Position Description

The President at Virginia State University (VSU) reports to the Board of Visitors. The President works  with a wide range of internal and external constituencies to provide overall leadership and direction to the University. 

The President is responsible for maintaining effective working relationships with all stakeholders and for representing the University to the Board of Visitors, accrediting agencies, legislative and governmental agencies, business and industry, peers, students and their families, alumni and the community-at-large.

The President is the University’s chief executive officer, academic leader, and principal public spokesperson. He or she takes an active leadership role in fund-raising and resource development to expand the University’s resource base. The President will build upon Virginia State University’s existing traditions, leveraging its land-grant mission, distinctiveness, and strengths while protecting and upholding the following Core Values:

• Virginia State University’s heritage as an HBCU with a land-grant mission
• The personalized attention faculty gives to students in the delivery of instruction
• A holistic approach to student development
• A nurturing environment that supports the needs of students
• The constant pursuit of educational excellence 

Duties supporting the stated core values include but are not limited to:

• Recommend broad policies for consideration by the Board of Visitors and be accountable for the implementation of those policies;

• Assume active leadership in developing, implementing and assessing short- and long-range plans related to institutional goals, academic programs, research and scholarship, public service, enrollment and physical plant development;

• Assume active leadership in pursuing, cultivating, and maintaining financial support including private contracts, grants, and state and federal funds;

• Attract, select, retain and lead a collaborative and visionary management team. Develop and maintain the appropriate administrative organization and infrastructure for the most efficient and effective use of institutional resources for the advancement of the University;

• Identify and establish new partnerships, while strengthening existing relationships with other institutions, government agencies, K-12 institutions, and business and industry to encourage academic program growth, stimulate economic development in the region and provide opportunities for internships;

• Foster a complex research university environment and promote a stronger research culture in order to educate a new generation of leaders who are prepared to thrive in a multi-cultural and global 21^st century society; and

• Ensure the University remains in compliance with the standards of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and all other applicable accreditation agencies.

OPPORTUNITIES

The President is expected to provide leadership that builds upon VSU’s historical successes as a land-grant university.  VSU desires to become a Carnegie research intensive and a complex land-grant research university.  Continued development of the Vision 2020 Strategic Plan with an adequate infrastructure and the financial foundation to accomplish this goal is one of the leading opportunities for the next president. In Richmond, Petersburg and Chesterfield, VA the President is expected to be one of the leaders in the economic growth and development of the region. 

Projected growth within the region includes continued investment from business and industry, such as Sabra Dipping Company’s intention to build an $80 million dollar plant in Chesterfield, VA and Rolls Royce of North America’s planned construction of a 140,000- square-foot manufacturing facility in Prince George, VA.  As a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) legislation, the local military base, Fort Lee, will experience an increase of approximately 1,000 permanent military personnel, 5,000 families, 6,000 contractors, and a daily load of 4,000 degree-seeking students.  The transition is underway and will be fully implemented by 2011.  Additionally, the Army established a new Army Logistics University (ALU) at Fort Lee, which will provide training and education to a daily average of over 2,300 military and civilian students. Virginia State University has a relationship with ALU through its military science and ROTC programs. Recently, VSU created a 54-credit- hour logistics certificate to respond to the future workforce needs presented by its proximity to the ports of Richmond and Norfolk; Fort Lee and Langley, VA; and Washington, DC.

THE ORGANIZATION

Mission Statement:          To promote and sustain academic programs that integrate instruction, research and extension/public service in a design most responsive to the needs and endeavors of individuals and groups within its scope of influence. Ultimately, the University is dedicated to the promotion of knowledgeable, perceptive and humane citizens – secure in their self-awareness, equipped for personal fulfillment, sensitive to the needs and aspirations of others and committed to assuming productive roles in a challenging and ever-changing global society.

Institution Profile:           In 1882, State Delegate Alfred W. Harris, a black attorney, introduced the bill that established the Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute.    In 1920, the school was designated one of Virginia’s land grant colleges in response to the 1890 Amendments to the Morrill Act. This act required that states either re-open their land-grant colleges to all races or establish separate land-grant educational facilities for blacks.

In 1902, the Virginia legislature revised the school’s charter and renamed it the Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute. In 1923, the Institute was renamed Virginia State College for Negroes, shortened to Virginia State College in 1946. In 1979, the school achieved university status and its current name, Virginia State University. Meanwhile, the school’s two-year branch in Norfolk, VA, founded in 1935, became Norfolk State College, now Norfolk State University.

The University offers 52 baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral degree programs and a Certificate of Advanced Study within five schools: The School of Agriculture; The School of Business; The School of Engineering, Science and Technology; The School of Liberal Arts and Education; and The School of Graduate Studies, Research and Outreach. Included as part of the School of Agriculture is Randolph Farm, a 416-acre agricultural learning center, home to a multitude of agriculture- and Cooperative Extension-related research, demonstration and instruction activities. In addition to producing the region's traditional row crops, the farm is utilized for research and education in areas of new and niche crops, alternative crop methods, horticultural crops, nutrient management, water quality, small ruminant production and aquaculture. The University also supports 119 extension offices across the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Location:                       Located on 236 beautiful acres, Virginia State University sits atop a rolling landscape overlooking the Appomattox River in Chesterfield County’s Village of Ettrick. The University is centrally located about 30 minutes from Richmond, VA and two hours south of Washington, DC. Approximately two hours away are the North Carolina Research Triangle area to the south, the Blue Ridge Mountains to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east.

Institution Type:             Land-grant, Master’s M Carnegie Classification; very high undergraduate research environment.

Budget:                          The University’s FY2009 operating budget totaled $129M.

Enrollment:                   The total number of students served during Fall 2008 was 5,042 (full time, undergraduate enrollment of 4,221); females make up 61.8 percent, males 38.2 percent and Virginia residents comprise 69.7 percent.

Faculty & Staff:             There are 336 faculty members, 238 of whom are full-time, and 449 staff members, 320 of whom are classified full-time.

Accreditation:                 The institution is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) in its undergraduate and graduate programs. The University’s accreditation was reaffirmed in 2008. Its next review is scheduled for 2018.

Athletics:                       The University is a member of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) in the NCAA’s Division II. VSU fields teams in 15 sports for both women and men athletes including baseball, basketball, bowling, cheerleading, cross-country, football, golf, softball, tennis, track and field and volleyball.

THE PERSON

Minimum Experience:     Senior-level administrative experience at complex comprehensive universities desired.

Education:                     An earned doctorate, appropriate terminal degree, or credentials sufficient to engender respect from the Academy and the community at-large.

Characteristics:               The University is seeking a President who will continue the institution’s positive momentum, while empowering others through transparent communication, collaborative management and shared governance. In addition, experience as an academic and senior administrator, successful fundraiser, strategic planner and a visionary entrepreneurial leader who is student-centered is sought. Additional desired characteristics include:

• Proven leadership and senior management track record; 
•         Leadership skills necessary to support and facilitate faculty and staff development;
•         An understanding of research and the creation of new knowledge;
•         Experience in a complex university with a research culture and in developing the infrastructure and  financial    support for this environment;

• An understanding of financial affairs with a commitment to sound budgets and fiscal planning in a public institution;

• Experience and notable achievement in strategic planning, both short- and long-range;

• Excellent communication skills and the ability to articulate a global agenda;

• Commitment to continue building systems and a culture that are responsive to students’ needs;
•         Demonstrated interpersonal skills in dealing with, and relating comfortably to, students, faculty, employees, alumni, community leaders and elected officials;

• The ability to be persuasive and make a case in order to attract private and public funds;

• Political astuteness - an ability to work with and relate to, local, county, state and federal government officials;

• An acute awareness and sensitivity for student life issues such as housing, academic course availability, security,  student activities and programs to include athletics, and cost containment;

• A clear commitment to undergraduate and graduate education;

• Demonstrated experience in branding, imaging, marketing and improving public relations of an organization; and

HOW TO APPLY

Confidential inquiries, nominations, and application materials should be directed to:           

Jan Greenwood or Betty Turner Asher

Virginia State University - President

Virginia State University is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer

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