Storbeck/Pimentel Seeks President for Skidmore College
October 30, 2019 – Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates, a search firm focused on higher education, has been enlisted to find the next president for Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY. Philip A. Glotzbach will be retiring in May after 17 years in the role. Managing partner Shelly Weiss Storbeck, partner Steve Leo and principal Ethan Dubow are leading the assignment.
Skidmore College has experienced over a decade and a half of success and growth under Dr. Glotzbach, said Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates. Since 2003, the college completed one campaign and will close a second $200 million comprehensive fundraising campaign in 2020. Additionally, the college admitted increasingly diverse and well-qualified classes of students and underwent extensive facilities improvement, including breaking ground on the new Center for Integrated Sciences.
“These achievements pave the way for a new president to seize a set of opportunities that will allow her/him/them to champion and fine-tune what is ‘distinctly Skidmore,’” said the search firm.
Skidmore’s next leader will be expected to collaboratively develop, articulate and implement a bold vision for the college’s future, said the search firm. “While the current strategic plan runs through 2025, Skidmore’s commitment to transparency and thorough yearly evaluation of progress on the plan allow ample opportunity for course corrections, new emphases and further revision,” said the search firm. “With the college facing a crowded marketplace for prospective students, the president will determine and articulate Skidmore’s most distinctive and noteworthy features, highlighting them through investment and support.”
Steward and Grow
The new president will also be expected to steward and grow the college’s financial resources to ensure a secure future; champion the recruitment, inclusion, support and retention of individuals from underrepresented backgrounds; engage with local, national, and international audiences to raise Skidmore’s profile and grow awareness of the value and unique aspects of a Skidmore education; bolster and broaden Skidmore’s already distinguished academic program; and maintain and enhance a community where all voices are heard.
Said Storbeck/Pimentel: “The ideal candidate will feel at home in an environment that encourages interdisciplinary study and the pursuit of broad interests in all students; embraces respectful and intellectually rigorous debate around the most significant challenges faced by humanity today; and cultivates a participatory, heterogeneous community across constituencies.”
Other qualifications and personal characteristics that Skidmore is seeking in the role include: the highest level of personal and professional integrity; an ability to collaboratively conceive and implement a vision for the college and inspire enthusiastic support across campus constituencies; a track record of advocacy for, and participation in, national and international conversations around the value of the liberal arts and an understanding of the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to liberal education; and notable intellectual heft.
Candidates should have experience and demonstrated success in raising funds from a variety of sources, including, but not limited to, individual donors, corporations and foundations. They should also possess demonstrated deep commitment to, and a track record of, advancing initiatives in support of diversity, equity and inclusion, and the ability to hear different perspectives, be challenged and invite meaningful dialogue around pressing issues. The ability to grasp, appreciate and seek to enhance the distinctive aspects of an institution is also critical.
Related: Universities Step Up Efforts to Find New Leaders
Skidmore is a highly ranked, residential, liberal arts college situated on 1,000 acres. It has an enrollment of 2,500 students from 40 states and 70 countries, 43 majors, more than 100 student clubs, funded research and internship opportunities, and 118 study abroad programs. Consistently acclaimed in national rankings, Skidmore has been recognized as one of “America’s Most Entrepreneurial Colleges,” a “Best Value” school and a “Hidden Ivy.”
Education Specialists
Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates is an executive search firm specializing in higher education executive recruitment for colleges and universities, with additional practices in independent school and non-profit recruitment. Since its founding in 2007, managing partners Ms. Storbeck and Alberto Pimentel have built a firm with national reach, with main offices in Pennsylvania and California and local offices in every region.
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Ms. Storbeck co-founded Storbeck/Pimentel in 2007 and is managing partner of the East Coast practice. She has one of the most widely recognized names in higher education search, having recruited senior leaders for some of America’s most prestigious colleges and universities. Most recently, she conducted president searches for the University of Pittsburgh, University of Wisconsin, Bates, Denison, Haverford and Swarthmore colleges. Over her career, she has conducted more than 500 searches for public and private universities, colleges and schools, and non-profit associations and organizations.
Mr. Leo is a seasoned recruitment professional and has conducted numerous searches in higher education and in the non-profit sector for presidents, vice presidents, senior development officers, deans and other executives. Prior to joining the firm in 2007, he served as a consultant in the education practice at A.T. Kearney for six years.
Mr. Dubow has identified leaders for senior positions including president, provost, vice president, dean, head of school and executive director, and he has worked with a wide range of institutions, including independent schools, academic consortia, private liberal arts colleges and large, public, research-intensive universities.
Related: Why Universities Have Stepped Up Efforts to Involve Search Firms
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Andrew W. Mitchell, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
