Head of School Leadership Opportunity July 2014

Transcription

1 Head of School Leadership Opportunity July 2014 Harpeth Hall School A COLLEGE PREPARATORY SCHOOL FOR GIRLS IN GRADES 5-12 Nashville, Tennessee 665 Girls Grades

2 P a g e 1 THE POSITION The Harpeth Hall School in Nashville, Tennessee, seeks a dynamic and innovative Head of School to lead a community of 665 students in grades 5-12, 88 faculty members, and 63 staff members at one of the nation s finest college preparatory girls schools. The next Head of School will be committed to educating, encouraging, and empowering young women for the challenges of the 21 st century. A pioneer in the field of women s education with origins in the 1860s, Harpeth Hall offers an exceptional program that combines the best of tradition with forward-thinking, cutting-edge programs, outstanding facilities, authentic community, and a wealth of leadership and service opportunities. The School s motto Mentem Spiritumque Tollamus Let us lift up the mind and spirit aptly describes life at Harpeth Hall. Bright and engaged students, passionate and dedicated faculty and staff members, and involved, supportive parents and alumnae characterize this healthy and vibrant school community. The next leader will find a strong, solid school poised for continued growth and success with an unwavering commitment to providing excellent educational opportunities for young women. Mission Statement Harpeth Hall is an independent college preparatory school for young women where each student realizes her highest intellectual ability in the sciences, the humanities, and the arts, and discovers her creative and athletic talents. Harpeth Hall develops responsible citizens who have global perspectives and make meaningful contributions to their communities and the world. With a tradition of excellence and a commitment to life-long learning, Harpeth Hall educates young women to think critically, to lead confidently, and to live honorably. THE SCHOOL Harpeth Hall traces its roots to Ward Seminary for Young Ladies, founded in Nashville in Ward Seminary merged with Belmont College to become Ward-Belmont in 1913, and in 1951 the closing of Ward-Belmont engendered the creation of Harpeth Hall. Out of that same spirit and belief in the importance of educating young women, Harpeth Hall continues the legacy of educating young women to think critically, to lead confidently, and to live honorably. Students arrive at Harpeth Hall from the greater Nashville area and six adjacent counties. They come to Harpeth Hall from 48 different schools (27 public, 20 independent and one homeschool) seeking an 8:1 student/faculty ratio and opportunities to reach their highest intellectual abilities in the sciences, the humanities, and the arts.

3 P a g e 2 Each year, Harpeth Hall graduates young women well prepared to attend prestigious colleges and universities from coast to coast and abroad. Their intellect, talent, and will to achieve set them apart, and they become successful alumnae who distinguish themselves in virtually every industry. Harpeth Hall graduates are architects, actors, artists, CEOs, designers, doctors, engineers, entrepreneurs, lawyers, nurses, scientists, teachers, and writers, to name a few. Today, there are over 6,000 alumnae spanning 49 states and 24 countries, many of whom are engaged and connected to the School and credit Harpeth Hall for sparking a passion in learning, providing a solid foundation, and creating lifelong friendships. Parents at Harpeth Hall also represent a broad spectrum of professions and areas of interest and through a committed Parents Association contribute generous volunteer hours and financial support for the School. HARPETH HALL SCHOOL Grades: 5-12 Enrollment: 665 Students of color: 14% Faculty: 88 Faculty with advanced degrees: 80% Student-faculty ratio: 8:1 Operating Budget: $16.2 million Endowment: $33.4 million Annual giving, : $1.3 million Capital giving, : $3.7 million Parent participation in giving: 80% Financial aid budget: $1.6 million Students receiving financial aid: 17% Harpeth Hall is dually accredited by the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), the National Coalition of Girls Schools (NCGS), the Council of Spiritual and Ethical Education, and the Tennessee Association of Independent Schools. The School is also a founding member of the Online School for Girls. ACADEMIC PROGRAM It is a dynamic time to be a student at Harpeth Hall. The technology-rich classrooms, visionary educators, and college preparatory curriculum provide students with the 21 st century skills they need to become critical thinkers, confident leaders, and effective problem solvers. The 5-12 curricula ensure engaging classrooms that are interdisciplinary, integrated, hands-on, and project-based. Beginning with the 5 th through 8 th grade students in the Daugh W. Smith Middle School, the academic program emphasizes intellectual and personal development. Students are encouraged to develop self-discipline and independence of judgment and character while developing relationships with each other and their teachers. A cooperative, interdisciplinary, technology-based approach to learning enhances thinking skills and broadens the base of knowledge. A strong academic foundation enables the Middle School students to thrive and to succeed in the Upper School.

4 P a g e 3 The Hortense Bigelow Ingram Upper School for students in grades 9-12 provides a strong liberal arts foundation, and graduates are well prepared for the rigor of college and beyond. Upper School students harness technology skills to embrace new literacy competencies that include the ability to assess, interpret, analyze, synthesize, and communicate in a world that is rapidly changing. The Upper School program graduates students with strong written and oral skills and a broad worldview. As one junior noted, I always feel as if I m part of this big, loving community of hundreds of smart girls who challenge me to do my best every day. This mission is emphasized through the faculty s core purpose, which is to nurture a sense of wonder, to instill a will and facility for learning, and to promote cultural understanding, environmental stewardship, and service to others. SIGNATURE PROGRAMS Winterim: A hallmark of the Harpeth Hall School is its Winterim program. Begun in 1973, Winterim is a three-week Upper School program of on and off-campus opportunities in January meant to broaden the intellectual horizons of students. Winterim offers students the very best in experiential learning, creating for them a chance to see their academic studies take a tangible, dynamic form through innovative classes, internships, international exchanges, and academic travel. Online School for Girls: With more than a million high school students taking online courses annually, Harpeth Hall and three other premier girls schools founded the Online School for Girls in 2009 to provide girls with exceptional online learning experiences. Today, almost 80 girls schools from coast to coast and abroad belong to the Online School for Girls. Center for STEM Education for Girls: In the spring of 2010, the Harpeth Hall School was one of three schools in the nation to receive a $250,000 Edward E. Ford Leadership Grant. With those and matching funds, the School established The Center for STEM Education for Girls at Harpeth Hall, designed to increase girls participation in science, technology, engineering, and math studies in high school and college and to encourage them to aspire to STEM careers. ARTS AND ATHLETICS The Arts and Athletic Programs at Harpeth Hall are essential to develop the well-rounded student. In the Fine Arts Department, Harpeth Hall believes all disciplines of the arts performing and visual are based on an intellectual and creative process, not on talent.

5 P a g e 4 Studies in the arts promote and develop skills, critical thinking, perceptual awareness, and problem-solving. Fine Arts courses at all levels are rigorous and demanding, allowing students to participate in multiple arts courses in the middle and upper schools, including art, music, theatre, and dance. Guided by an exceptional fine arts faculty, many of whom are working artists, the fine arts program provides students with ways to express their creative talents and energies and helps them create, value, and support the arts for a lifetime. Superior coaching, state-of-the-art facilities, and unmatched team spirit have earned Harpeth Hall its winning legacy in its Athletic Program. Our scholar-athletes have garnered more than four dozen state championships. More than 82 percent of middle school and 56 percent of upper school students participate in athletics. Harpeth Hall fields 29 teams in 10 Middle School sports. There are 12 Upper School varsity teams and one club team. More importantly, the School knows that athletic competition develops leadership, integrity, courage, and teamwork to achieve a common goal. These are vital skills for championship teams for college and beyond. At Harpeth Hall, athletes are champions on and off the playing field. FACULTY The faculty constitutes one of Harpeth Hall s greatest strengths and remains at the heart of the excellent educational outcomes. Recruited nationally, they are devoted to the mission of providing an education tailored to the needs and gifts of girls. Whether it is using blended or reverse classroom methods or Harkness discussions, the faculty is intentional and deliberate in implementing the best pedagogy in the classroom. The faculty s role in the lives of students extends beyond classroom teacher. Faculty members serve as role models, mentors, confidants, advisors, coaches, club sponsors, and friends. Additionally, the faculty is made up of seasoned educators who bring an average of 17 years teaching experience. Eighty percent hold advanced degrees, including 62 master s degrees and nine doctorate level degrees. Continually engaged in ongoing professional development, the teachers pursue knowledge and model life-long learning for students. CAMPUS, FACILITIES AND SETTING The School is situated on an arboretum and beautifully landscaped campus of 40.7 acres in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville. Harpeth Hall s campus supports students intellectual, artistic, athletic, and social development. In the last decade, new facilities have been added or renovated. The 20,000-square-foot Ann Scott Carell Library houses 27,000 volume collection and serves as the information and technology hub of the

6 P a g e 5 School. The Daugh W. Smith Middle School is designed with gathering spaces for middle school students, encouraging collaboration and close faculty/student relationships. The Hortense Bigelow Ingram Upper School is equipped with a math and science wing and a humanities wing tied together with a students services hall. The Patton Visual Arts Center is a visually inspiring facility featuring three art studios, a photography lab and darkroom, a videography lab, a media lab, and an art history room. The McMurry Center for Arts and Athletics houses a 700-plus theatre, two theatre classrooms, a choir room, an orchestra room, and two dance studios plus a gymnasium. In October 2012, ground broke for a new 60,000-square-foot Athletic and Wellness Center scheduled for completion in December of The center will house an 800-seat competition gym, a 3,500-squarefoot fitness facility, locker rooms, two multipurpose classrooms, a concessions kitchen, a spirit store, and offices. Outdoor athletic facilities include the Dugan Davis Track and Soccer Complex, tennis courts, softball fields and an artificial turf field for soccer and lacrosse. Adjacent to the campus is Kirkman House, originally the family home of Patricia Kirkman Colton, class of 1948 and which serves as the Head of School s residence. GOVERNANCE Kirkman House The Board of Trustees is comprised of 35 members including alumnae, past and current parents, and grandparents who bring particular expertise and perspective. The Board retains responsibility for establishing broad policy goals that align the operation of the School with its mission, providing fiduciary oversight of the School s financial conditions and operations, and supporting long-range strategic planning to ensure Harpeth Hall s future. Over the past 15 years, the Board has embarked upon strategic discussions to create a master plan to improve the academic, athletic, and arts facilities. In 2005, The Campaign for Harpeth Hall concluded, raising more than $44 million and implementing significant improvements to facilities, including building the new facilities mentioned above and making numerous improvements to other facilities. The Campaign also doubled the endowment. In October 2012, the School broke ground for the construction of an Athletic and Wellness Center as part of The Next Step Capital Campaign. The center is scheduled to open in December Additional goals of The Next Step Campaign include purchasing property to expand the campus to 44 acres, adding $10 million to the endowment, and raising over $1 million in the annual fund for every year of the campaign. NASHVILLE Nashville and Metropolitan-Davidson County are superb areas in which to settle, thrive, and remain for a lifetime. Founded in 1779 on the Cumberland River as part of what was

7 P a g e 6 then western North Carolina, Nashville became Tennessee s state capital in Famous by the 1840s as the Athens of the South for fostering a classical education, Nashville later became home to such distinguished universities and colleges as Vanderbilt University, Fisk University, Tennessee State University, Belmont University, and Meharry Medical College. Currently, 20 colleges and universities are in the area. Known for its strong entrepreneurial spirit, coupled with the music and entertainment industries, Nashville lures a vibrant "creative class" that helps make the region an exciting place to live, work, and do business. Additional strengths of the community include: Low cost of living Diverse, welcoming community Unique, affordable residential areas (average median price of a home is $219,995) Abundant parks, waterways and recreational areas Thriving cultural base A national hub for health care No personal income tax Diverse higher education institutions Seasonal climate Broad secondary education opportunities from public, charter, magnet, and private schools Those who enjoy the outdoors will find more than 10,000 acres of park land with 99 parks and greenways. For those inspired by the fine arts, there is a performing arts center, a world-renowned symphony, nationally recognized art museums, and a botanical garden. The sports enthusiasts will cheer on the Tennessee Titans, a National Football League team, the Nashville Predators, a National Hockey League team, and a host of Division I and Division II college sports teams. The population of Nashville is over half a million and that of the Metropolitan area is 1.5 million. The median age of residents is 34. In 2011, Nashville was named to Bloomberg s 50 best places to live list. In 2013, the New York Times tapped Nashville as the it city. In addition, New Census Bureau population estimates released in May 2013 show Middle Tennessee cities among the nation s fastest growing over the last year. (The Tennessean, May 23, 2013)

8 P a g e 7 THE HEAD OF SCHOOL The Head of Harpeth Hall School is the chief executive officer and academic administrator of the School, reporting to the Board of Trustees, promoting and executing the distinct mission of the School and carrying out policies determined in conjunction with the Board. The Head s responsibilities include oversight of all academic, enrollment, personnel, compensation, and fund-raising matters, as well as management of the budget and school facilities. The new Head must be the inspirational leader of the School, knowledgeable about all academic areas, committed to excellence, and possessing both a moral and educational vision to move the School forward. He/she will promote the School among its various constituencies and maintain appropriate liaisons in the broader community. The next Head of School must be a passionate supporter of the girls, young women, and teachers who work in this setting and one who also is committed to working closely with parents and the Board. In addition, this individual should foster a tone and culture supportive of inclusive, collaborative decision-making. STRENGTHS OF THE SCHOOL Academic excellence with an emphasis on critical thinking Excellent, committed faculty dedicated to the education of girls A culture of individualized learning in which each girl s strengths are nurtured and celebrated Warm, nurturing teacher-student relationships which continue as friendships after graduation A passionately committed community of students, faculty, staff, parents, and alumnae Balanced program of academics, athletics, arts, and co-curricular activities Beautiful, pastoral campus and state-of-the-art facilities Variety of international experiences for students Extensive leadership opportunities for students Numerous community service opportunities

9 P a g e 8 CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE NEXT HEAD OF SCHOOL Community The new leader needs to be visible and present in the school community and continue to forge relationships with and among the faculty, staff, students, parents, and alumnae to promote collegiality within the School community. Harpeth Hall teachers cherish autonomy in the classroom, feel well-supported by the current Head of School, and repeatedly cite the excellent working environment at Harpeth Hall. Collaborating with the faculty, the new Head will find a group appreciative of open dialogue and meaningful program development. Recruiting and retaining diverse, talented, and highly qualified faculty and staff will be of primary importance in the future, especially as beloved teachers approach retirement. Academic Excellence The next leader at Harpeth Hall will lead an innovative, forward-thinking school with high-achieving students to new levels of academic excellence. The next leader must be committed to preparing students for a global, technologically advanced future and ensuring faculty, facilities, and pedagogy meet these changes. The Head of School needs to be visionary, possessing the ability to discern when and how to introduce and pace innovative change in support of intellectual inquiry and understand the ways that 21 st century education is evolving. Communications The next Head of School needs to be a persuasive and articulate advocate for the School in the wider community. The Search Committee seeks a person with strong interpersonal, oral, written, and presentation skills. She/he must be both articulate and an exceptionally thoughtful and compassionate listener. The next Head should be enthusiastic in taking a lead role in development, including alumnae relations, and be eager to cultivate relationships across all constituencies. The Head should be comfortable with maintaining a public presence and community involvement in the Nashville area. Financial Responsibility The next Head of School must maintain strong enrollment in a competitive environment as tuition continues to increase. The desire for increased socio-economic diversity and financial aid constitutes a stark reality and the School must be cognizant of the affordability challenge. Though a significant culture of philanthropy exists in Nashville, fundraising will continue to be a challenge. The School has been fortunate to enjoy prudent financial management and oversight, but the ever-present focus on financial sustainability has been heightened in the last few years. The new Head will need to move forward purposefully and with determination to sponsor, implement, and oversee strategic fund-raising initiatives, with particular focus on a future performing arts facility.

10 P a g e 9 Increase Visibility In order to advance Harpeth Hall to the next level of national and international renown, the School seeks to raise its visibility in the academic community both among its peers and more broadly in higher education. The School wants to continue to strengthen its national reputation and be seen consistently by leading colleges and universities as a place that fosters academic excellence and produces the best prepared students. The new Head should be able to sharpen the focus and message, and to market the distinct strengths and successes to the primary audiences in the academic world. EXPERIENCES SOUGHT IN THE NEXT HEAD OF SCHOOL Successful and significant senior leadership roles in independent schools Knowledgeable proponent of single-sex education, who understands and appreciates the social, emotional, and intellectual needs of girls from childhood through adolescence Excellent communication skills (public speaking, writing, and listening) Leader who can hire, retain, and support outstanding faculty and staff Good decision-making processes and skills Business acumen and fundraising skills QUALITIES SOUGHT IN THE NEXT HEAD OF SCHOOL Collaborative manager who can build a team and delegate well Relationship builder; interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence Confident leader capable of creative problem solving Growth mindset and knowledge of technology integration in education, STEM, and new pedagogies Strong character and personal integrity

11 P a g e 10 TO APPLY Interested and qualified candidates should submit electronically (as separate PDF documents in one ) the following materials: cover letter expressing interest in the Harpeth Hall School position current résumé statement of educational philosophy and practice list of 5 references with name, phone number, and address of each to: Marguerite Lloyd Senior Search Associate marguerite.lloyd@carneysandoe.com Skype: smgcl12 Marlene Shaw Senior Search Associate marlene.shaw@carneysandoe.com Skype: marlenershaw Agnes (Aggie) C. Underwood Vice President/Managing Associate acunderwood@carneysandoe.com Skype: agnes.c.underwood CARNEY, SANDOE & ASSOCIATES 44 Bromfield Street, Boston, MA ~ Harpeth Hall does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, or disability in the admission and educational policies, financial aid programs, employment practices and other school administered programs.~