Position Announcement

Transcription

1 PRESIDENT SEARCH

2 Position Announcement The Foothill-De Anza Community College District invites nominations and applications for the position of president of Foothill College to succeed Dr. Judy Miner, who is now serving as district chancellor. Located in one of the most desirable and diverse regions of the country, Foothill College is searching for a president to lead a premier community college in advancing a culture of equity that promotes access and success for all students, with particular attention to supporting historically underserved and underrepresented students. The next president of Foothill College is a passionate advocate for student success and has a record of increasing student access and completion. She/he thinks boldly and is willing to take risks to improve student outcomes. This person has the persuasive powers, commitment and strategic ability to unite the college behind new initiatives. Foothill s next leader will articulate a clear vision for the college and promote clear and consistent communication to create a more informed and engaged community. He/she will be driven by a sense of urgency to build a cohesive, results-oriented leadership team that will collaborate with faculty, staff and students on closing the achievement gap, with a focus on equity, diversity, and innovation to increase student success. The next president of Foothill College is an accomplished and entrepreneurial fundraiser who is skilled at developing partnerships to access resources, reach underserved populations and create new pathways to college and careers. This person understands how increasing student success will help close the region s skills and income gaps and improve civic and economic well-being. 2

3 The Opportunity Described by the San Francisco Chronicle as the most beautiful community college ever built, Foothill College is an internationally renowned institution located in the heart of the Silicon Valley, just four miles from Stanford University and 45 miles south of San Francisco. Situated amid 122 acres of rolling foothills in Los Altos Hills, the spectacular main campus features Pacific-style architecture and complementary landscaping that continue to earn top design awards. In spite of recent California drought conditions, Foothill has maintained its appeal, guided by a vision of sustainability and conservation of natural resources. As its next president, the successful candidate in this national search will take the helm of a flourishing campus where innovation melds with tradition, creating one of America s outstanding community colleges. Foothill and its sister college De Anza comprise the twocampus Foothill-De Anza Community College District, serving approximately 500,000 residents in the communities of Palo Alto, Stanford, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, and portions of San Jose, Saratoga, and Santa Clara. In addition to its main campus in Los Altos Hills, Foothill College operates the Middlefield Campus in Palo Alto, which will be replaced in 2016 by a new education center in Sunnyvale. The center will serve as a regional hub for workforce training in new and emerging technologies in the Bay Area. Courses will be offered by both Foothill College and Mission College, marking an unprecedented collaboration between community college districts and providing students with new education and career pathways. Built on property the district obtained at no cost through the federal public benefit conveyance process, the center is well located to support business and industry partnerships at the gateway to one of Silicon Valley s premier technology parks. With 62,000 students and 2,000 faculty and staff, the Foothill-De Anza Community College District is one of the nation s largest, and the seventh in size among California s 72 districts. The two college presidents are key members of the district s executive team led by Chancellor Judy Miner, Ed.D., who was appointed to the position in June 2015 after serving as Foothill College president for eight years. Publicly supported and locally oriented, the district prepares students for university transfer and fills an essential role in workforce development to meet the changing demands of surrounding communities. Foothill-De Anza also gives high priority to its role in preparing students for civic participation and is deeply committed to equity in higher education. Foothill-De Anza is a founding member of the League for Innovation in the Community College and has continuously maintained its position as one of 17 members of the Board of Directors, one of only two California districts on the League board. Foothill-De Anza enjoys strong support from a community that values and respects quality education. In 1999 and 2006, voters overwhelmingly approved district bond measures that generated approximately $750 million for new construction, modernization and other capital improvements, including new technology, resulting in significant upgrades to the campuses. While much new construction has been completed, building is underway at the new Sunnyvale Center, and planning has begun for a new district office building and boardroom adjacent to the Foothill College main campus. Foothill and De Anza college presidents work closely with the Foothill-De Anza Foundation to friend-raise and fundraise for college priorities. The foundation is among the largest nonprofit auxiliary organizations among California community colleges, with a high-water mark of $36 million in assets. Support for the foundation comes from a community board whose members are well connected throughout the Silicon Valley. 3

4 International Excellence and National Stature Foothill College has a long-standing national reputation for teaching excellence and innovation. The first community college in California to offer online courses for credit, Foothill currently offers 12 fully online associate degree programs and approximately 300 online course sections. More than 30 percent of the college s enrollment is online. Selected in a competitive process by the California Community Colleges Chancellor s Office, Foothill-De Anza Community College District is leading a $57 million, five-year Online Education Initiative (OEI) to increase transfer and degree completion among California students. The initiative aims to increase access to quality online courses and robust support services for students, faculty and staff across the state. Foothill College is an active participant in the grant, bringing its extensive online experience to the collaboration as one of 24 pilot colleges offering online courses via a common course management system. Foothill College has achieved state, regional and national recognition for its high-quality academic programs, including health care careers, accounting, music technology, geospatial technology, child development, computer programming and theatre arts, as well as for curriculum related to emerging technology such as biomedical engineering and nanoscience. Foothill College faculty are known for teaching excellence and educate approximately 28,000 day, evening and online students annually. Students may choose from 79 associate degree programs and 107 specialty certificate programs, or take classes in preparation for transfer to another college or university. The college draws students from throughout the region, and its demographics reflect the diversity of the Bay Area. Foothill is among the top transfer institutions in California and recently was identified in the Chronicle of Higher Education as the No. 1 public two-year college in the nation for graduating first-time, degree-seeking students within three years. Each year the college awards more than 600 associate degrees and 500 certificates of achievement. In the past five years, more than 3,000 Foothill students have transferred to the University of California and California State University systems, and about 400 students a year transfer to private and out-of-state institutions including MIT, Stanford University, University of Southern California, Cornell University and Georgetown University. Foothill College faculty and staff are dedicated to the college s mission of providing access to outstanding educational opportunities for all students. Whether the goal is basic skills preparation, career training, lifelong learning or university transfer, the Foothill community is committed to helping students learn and succeed. Foothill College is a proudly diverse multicultural institution and is well prepared to meet the evolving educational, economic and cultural needs of an increasingly technology-based global community. California s reinvigorated economy has made possible an unprecedented influx of new state funding to support student success in community colleges. Foothill is using these funds to expand its infrastructure of support services for students and professional development for faculty and staff. The next president will discover a learning community with a capacity for bold vision in policy-making and day-to-day operations. Foothill s culture includes a spirit of creativity and celebration and longstanding commitment to core values of honesty, integrity, trust, openness, transparency, forgiveness, and sustainability. The Vision of Foothill College Foothill College educates students from diverse backgrounds that represent the demographics of the Bay Area, with particular attention to underserved and underrepresented populations. Foothill students master content and skills which are critical for their future success. They develop and act upon a sense of responsibility to be stewards of the public good. 4

5 Student-Centered Instruction in a Diverse Learning Community Foothill College is nationally recognized for its contributions to research about community college students and best educational practices, and faculty and staff frequently make presentations at national and international conferences. The district s Office of Institutional Research & Planning works closely with the college to support data-driven decisions that maximize opportunities for student success. Foothill College has developed an equity plan that unites the college in closing achievement gaps across racial and ethnic groups as well as for veterans and foster youth. Faculty and staff are committed to providing a learning environment that is welcoming, supportive, and accessible, and to ensuring that all students have an equal opportunity to experience success in achieving their academic goals. All major planning efforts address student equity, including program review, resource allocation, accreditation, and strategic and educational master planning. The Foothill College Science Learning Institute (SLI) is an innovative instructional model that draws on educational research and best practices to support successful teaching and learning of STEM-related content. The SLI was founded in an environment of collaboration and innovation, allowing dedicated faculty to teach, inspire and transform how STEM subjects are taught and learned. A key objective is to bring more students into STEM from historically underrepresented groups. In addition to increasing university transfer rates, the institute prepares students for work in biomedical devices, rapid prototyping, nanotechnology and renewable energy systems. The SLI has been strengthened by partnerships with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation s Global Skills for College Completion, the Carnegie Foundation s Statway project, the National Science Foundation s STEMway and nanotechnology projects, and award-winning campus programs such as Math My Way, which has markedly improved student success in mathematics. Foothill is one of 15 colleges in California chosen by the California Community Colleges Board of Governors to offer a baccalaureate degree as part of a pilot program authorized by the California Legislature. The college will expand its highly regarded dental hygiene program to include courses leading to the new degree starting in fall 2016, addressing a regional workforce need and giving local students an opportunity to continue their education at an affordable cost close to home. The Krause Center for Innovation at Foothill College is a regional center that empowers Silicon Valley educators and students to use technology in the classroom to increase student success. Since it opened in 2000, the center has trained more than 15,000 local elementary, middle and high school teachers from throughout the Bay Area. The KCI s goal is to spread its transformative learning practices throughout California. Foothill faculty members bring prestigious academic credentials to the classroom. Instructors have advanced degrees from such institutions as Stanford, Harvard, Cornell, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Columbia, MIT, Dartmouth, Purdue, the Chicago Art Institute and other top universities. 5

6 Celebrating Diversity in an Inclusive Campus Atmosphere Whatever a student s academic path, the college creates a warm, family-like atmosphere that offers individual attention, varied extracurricular activities, and an appreciation of diversity. Faculty members integrate a multicultural perspective into the curricula of all disciplines and emphasize that critical thinking requires a pluralistic view. Foothill is home to students from more than 100 countries and has a long tradition of international student enrollment. Foothill s International Programs Office provides a full range of services for students from around the world. Reflecting the diverse environment of Silicon Valley and California, the college sponsors cultural celebrations throughout the academic year including Native American Heritage Month, Women s History Month, Black History Month, Jewish Heritage Month, Latino Heritage Month, Asian Pacific Islander Month, and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Month. Many underserved students take part in the college s popular Pass the Torch Program, which pairs students who excel in English, ESL and math in study teams with students who want support in these core classes. This homegrown communitylearning program has increased matriculation, retention, and transfer of underrepresented students at Foothill College over the past 20 years. State-supported programs such as Puente and Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) also help Foothill College students reach their educational goals. workforce. Among the unique offerings is the parenting program offered through the Family Engagement Institute (FEI) at Foothill College. FEI invites parents in underserved, low-income communities to enroll in non-credit parenting classes, which are taught by Foothill faculty in local schools and community centers, as a co-requisite for their child s enrollment in FEI s Stretch to Kindergarten classes. Designed to break the cycle of poverty and close the opportunity gap, FEI s Stretch to Kindergarten and parenting classes provide a bridge to college for families who lack experience with higher education. A large number of students with disabilities pursue their education at Foothill College, and the college commits significant staff and resources to serve this important part of the student body. Foothill s highly successful Transition to Work Program, operated out of the Disability Resource Center, provides focused instruction that gives students with disabilities the opportunity to develop specific job skills through an open-entry, open-exit pathway. For students who seek to develop their athletic abilities along with their academic ambitions, Foothill College offers 12 intercollegiate athletic programs for women and men. A roster of more than 80 campus clubs gives students the opportunity to pursue a wide range of academic, social, cultural, political, recreational, community and global interests. Foothill College has cultivated a reputation as a veteranfriendly campus and educates a growing population of students who have served in the military, many in Iraq and Afghanistan. The college s Veterans Resource Center (VRC) offers specialized programs and services in a comfortable environment that encourages educational progress and adaption of military skills to civilian life. With support from the Foothill-De Anza Foundation, the college has formed a close working partnership with the Rotary Club of Los Altos, resulting in personal and financial support for student veterans and VRC programs. Foothill operates several model non-credit programs that help low-skilled learners transition to college and the 6

7 Challenges and Opportunities for the Next President The next president of Foothill College will lead a premier community college that has earned national stature. The new president should be a uniting leader who can articulate a clear vision and inspire dedication to achieving the college s core mission and values; an innovative leader who seeks a longterm career in a dynamic setting; and an empathetic leader who is committed to academic excellence, student equity, and student success. The president will: Provide faculty and staff opportunities to grow and develop their professional expertise and engagement locally, statewide, and beyond Increase cross-campus collaboration between Foothill College faculty, staff, and students and their De Anza College counterparts Establish innovative partnerships in Silicon Valley and beyond Inspire and support the college community in closing the achievement gap through a focus on student equity, diversity, and innovation Sustain a highly qualified faculty and staff by provding a long-term commitment to orientation, training, and information sharing so employees are better equipped to help and motivate students, in particular those who are historically underserved and underrepresented Cultivate increased involvement in shared/participatory governance Encourage interdisciplinary and interdepartmental collaboration and coordination across the college to better serve students Strengthen educational excellence, including opportunities for academic and campus engagement for a diverse student body Grow public and private funding sources Lead sustainability efforts in college operations Foster a campus culture that preserves existing core values, building on current momentum, while leading change that ensures broad buy-in and action Facilitate a college culture of continuous improvement to help students attain their educational goals Build an effective and cohesive leadership team with a core commitment to student success Commit to using data to inspire changes in how everyone at the college thinks about and acts on improving student outcomes Encourage a spirit of collegiality and demonstrate a talent inspiring others to action 7

8 Desired Experience and Skills A track record in advocating, understanding, and practicing student equity Team-building acumen and demonstrated successful leadership in a complex environment A record of experience working successfully in a collective bargaining and shared/participatory governance environment Experience in developing and sustaining educational partnerships and public-private partnerships A background and measurable success in fundraising Experience in strategic, educational, and facilities master planning Demonstrated organizational skills with an emphasis in budget and resource management Knowledge and appreciation of the environmental and economic tenets of sustainability Demonstrated understanding of and commitment to workforce and career technical education in community colleges Desired Personal Attributes Visionary, innovative, culturally competent, and effective leader Respect for and commitment to diversity and multiculturalism through successful implementation of equity programs that embrace pluralism in all of its forms Deep appreciation for students and respect for all aspects of student life Excellent oral and written communication skills with a talent for listening and a gift for forging consensus Understanding and appreciation of the use of technology in teaching and learning Required Minimum Qualifications The Search Committee seeks a confident professional of the highest personal integrity with: An understanding of, sensitivity to, and respect for the diverse academic, socio-economic, ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds, disability, and sexual orientation of community college students, faculty, and staff An advanced terminal degree (Master s, J.D., Ph.D., Ed.D., or equivalent) An appropriate combination of academic and leadership experience, including a minimum of five years of leadership at the senior level 8

9 Application Process To apply for this position, please visit our application page and complete the required sections of the online application denoted with a red asterisk (i.e. Registration, General Information, Additional Information, How Did You Hear About Us?, Diversity Statement, Criminal History, Certify Application (e-signature), and Voluntary Demographic Data). To avoid an error message, please type see attached in the cover letter section. Please attach the following two items to your application: A cover letter not to exceed five pages that addresses the minimum qualifications, desired attributes, experience and skills, and the challenges and opportunities facing the next Foothill College president; demonstrates your commitment to student equity; and describes your three greatest accomplishments of the last five years A current resume including an address and cellular telephone number Additionally, please send an attachment containing the following information to Dr. Fran White at the address below: A reference list with the names, cellular and business telephone numbers, and addresses of your current supervisor, previous supervisor, two direct reports, two faculty members, and two community leaders who have worked with you on a project Application deadline is 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5, Position remains open until filled. For additional information, nominations or confidential inquiries, please contact: Community College Search Services (CCSS-us.net): Dr. Frances White, Search Consultant Telephone: (415) franlavone@comcast.net Dr. James Walker, Managing Partner Telephone: (805) walkerjw@sbcglobal.net Equal Opportunity Employer Statement Foothill-De Anza Community College District is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to nondiscrimination on the basis of ethnic group identification, race, color, language, accent, immigration status, ancestry, national origin, age, sex/gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, and physical or mental disability consistent with applicable federal and state laws. Reasonable accommodations will be provided for applicants with disabilities who self-disclose and request accommodation. 9