Vice President for Human Resources Boston College Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts June 2014
Vice President for Human Resources Boston College Boston College seeks an experienced, effective, and creative leader for the position of Vice President for Human Resources (VPHR). Reporting to the Executive Vice President, the VPHR is responsible for the development and implementation of human resource policies and practices that advance the core educational, operational and administrative objectives of the University. The VPHR is responsible for providing overall strategic leadership for Human Resources in support of Boston College s mission, its Jesuit, Catholic tradition and long-term strategic goals in collaboration with executive leadership. In addition, the VPHR provides strategic and operational planning and support for all human resources functions. The successful candidate will have extensive human resources leadership experience at an executive level, preferably within an academic environment similar in size, scope and complexity to Boston College. The candidate must also have demonstrated success and knowledge of current human resources best practices, extensive experience in organizational behavior, employee relations, compensation, benefits and employee development, a commitment to diversity, a record of success in managing organizational change, recruitment development and retention of talent, ability to foster innovative and creative problem solving, strong listening and communication skills, a presence that engenders trust, confidence and respect, and the ability to lead by influence and example. The candidate s open engagement with and commitment to contributing to the Jesuit, Catholic dimensions of Boston College s mission are of great importance. Boston College Highlights Boston College was founded by the Society of Jesus and is committed to maintaining and strengthening the Jesuit, Catholic mission of the University. This applies especially to its commitment to integrating intellectual, personal, ethical, and religious formation; and to uniting high academic achievement with service to others. With an enrollment of 9,100 full-time undergraduate and 4,700 graduate and professional students, Boston College is ranked 31st among national universities by U. S. News & World Report. Boston College has an operating budget of $886 million. When it was founded in 1863, Boston College was a small undergraduate institution situated in Boston s South End. In 1909, Boston College broke ground on its Chestnut Hill campus. In the 1920s, Boston College began to fill out the dimensions of its University charter, with the inauguration of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Law School, and the Evening College, which is now the Woods College of Advancing Studies. The 1930s saw the introduction of the Graduate School of Social Work and the College of Business Administration - today the Wallace E. Carroll School of Management. The School of Nursing, named in honor of William F. Connell in 2003, and the School of Education, today named for Carolyn A. and Peter S. Lynch, followed 2
in 1947 and 1952. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences first offered doctoral programs in 1952, followed by the graduate schools of Education, Nursing, Management, and Social Work. Today Boston College has additional campuses in Newton and Brighton, in addition to the Connors Family Retreat & Conference Center in Dover and the Weston Observatory. In the eight Schools and Colleges, Boston College has 752 full-time faculty, 94% of whom hold doctoral degrees, 1,080 FTE faculty and 2750 non-faculty employees. Boston College Leadership Father William P. Leahy, S.J. became the 25th president of Boston College in July 1996. Fr. Leahy s vision for Boston College in the 21 st century is that as an institution of higher education with a deep commitment to the discovery and transmission of knowledge, Boston College is uniquely capable of reflecting its Jesuit and Catholic heritage to integrate excellence and religious commitment, to both inform and form its students. Fr. Leahy holds a Ph.D. in history from Stanford University, an M.A. in U.S. History from St. Louis University and a master s degree in divinity and sacred theology from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, California. David Quigley, who had been serving as dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, was named as Boston College s Provost this March. Quigley arrived at Boston College in 1998 as an assistant professor in the department of History. In addition to strengthening undergraduate academic opportunities, Quigley has an excellent record of encouraging interdisciplinary and cross-school collaboration. Dr. Quigley received doctoral and master s degrees from New York University. Patrick J. Keating, Ph.D. was named to the position of Executive Vice President in July 2001. Prior to joining Boston College, Dr. Keating was vice president and CFO of UNext Inc., and former vice president for business and CFO at Carnegie Mellon University. At Boston College, Dr. Keating oversees Human Resources, Facilities Management, Finance, Information Technology, Student Affairs, Emergency Management, and Institutional Research. Working in concert with the President and the Provost and other senior leaders, Dr. Keating directs the development and implementation of the University s long-range financial, strategic and operational plans. Dr. Keating holds a doctorate in higher education administration from Michigan State University in addition to a master s degree in public policy analysis from University of Michigan. Leo Sullivan, the current Vice President of Human Resources, has been a presence at Boston College for many years and will transition into a new role as senior advisor to the president. A graduate of Northeastern University, he also holds a master s degree from Boston College. 3
Strategic Directions at Boston College The Boston College Strategic Plan Towers of Excellence brought input from diverse sources, which was distilled to form seven principal strategic directions. The vision for Boston College draws its inspiration and goals from the University s mission and potential, as well as the world s needs and possibilities. The strategic directions build upon existing strengths at Boston College: 1. Commit Boston College to becoming the leader in liberal arts education among American universities. 2. Develop and implement a student formation program that will be a contemporary model for colleges and universities committed to student formation. 3. Identify and support selected research commitments that will achieve excellence and distinction in addressing urgent societal problems. 4. Identify and commit targeted resources to selected natural science emphases that will establish Boston College as among the leaders in these areas. 5. Build on the strengths and reputations of Boston College professional schools to establish leadership in critical professional areas. 6. Become a significant intellectual and cultural crossroads by leveraging Boston College s international resources and partnerships and its Jesuit and Catholic networks. 7. Commit Boston College to becoming the world s leading Catholic university and theological center. In October 2008, the University launched Light the World: the 150th Anniversary Campaign for Boston College. This ongoing campaign, with a goal of raising $1.5 billion in honor of the 150 th anniversary of the college, will be used to support the strategic priorities of the university that advance academic program development, faculty expansion and research, and endows undergraduate financial aid, student formation programs, capital projects, and efforts to advance Boston College as the world's leading Catholic university. The Position and Key Challenges and Opportunities The Vice President for Human Resources reports to the Executive Vice President. The VPHR is responsible for the development and implementation of human resource policies and practices that further the core educational, operational and administrative objectives of the University. The following units report to the VPHR Benefits; Boston College Children s Center; Compensation; 4
Employee Development; Employee Relations; Employment and Recruiting; Faculty/Staff Assistance Program; HR Information Technology; HR Service Center; and Office for Institutional Diversity. The VPHR will provide overall leadership and direction for each of the reporting units and will ensure that the department as a whole is service-oriented and responsive to the needs of both the institution and of the individual employees. This will include promoting the utilization of technology to deliver data, service and support to a range of constituencies, as well as promoting compensation, benefits, and performance management programs to provide motivation for effective performance. Through regular review of the competitiveness of all programs and practices of Boston College in comparison with peer institutions, the VPHR will initiate change and improvement through innovative ideas and supportive leadership. The culture of Boston College is a very caring one and as such, the VPHR will provide leadership in advancing the quality of work life for all employees, as well as develop policies and best practices necessary to maintain a positive, supportive, and fair working environment. The VPHR will also encourage employee morale through advocacy of fair, objective and transparent policies and procedures. A key component of the culture is formation and the continuous exploration and evolution of an individual s intellectual, social, and spiritual dimensions. The booklet The Journey Into Adulthood: Understanding Student Formation describes the integration of growth within each of these dimensions and outlines the important role that all staff and faculty have in engaging and conversing with students, as well as with each other. The community will look to the VPHR, and other members of the senior administration, to model this culture of reflection. The VPHR will collaborate with key University constituencies to help recruit, develop and retain a diverse, committed and highly qualified workforce. This will include ensuring that Human Resources policies and procedures continue to advance the University s commitment to diversity and promoting effective communication between the University and its employees at all levels. The VPHR will also act as a key advisor to senior University leaders regarding organizational and management issues. Qualifications The next VPHR will possess the following abilities, attributes, and experiences: Strong knowledge of human resource functions and technology, including extensive experience in organizational behavior, employee relations, compensation, benefits and employee development; Commitment to diversity and a record of promoting it; 5
A record of success in managing organizational change, and the recruitment and retention of talent. Experience in leading personnel and evaluating their performance; The ability to inspire innovative and creative problem solving; Strong listening and communication skills; a presence that earns trust, confidence and respect; and the ability to lead by influence and example; Strong leadership skills with demonstrated competencies in making complex decisions. Commitment to and ability to contribute to the Jesuit, Catholic dimensions of Boston College s mission. Over 15 years of broad human resources experience, with at least 10 years at a senior management or executive level, preferably in an academic setting; Master s degree is preferred. Elizabeth Neumann (Principal), Kristine O Brien, and Beth Schaefer (Consultants) are assisting Boston College with this search. Please submit applications and nominations to: BostonCollegeVPHR@brillneumann.com Brill Neumann Associates 607 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116 Boston College is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Boston College conducts background checks as part of the hiring process. 6