Olivet College Presidential Search Brochure

Olivet College Presidential Search Committee

Olivet College announces presidential candidates
Sept. 30, 2010

Update Sept. 1, 2010
Campus Community:

The search committee for the next president of Olivet College is making excellent progress in its work.  The committee has reviewed more than 50 candidates who have made application for the position.  The committee believes the quality of the applicants is excellent and there is considerable enthusiasm about the potential to bring an outstanding person to the leadership role.  The committee will interview up to eight candidates in the next several weeks and by mid September hopes to have narrowed the field to three candidates that will be invited to the campus for a full day of meetings with many of the campus constituencies.  Members of the community will be allowed to meet the candidates in small meetings or a large forum setting.  Campus feedback will be solicited by the committee and taken into consideration as the committee makes its recommendations to the Olivet College Board of Trustees. 
The board will be meeting in early October and if agreement can be reached and a contract completed, an announcement of the new president should be made within weeks. 

The search committee would like to thank everyone for their nominations, suggestions, and confidence as confidentiality was very important in the early phases of the search.  The committee also hopes that members of the community will remember that only one of the three candidates that comes to the campus for final interviews will be chosen as president and the others will need to return to their current positions with dignity and respect.   

Thanks for your understanding and support of this important process. 

Mark Jensen, Chair - Presidential Search Committee 

Olivet College welcomes you to our Presidential Search Profile
The Board of Trustees and Presidential Search Committee announce the search for the 27th president of Olivet College since it’s founding in 1844. The college invites expressions of interest in this opportunity for leadership of a historic liberal arts college with a long tradition of service in south central Michigan. After nine years, Donald Tuski ’85, Ph.D., is leaving the presidency for a new opportunity. He spent most of his career as a student, faculty member and administrator at the college.



History of the College
Founded in 1844 by John J. Shipherd, the college’s guiding principle was to provide students with the means of intellectual, moral and spiritual improvement and to teach them “the divine art and science of doing good to others.” From its beginning, the founders and leaders believed an education should be available to anyone regardless of gender, race, or ability to pay. At the time of its founding, its abolitionist beliefs prevented the institution from receiving a state charter. Symptomatic of their achievement and righteousness of their cause, the state of Michigan granted a charter in 1859.

During the 1930s and 1940s the college developed a national reputation for adopting the “Oxford Model,” a tutorial system used in European universities that depended heavily on seminars and interaction between faculty and students. During this same period, Olivet College initiated a series of writers’ conferences that attracted leading literary talents to the campus.

During the middle decades of the 20th century, Olivet College maintained its focus on serving students who might otherwise be unable to enter college. The landscape of higher education institutions in Michigan offered Olivet the opportunity to provide this valuable service.

In keeping with its history as a leader in experiential education, in the 1990s, Olivet redefined its direction and produced a new academic vision entitled “Education for Individual and Social Responsibility.” This vision statement illustrates the continued commitment of the college to the principle that “the future of humanity rests in the hands, hearts and minds of those who will accept responsibility for themselves and others in an increasingly diverse society.”

The college redesigned its curricula to reflect the Olivet Plan, which focuses on portfolio assessment, used to demonstrate students’ growing competency in groups of learning outcomes. These portfolios are also a primary tool for assessment of teaching and learning for the Higher Learning Commission.

Focus on Three Critical Issues
The college has elected to focus on three critical issues that face higher education:

1) Requiring institutional accountability for student learning,
2) Building civil and inclusive communities that model democracy at its best, and
3) Ensuring equity of access to higher education by controlling costs


Facts About Olivet College
Olivet College is located in south central Michigan in Eaton County, in the community of Olivet with a population of 1,800. The campus encompasses more than 50 acres covered in large oak trees and, in addition, maintains its own biological preserve, Kirkelldel. The college’s location is adjacent to Interstate 69 and is approximately 10 miles from Interstate 94, the major thoroughfare between the cities of Detroit and Chicago. The college is 30 miles south of Lansing and 125 miles west of Detroit. Battle Creek and Marshall are two cities within 20 miles of campus.

The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools reaffirmed its accreditation in July 2008 for a 10-year period.

Enrollment in the fall of 2009 was 1,126 students; enrollment has surpassed 1,000 students for seven consecutive years.

The cumulative GPA and ACT for the freshmen class of
Fall 2009 was 3.08 and 20.1, respectively.

Student-faculty ratio is 18 to 1 and the college has 43 full-time and
48 adjunct faculty members.

Forty-five percent of students are women and 55 percent are men; approximately 1 percent of students are international; 15.6 percent are
under-represented minorities; 98 percent of students are from Michigan;
51 percent are commuters. A significant number of students are first generation college students.

There are 31 members on the Olivet College Board of Trustees.
A significant number of alumni serve as trustees.

The college recently completed a $17 million capital campaign, and built three new buildings and renovated several others, including The Cutler Event Center, Gillette Student Village apartment-style housing, and the Riethmiller Blackman Art Building.

Olivet College maintains an active relationship with the United Church of Christ and the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches.

The college competes in Division III of the NCAA and is a member of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA). The program offers nine sports for men and nine sports for women. The college has modern facilities for most sports.

Local Greek societies are a part of student life and eleven societies are active on the campus. Numerous professional and honor societies and co-curricular student organizations operate on campus.

Strengths of Olivet College
The institution values a multi-faith perspective that respects and affirms great diversity and individual choices of people. Service and commitment are supported through the college’s vision “Education for Individual and Social Responsibility.” Further, the college partners with founding churches and others in service to its mission.

Olivet’s curriculum is innovative, student friendly, and has provided a positive academic image for the college. The primary focus of the academic offering is undergraduate education; Master of Arts in Teaching and Master of Business
Administration degrees are offered and add to the overall reputation of the college. The curriculum reflects a strong base in the liberal arts and also includes pre-professional programs and professional studies such as teacher education and criminal justice, as well as real world learning opportunities.

The college has a faculty culture that supports the mission of the institution. The faculty has excellent credentials as well as commitment for the long standing traditions of Olivet. The faculty provides personal attention to students and operates in a collegial fashion through its governance structure.

Enrollment has been increasing for several years and has provided a growing revenue base to help the college strengthen its financial operation, which has been a challenge for more than a decade.

Modern athletic facilities support a large, competitive Division III NCAA athletic program for men and women. About one half of all students participate in one or more athletic programs at the college.

Numerous opportunities to participate in a wide range of service projects in Michigan and throughout the United States are provided. Many trips are offered during the academic year providing opportunities for students to travel to states such as Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee.

Student life offers local Greek societies that involve a large percentage of the student population. Additionally, residence life staff has developed successful intramural and extramural sports which have brought the college national recognition. New apartment-style housing has improved the campus life for students and increased capacity for residential students.

The college has an outreach program of service and relationship building with the city, local school system and surrounding communities. A significant number of area high school students take advanced placement credit classes on the campus to enrich their school experience and earn college credit.

Advancing Olivet College
The next president will need to broaden the recruitment program within and beyond the borders of Michigan by expanding existing programs and starting others as a way to build a more viable economic model for the college. As the institution seeks to recruit students with better preparation and academic performance, the current financial aid discount rate of about 37 percent will be challenged and pressure will increase to expend more financial aid.

The next president will need to restructure the budget and increase revenues to reduce the need for current fund borrowing and either reduce the overall debt or greatly increase the operating revenues annually along with a major boost to the endowment. The current accumulated debt limits the institution’s ability to borrow funds that may be needed to respond to major crisis situations. Long-term capital debt is about $6 million and short-term borrowing totals about $5.6 million. Debt service annually requires approximately $1 million.

The college needs to improve its retention and graduation rates. Although Olivet is an opportunity college, it would benefit greatly by reducing attrition and graduating a higher percentage of students after four years of study. The challenge is great since academic quality of entering students and availability of financial aid are the two major factors that affect attrition at most colleges similar in size and mission of Olivet College.

The region provides a great opportunity for Olivet to expand its academic offerings to serve area communities and underserved populations. This work will require building broader relationships with school districts, businesses and community organizations.

Technology, which is currently a vital part of the campus and is used modestly in delivery of instruction, could be expanded to deliver instruction to more students and could enhance personal interaction between faculty and students.



Presidential Attributes
Commitment to the vision of providing education to a diverse population of students, including the significant number of first generation college students through a collegial leadership style and principled view of the world that personalizes education for students and energizes faculty to hold high standards of academic achievement and teaching excellence.

Experience and in-depth knowledge of the small, independent, liberal arts college environment, the dynamics of small town and rural communities, and ways in which to develop the vision to serve students and people beyond the immediate community of the college.

Ability to contribute effectively to internal and external fundraising efforts through an understanding of formal and relationship fundraising with some evidence of success in such a program.

Must be a strong fiscal manager who can work with staff to balance current demands for revenues and expenses so that the institution can grow revenues and endowment, and reduce its dependence on current and long term debt.

Commitment to the philosophy that all members of the college community, including staff, faculty, trustees,\ and students must help facilitate student development and learning.

Must be committed to developing and retaining a diverse faculty, staff, and student body; be comfortable working with women and men of different races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, cultures, and class backgrounds; and demonstrate a sophistication in thought and consciousness regarding the complexities of our contemporary society and world. Should exhibit a willingness to participate in campus community life, whether living in the President’s House or nearby. On campus residency is preferred.

Proven ability to formulate and guide strategic planning and implementation strategies that move the college in a positive direction for all constituents.

Excellent communication skills with a comfortable public presence and balanced judgment on the many varied issues that challenge colleges and their leaders.

Should have significant administrative experience and help create a culture that attracts and retains outstanding senior staff, faculty and volunteers.

Must show commitment to working with the board of trustees in a transparent and cooperative way to build support for the future of the college and to create community on the part of all constituencies at the college.

Application Process 
The presidential search committee will begin review of applications Aug. 16, 2010 and continue its work until an appointment is made. To assure full consideration, applications should be received by Aug. 13, and must include a letter of interest that addresses the profile issues, a curriculum vitae, and five professional references with e-mail addresses and phone numbers provided (references will not be contacted without prior authorization from the applicant). Applications should be submitted electronically (MS Word or Adobe PDF) to the chair of the search committee, Mark P. Jensen, at: olivetcollege@academic-search.com.

The search is being assisted by:
Dr. James A. Davis, Ph.D.
Senior Consultant
Academic Search, Inc.

Correspondence from nominators or prospective candidates may be directed to:
jdavis@academic-search.com, or (540) 539-9415.

For additional information about Olivet College, please visit the Web sites at www.olivetcollege.edu or www.academic-search.com.

Olivet College’s Presidential Search Committee
Committee Chair: Mark Jensen, trustee emeritus         

Board
Thomas Burke ’82
Olivet College Board of Trustees Member
Finance Committee Chair
           
Timothy Hodge ’83, D.O.
Olivet College Board of Trustees Member
Enrollment Management Committee Chair

Thomas Hoisington
Olivet College Board of Trustees Member
Development Committee Chair
           
The Honorable Judge Denise Page Hood
Olivet College Board of Trustees Member
Trusteeship Committee Chair

Robert Lawrence ’57
Olivet College Board of Trustees Member
Academic Committee Chair

Bill Middlebrooks
Olivet College Board of Trustees Member
Student Life Committee Chair

At-Large
Sharon Hobbs, Ph.D.
Olivet College Board of Trustees Member

Alumni
Rich Hamann ’85
Olivet College Alumni Council President

Thomas Kolassa’69
Olivet College Board of Trustees Member

Karen Van Hentenryck ’81
Olivet College Board of Trustees Member

Faculty
Matt Wait '99
President, Faculty Senate

Laura Barlond-Maas '88
Associate Professor of English; Director of Writing Programs   

Karen Chaney, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Ethics

Mike Fales '75
Director of Service Learning and Campus Ministries

                           
Staff
Lisa Webb '97
President, Staff Senate

Therese Wood '07
Human Resources Director      

Mark DeRuiter
Controller

Administration
Barb Spencer
Executive Assistant to the President

Ex-officio Members
David Hayhow
Olivet College Board of Trustees Chair

Students
Tajalli Kelley-Graves
Student Council Representative

Consultant
Don Lubbers
Former President of Grand Valley State University

Search Committee Responsibilities:

1. Oversee vetting process.
2. Screen applicants for minimum qualifications to be considered for further review.
3. Select (approximate number) of candidates for further consideration.
4. Conduct initial interview of applicants.
5. Select (approximate number) of candidates to be invited to campus for series of interviews with committee and college constituencies.
6. Select appropriate candidates to submit to the full board of trustees for consideration.
7. The Olivet College Board of Trustees will make the final consideration of candidates.

Address:
Olivet College
320 S. Main St.
Olivet, MI 49076
Toll free: 1-800-456-7189
Admissions: (269) 749-7635