Santa Clara University

President’s Position Description

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES

University Leadership

The president is the chief executive officer of Santa Clara University and reports to the Board of Trustees.  The president will be a Jesuit priest who exercises the vision, leadership, management skills, and commitment to engage the faculty, staff, students, alumni, benefactors, friends, and board members in raising the quality and national reputation of the University by providing a high quality integrated education to its diverse student body of undergraduates and graduates.

He leads long-range strategic planning for the University as president and as chair of the Planning Action Council; monitors the implementation of the strategic initiatives of the University’s Strategic Plan; develops and implements policies and procedures; and pursues opportunities for program development which advance the vision, mission, and values of the University.

He advances and aligns people, programs, strategic initiatives, policies, organizational structure, resources, and marketing with the University’s distinctive vision, mission, and values, as well its Ignatian and Jesuit charism. 

Academic Leadership

The president  advances Jesuit education for arts and sciences and professional studies at both the undergraduate and graduate levels through providing the overall direction to the University and promoting synergy for an integrated education across the college and schools, among academic departments and the centers of distinction, and between academic affairs and student life.

The president encourages and supports research, scholarship, and teaching that aim to improve the quality of the Santa Clara teaching scholar model.

Management of the University

The president oversees the work of the provost and vice presidents, thereby ensuring effective leadership and management for all aspects of academic and student life programs, athletics, facilities, resources, operations, organization, human resources, and university relationships with its many constituencies.

Fiscal Management and University Relations

The president is the school's chief fund raiser and the face and voice of the University, not just in the Silicon Valley but across the nation and around the world; he is the principal interface with Silicon Valley and with national and international constituencies in the education, corporate, foundation, and Jesuit worlds.

The president helps generate and allocate resources according to priorities that best implement the Jesuit educational mission and advance the University’s Strategic Plan.

He exercises fiscal frugality in the operating and capital budgets and ensures spending for only that which advances quality.

He fund-raises (30+ percent of time) and cultivates external and alumni relations.  He builds and uses the endowment to enhance excellence.

Key documents for understanding the role and responsibilities of the president include but are not limited to:

2008 Strategic Plan; Future Directions position statements; Address of Fr. Peter Hans-Kolvenbach: The Service of Faith and the Promotion of Justice in American Jesuit Higher Education; Core Curriculum report; President’s convocation talks; President’s annual reports.

QUALIFICATIONS

Personal qualities required of a successful applicant for this position include:

• a commitment to understanding the history and culture of Santa Clara and advancing its vision, mission, and values as a Jesuit, Catholic university.
• a commitment to the quest of academic and distinctive excellence and the desire, understanding, and ability to advance the University’s Catholic identity, Jesuit mission, and academic profile through the pursuit of opportunities for program development consistent with the Strategic Plan.
• a commitment to an inclusive learning community and a demonstrated ability to work with an increasingly diverse (broadly defined) campus community, ensuring the University is open and welcoming to a broad constituency, from the poor to the powerful..
• an ability to build an effective, well-functioning team and a proven capacity to work effectively and collaboratively in a culture of effective governance and by the delegation of responsibilities.
• effective organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills.
• the ability to ensure the fair and reasonable allocation of resources, including faculty and staff FTE, funding, and space, to support essential programs and services and to advance the University’s strategic initiatives.
• the ability to ensure the fair and reasonable allocation of resources, including faculty and staff FTE, funding, and space, to support essential programs and services and to advance the University’s strategic initiatives.

Knowledge, experience, and skill set required of a successful applicant for this position:

• Successful leadership experience, preferably in an institution of higher learning; a record of intellectual achievement, including possession of a terminal degree; experience in the development and administration of academic and/or programmatic budgets and resources.
• A keen understanding of contemporary trends affecting higher education and demonstrated ability to lead strategically, build a strong leadership team, and lead a strategic planning process that creates buy-in from key stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and manage Santa Clara to the next level of academic quality and distinctiveness by partnering with the vice presidents, campus community, and board members in advancing the University’s vision, mission, values, and strategic initiatives.
• Possession of a global or holistic orientation for visioning the future of the University.
• Demonstrated ability to stimulate, guide, and support the provost, deans, and faculty in their development of high quality educational programs and in their advancing the quality of research and teaching.
• Highly developed relationship-building and advocacy skills, including high potential in fund raising with a demonstrated ability to “tell the institution’s story” in a compelling way; the ability to learn quickly how to cultivate, solicit, and close gifts from major donors.
• Demonstrated skills in community relations and public speaking, with emphasis on ability to reach out to and develop positive relationships with key community leaders and stakeholders in industry and government while balancing internal and external demands on time through good time management and the effective use of delegation.
• Demonstrated capacity to inspire the trust and respect of colleagues and external constituencies.
• Demonstrated management and financial experience appropriate to leading a complex academic organization, including strategic oversight of numerous funds for different purposes and the ability to make key financial decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to work with the Board of Trustees in an effective manner.

APPENDIX A

The Santa Clara University Bylaws (ARTICLE VII) on the President state:

The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Society of Jesus.  The President shall have the authority and responsibility to conduct the operations of the University subject to direction and control of the Board. 

The President is responsible for leading the University, implementing all Board policies, keeping the Board informed on appropriate matters, consulting with the Board in a timely manner on matters appropriate to its policy making and fiduciary functions, and serving as the University’s chief spokesman. 

The President shall have such other powers and duties as the Board may prescribe by resolution and shall be primarily responsible for carrying out the orders and resolutions of the Board.

The President shall report to the Board at regular intervals on the condition of the University and shall submit to the Board for approval the annual budget, any major change in policies or programs, the list of candidates for degrees and honorary degrees, and the name of the commencement speaker.  He shall inform the Board concerning any other matter which he considers important to the welfare of the University.

The President shall have the power to appoint and dismiss academic and administrative officers of the University; however, he must obtain approval of the Board to institute a new Vice Presidential office.

The President during any extended absence may designate the Provost, one of the Vice Presidents or Chancellor (if that position exists) to act for him, unless or until the Board elects an Acting President under the provisions set out below.

The President shall be elected by a majority vote of the Trustees in office at the time of election and shall serve for a term to expire at the end of the annual meeting in the sixth year following the year in which he was elected.  He may be reelected to additional terms of six (6) years or such shorter term as the Board may prescribe by a majority vote of the Board in office at the time of the meeting.

The President serves at the pleasure of the Board for such term, compensation, and with such other terms of employment, as it shall determine.  The President may resign or be removed in accordance with the procedure provided in Section 3 of Article III of these Bylaws.

In the absence of the President, or in the event of his resignation or removal, or at any time when the majority of the members of the Board then in office determine that the President is incapacitated to such an extent that he is physically or mentally incapable of performing adequately the duties of the office, the Board may elect by majority vote an Acting President.  The Acting President need not be a Trustee or a member of the Society of Jesus, shall serve at the pleasure of the Board, and may exercise all the powers and duties conferred upon the President.

In the event that any procedural or out-of-scope questions arise regarding the Presidential search process, the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees shall have final authority to make decisions.

APPENDIX B

Evaluation Questions for a Search or Screening Committee

1. Will the candidate articulate and pursue a compelling vision for engaging

            a. the University and its constituent parts?

            b. communities in Silicon Valley?

            c. communities nationally and certain key regions?

            d. communities internationally?

2. Will the candidate demonstrate a commitment to excellence in education as integral to the Jesuit educational vision of developing leaders of intellectual competence, ethical conscience, and socially just compassion?
3. Will the candidate develop and support a vibrant environment for learning (by both faculty and students) and the teaching scholar through

            a. teaching?

            b. faculty research?

            c. student research?

            d. interactions with alumni?

            e. industry partners?

4. Will the candidate speak articulately for

            a. the university?

            b. the constituent parts of the university?

            c. Jesuit higher education

5. Will the candidate engage diverse communities in dialogue?
6. Will the candidate generate and apply resources in ways that will help realize the priorities of the University?
7. Will the candidate be able to develop synergistic and strategic partnerships across disciplines on campus and with other key external constituencies?
8. Does the candidate possess a record of academic accomplishment appropriate for the position of President?
9. Does the candidate possess a record of professional (industry/government, not solely academic) accomplishments appropriate for the position of president?
10. What other exemplary aspects do you see in this candidate?