Funk Associates

ABOUT US

Funk Associates is the premier search and consulting firm in higher education. Headquartered in Dallas, the firm and its consultants are known as the leading recruiters of Presidents, Chancellors, Provosts, Vice Presidents and Deans to colleges and universities around the country. The firm’s consultants have conducted approximately 450 searches for college and university Presidents and Chancellors alone. It has been the recipient of many accolades, including selection as one of the “Best Executive Search Firms” by Forbes Magazine (for the fourth consecutive year) and as a “Top Recruiting Firm in America 2025” by Business Insider magazine.

Achievements

Funk Associates

Find a Recruiter

Krisha Creal

Chief of Staff

Robert William Funk

Founder

Willie Funk

President

If you’re looking for a partner to help identify impactful leadership for your institution, please reach out; we stand ready to serve your unique needs.

Funk Associates

Solutions and Expertise

Our firm has long enjoyed the reputation as the firm of first choice’ when colleges and universities have been faced with the challenge of recruiting new senior leadership. We are proud of this legacy and are pleased that so many institutions have placed their trust in us to assist in the attraction of the very best leaders for their campuses and systems.

We believe that our deep experience recruiting very successful leaders is the greatest advantage we contribute to our clients’ searches. We have had the privilege of utilizing our accumulated knowledge in recruiting Presidents, Provosts, Vice Presidents, and Deans for colleges and universities across the nation.

Solutions

Advisory Services
Assessment
Board Development
Executive Search
Flex RPO
Mgmt. Consulting
On-Demand Recruiting
Succession Planning

Industries

Colleges/Universities
Education
Intercollegiate Athletics

Functions

Board/Governance
Executive Appraisals

Funk Associates

News Briefings

Utah and Louisville Tap R. William Funk Associates for President Searches

College and universities across the countries are facing new and growing challenges. Financial woes, enrollment concerns, and debates over free speech, among other issues, are all keeping leadership at institutions of higher learning on edge these days. For some schools, survival is even on the line. Recruitment of the right leaders, and choosing a search

R. William Funk & Associates Recruits New President for Auburn

As the academic year starts to wind down, a number of colleges and universities across the country are already preparing for September. For many of them, that means opening searches that, if all goes to plan, will result in new, high profile leaders to take them into the new era of fundraising, digitalization, sports and, more

R. William Funk Lands New Leader for University of Arizona

Just as Elon University gets its president search off the ground with the help of a recruiting boutique, the University of Arizona has selected its 22nd president with assistance from R. William Funk & Associates. The firm recently presented two finalist candidates: Dr. Robert Robbins, CEO of Texas Medical Center, and Sethuraman Panchanathan, Arizona State University’s VP

R. William Funk In Hunt for University of Kansas Chancellor

Executive search firm R. William Funk & Associates has been selected by the University of Kansas (KU) to lead its search for a new chancellor. KU’s current chancellor, Bernadette Gray-Little, has announced plans to step down at the end of the school year, and the Kansas Board of Regents’ stated goal is to have a new chancellor hired and

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Funk Associates

Press Releases

Funk Associates

MULTIMEDIA

Funk Associates announce the premier of its podcast series, “Voices of Leadership”. The podcasts are intended to showcase important leaders in higher education discussing contemporary topics. Dr. Gordon Gee, President of West Virginia University, will kick-off the series, with Dr. Michael Crow, President of Arizona State University, and Dr. Mung Chiang, President of Purdue University following consecutively at two week intervals. Additional thought-leaders will be scheduled going forward.

Some of our more recent episodes are below, and Listeners are invited to tune into the series on the firm’s new website or on the Spotify and Apple podcast platforms!

In addition to the podcast series, the firm is announcing its new offering in the recruitment of intercollegiate coaches and athletic directors, and introducing a new website format.

PODCASTS