strategically navigate and evaluate off-campus sites;
• Evidence of a collaborative leadership style that builds upon
relationships and supports a sense of community;
• Deep commitment to pursuing diversity in keeping with the
College’s strategic priority of inclusive excellence;
• Dedication to, and support for, principled leadership and
transparency in dealing with all constituencies;
• Ability to listen closely, make firm decisions based on sound
data, and communicate those decisions clearly and effectively;
• Ability to set strategic directions and account for their achievement;
• Ability to excel as a leader in a consultative environment, and
skill in negotiating with all groups with particular sensitivity
and respect for shared faculty governance;
• Appreciation for faculty work in teaching, learning, and
scholarship, and a willingness to support and enhance
these endeavors;
• Diplomatic, tactful, and collaborative manner in working
with colleagues;
• Open, friendly, and approachable style of interaction
with external constituencies with the goal of building and
strengthening strategic external partnerships;
• Capacity for developing and supporting a senior team;
• Commitment to the continued development and implementation
of an effective online educational program for the College;
• Commitment to an international/global perspective of
education and the role the College can play in continuing to
develop and strengthen its international programs;
• Excellent communication skills, with a comfortable public
presence; and
• Energy, stamina, enthusiasm, and a sense of humor.
Application and Nomination Process
The College is being assisted by Academic Search, Inc.
Applications should consist of a substantial cover letter
addressing the qualifications listed above, curriculum vitae,
and the names, e-mails, and current phone numbers of five
professional references. References will not be contacted
without the explicit permission of the candidate.
Maya Ranchod Kirkhope
[email protected]
(703) 380-9195 (Central time)
Applications and nominations are to be submitted in confidence
to [email protected]. The position will
remain open until filled, but only applications received by
Aug. 15, 2015, will be assured full consideration. Confidential
discussions about this opportunity may be arranged by contacting
either of the Senior Consultants:
Jacqueline P. Doud
[email protected]
(310) 597-9042 (Pacific time)
The College of St. Scholastica does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation,
disability, age, genetic information, marital status, familial status, status regarding public assistance, local commission status, or any
other classification protected under local, state, or federal law in its programs, procedures, and activities.