Greenwood / Asher & Associates Seeks President for Lincoln University
January 13, 2022 – Miramar Beach, FL-based executive recruitment firm Greenwood /Asher & Associates has been enlisted to find the next president of Lincoln University in Jefferson City, MO, the nation’s first degree-granting Historically Black College and University. Spearheading the assignment is Marion Frenche, practice leader for diversity, equity and inclusion, and senior executive search consultant. “This position is an opportunity for a transformational leader who is an accomplished, innovative change agent prepared to move the institution to the next level and can build and leverage the partnerships and resources available at this critical time in the history of the university,” said the search firm.
The president is responsible for leadership of all Lincoln University operations, outreach, and initiatives, including overseeing academic and administrative functions; fundraising; budgeting; developing strategic partnerships; stimulating economic growth; leading student success initiatives; actively engaging with all constituents to include alumni, faculty, staff, and students; and leveraging all resources to maintain an inclusive, collegial environment for all.
Reporting to a nine-member board of curators, the president will be expected to articulate the university’s vision and guide the strategic direction, said the search firm. The development and implementation of a new strategic plan in the coming years will guide and transform Lincoln University to fulfill its mission and identified goals. This effort must be inclusive of the university stakeholders and a culmination of a comprehensive institutional assessment.
Key Qualifications
The new president will be charged with aggressively identifying, pursuing and securing new sources of revenue from the corporate and government sectors at the local, state and federal levels. The individual will be expected to present a compelling case and effectively tell the Lincoln University history, vision and strategic goals to support the university’s fundraising efforts, public and private partnerships, and raise the visibility of the university. The ability to thrive in the public sector with well-developed political and diplomatic skills is essential.
The successful candidate will have a demonstrated track record of working in a diverse environment and with underserved populations; long- and short-term strategic planning; involvement with community building through civic and economic engagement; and developing and fostering strategic partnerships, said Greenwood /Asher & Associates.
Related: Greenwood /Asher & Associates Seeking Provost for University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
Preference will be given to candidates with an earned terminal degree, progressive administrative and fiscal leadership experience, fundraising experience, student success and strategic enrollment experiences.
Required Experience
Candidates should have a track record of success having demonstrated financial acumen as well as a history of working with diverse communities. Demonstrated evidence of building leadership teams is critical. Prospects should also have knowledge of all phases of the strategic planning process with demonstratable outcomes. In addition to being a lead differentiator and change agent with an organization, candidates should have strategic enrollment management experience and higher education experience at the dean’s level or above.
Greenwood / Asher & Associates Selected by Auburn University to Lead President Search
Greenwood /Asher & Associates has been chosen by Auburn University to lead the search for its 21st president. In June, president Jay Gogue announced that he was planning to retire soon and that the board should start looking for someone to fill his role. “I think it’s important for you guys to begin to think about a search for a new president,” Mr. Gogue said at the time. As Auburn’s presidential search chairperson, Wayne Smith assembled an exploratory committee to research and interview executive search firms to assist with the search. “We sent an initial interest inquiry to more than a dozen consulting firms across the country,” he said.
Founded in 1854, Lincoln University offers a diverse student body of approximately 2,200 men and women, more than 35 liberal arts and science-based undergraduate programs and select graduate programs to meet the needs of those living in a highly technological and global society. The university possesses an international reputation for preparing and producing world-class leaders, including Langston Hughes ’29, the noted poet; Thurgood Marshall ’30, the first African-American U.S. Supreme Court Justice; and Nnamdi Azikiwe ’30, the first president of Nigeria, among many others.
A Women-Owned Search Firm
Greenwood / Asher & Associates is a women-owned executive search firm with a diverse consulting team and extensive experience in executive search, consulting and training for education markets including elementary, secondary, higher education, university systems, campuses and non-profit organizations including associations, service, and cultural institutions.
The firm, led by founders and partners Jan Greenwood and Betty Turner Asher, was acquired in November by Kelly Education, a global leader in workforce management solutions offering staffing services to top companies.
Ms. Frenche has worked in executive search since 1997, and has managed searches with three international executive search firms. She joined the firm as its first team member when the firm was founded in 2004. In her executive search career, she has completed over 300 searches for executives in higher education, K-12, health care, academic medicine and information technology. These positions have been in public and private higher education institutions and system offices, K-12 schools and systems, academic health and healthcare organizations and non-profits. She also has considerable search experience serving mission-driven organizations such as associations and foundations and in higher education board development.
Related: Greenwood / Asher & Associates Assists Clemson University with CHRO Search
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
