Presidential Search - Position Description

Position Description

Reporting to the Board of Trustees, the President serves as the chief executive officer of the University with responsibility and final authority for the operations of Limestone University. The President speaks for the University with respect to its policies, priorities, and official statements. In all aspects of the position, the President embodies the University’s public affairs mission, demonstrating ethical leadership, cultural competence, and community engagement. The President provides overall leadership and administrative authority for all aspects of campus programs, including instructional and student services, supervision, and evaluation of all staff, planning and budgeting, technology, outreach, and fundraising.

The President implements Board policies and programs and assures the Board is informed on matters of operational and political significance. The President promotes and cultivates private and corporate financial support for the University; assures effective communication of the University’s vision to internal and external constituencies, building positive relationships within the region and state; develops strategic partnerships that further the University’s goals and objectives; and manages the University’s finances in support of the University’s mission and strategic objectives.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Education:

An earned terminal degree is preferred.

Experience:

Experience leading and managing a large, complex organization in a challenging financial environment is required; successful leadership experience in higher education administration is preferred.

Required Skills:

• A commitment to academic quality and shared governance.
• A commitment to credibly lead a strong academic community while providing students with an outstanding education at a fair cost.
• An understanding of higher education finance and demographic trends affecting higher education.
• The ability to identify institutional strengths, weaknesses, challenges, and opportunities and to develop a vision to lead the University forward.
• Exceptional communication skills, a strong work ethic and the ability to complete multiple priorities.
• Experience developing relationships in a variety of key areas, thereby enhancing the organization’s presence and reputation.
• A demonstrated commitment to promoting an inclusive environment.
• A leadership philosophy that champions the value of teamwork and empowers others to lead.

Preferred Skills:

• Proven ability and the desire to reach and personally influence alumni, donors, and friends of the University using a wide variety of tools, while working with the local business community to enhance both the City and the University.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Leads the University forward by identifying strengths, weaknesses, challenges, and opportunities and developing and implementing a strategic vision that ensures implementation of the University’s statewide public affairs mission, raises its profile, and promotes student success and top-quality academic programs.
• Assures that the University’s finances are managed well, and revenue streams are developed and grown to support the achievement of the strategic vision of the University; develops and presents an annual operating budget to the Board of Trustees for approval; oversees implementation of the annual budget; manages University resources to assure effective stewardship of all funding sources.
• Promotes and maintains effective communication with all constituencies, both internal and external.
• Fosters a successful executive leadership team through encouraging a culture of openness, teamwork, transparency, and empowerment throughout the University.
• Promotes the inclusivity principles of the University, working to create a welcoming environment while eliminating achievement gaps.
• Assures effective partnership and communication with members of the Board of Trustees by consulting Board committees and individuals during the development or clarification of current policy or strategic direction; ensuring open and thoughtful consideration of all views during Board deliberations; clearly communicating senior leadership’s position on issues at hand; responding to Board inquires; and carrying out Board initiatives, policies, or programs through development and implementation of Operating Policies.
• Exercises supervision through the athletic director over the athletic programs of the University, promoting competitive teams, financial stability, academic achievement and compliance with rules; provides strategic leadership to these programs and the athletic conferences in which the teams participate; works to instill pride in the athletic programs with students, faculty, staff, and alumni and within the community and region.
• Exercises supervision and control of employment actions, subject to Board approval, for administrators, faculty, and nonacademic employees.
• Maintains top-quality academic programs ensuring appropriate steps are taken to meet all accreditation standards and assure that the University operates in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.
• Exercises the authority granted by the Board of Trustees, as needed, to appoint committees, preside at commencement and other University-sponsored public functions, confer degrees authorized by the Board, recommend conferring of honorary degrees, authorize others to exercise authority as President during his/her absence, and to delegate authority to other employees.

LIMESTONE UNIVERSITY PROFILE:

Limestone University is an accredited, independent, coeducational, liberal arts institution, and a non-denominational Christian university. Limestone’s traditional Day Campus is located in Gaffney, which is in the Piedmont region of South Carolina. The county seat of Cherokee County, Gaffney is within an hour’s drive of the Greenville/Spartanburg and Charlotte metropolitan areas. Limestone also offers an Online program that makes the University truly a worldwide institution.

The academic programs of Limestone University are conducted within the framework of three colleges:

• College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
• College of Business
• College of Education and Health Professions

After preparing for the move for over two years, Limestone University officially changed its name to Limestone University on July 1, 2020.

Limestone was well positioned to change its status from a University to a university. The Limestone Master of Business Administration program was approved by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 2011, and its first MBA graduates were conferred in 2014. Four years later, Limestone added a Healthcare Administration concentration to its MBA Program for students seeking leadership careers in healthcare-related fields.

The University added a second graduate program in the fall of 2020 with its Master of Social Work degree. Additional specialized graduate degree programs – that will provide for strong careers and support the economic development of South Carolina – have also been added and more are on the horizon at Limestone.

Limestone University is committed to the liberal arts and sciences and to educating students for leadership, service, and professional responsibility in the 21st century. While receiving a strong foundation in the liberal arts, Limestone is well-known for its pre-professional degree programs.

Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACSCOC), Limestone is a Christian non-denominational University whose programs lead to the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Social Work, Bachelor of Applied Science, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Master of Business Administration, Master of Social Work, Master of Science, and Master of Education degrees.

The mission of Limestone is to educate students from diverse backgrounds in the liberal arts and selected professional disciplines.

In addition to its approximately 1,000 traditional On-Campus program students, Limestone offers online degree programs at both the undergraduate and graduate level.

Limestone offers 56 majors and concentrations.

Nearly 90 percent of Limestone’s full-time faculty members have their Ph.D. or other terminal degree.

Limestone’s 11:1 student/teacher ratio enables professors to serve as mentors both inside and outside of the classroom.

The Limestone University Athletics Department, which offers 23 intercollegiate sports, is one of the largest in NCAA Division II. The Saints are members of the South Atlantic Conference.

Established as one of the first women’s colleges in South Carolina (and nationally), Limestone led the way in providing educational opportunities to all students. It continued as a trailblazer in the innovative education market in the early 1990’s as one of the first institutions to offer online degrees.

The new President will be welcomed to a close-knit family at Limestone – an ethos that is deeply valued among all Limestone constituents including the Board of Trustees and their commitment to the University in financial support, leadership, and governance oversight. The faculty, staff, and students care genuinely about the University’s rich history and its exciting future. There is a sincere desire for innovative ideas, the strengthening of important processes and plans for the campus, and the continued building of important partnerships which will emphasize effective teaching and the student life experience on campus.

STUDENTS:

Limestone University enrolls students from 35 states and 28 countries with more than 580 students living on the main campus, 420 other full-time commuters and over 530 students studying online. The University enrolls more than 400 new students each year. Ninety eight percent of students receive financial aid and 44 percent of students are Pell eligible. About 75 percent of the Limestone Honors Program Students are student-athletes. Students at Limestone University participate actively in academic endeavors and achieve major recognition for their academic scholarship.

LOCATION:

The quality of life in the region is a point of considerable public pride, as is Limestone University, which has enjoyed a long and positive relationship with the Gaffney community. With over 20,000 living alumni, more than 1,300 live in and around Cherokee County. The beautiful main campus, which houses several buildings on the National Historic Register, is located just south of Charlotte (North Carolina) and east of Spartanburg, South Carolina.

LIMESTONE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS PROFILE:

Limestone University features one of the premier NCAA Division II athletics programs in the nation.

Offering 23 intercollegiate sports and over 800 student-athletes, Limestone has one of the largest athletics departments in all of Division II. The Saints were members of the NAIA from 1972 until joining NCAA Division II in 1991. Nearly all of Limestone’s 23 teams currently compete in the South Atlantic Conference.

Since intercollegiate athletics began at Limestone in 1972, the Saints have captured six national team championships (5 men’s lacrosse, 1 men’s golf), and multiple national individual titles. In addition to those national championships, Limestone has also produced hundreds of All-Americans.

The Saints also excel in the classroom, with many Academic All-Americans. They annually have a significant number of student-athletes as members of Limestone’s Academic Honors Program.

Limestone Athletics has also added a number of new facilities in recent years, most notably a 23,000 square foot field house that includes 455 lockers to accommodate eight different teams, plus a laundry facility, equipment storage, concessions area, ticket office, and public restrooms.

The Bob Prevatte Athletic Complex was dedicated in 2019 at Limestone University after a $4.1 million donation from his former player and long-time friend Jerry Richardson. The complex – which honors Bob Prevatte as a coach, educator, mentor, and legend – includes a new artificial turf field, permanent seating, and new lighting at Saints Field (which hosts lacrosse, soccer, and field hockey), community gathering spots, and improved campus parking. New walkways and bridges physically connect the academic portion of Limestone’s property to the athletics complex, providing a true overall campus feel.

In addition, in 2023, a new artificial playing surface was installed at Saints Field.

Improvements have also been made recently to the baseball stadium, including a new grandstand, press box, lighting, video board, and more.

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE EVALUATION CRITERIA

The next Limestone University President will be passionate about the University’s mission and students it serves and will create a bold and compelling vision for the future that will excite the campus community, motivate donors, secure the support of donors and investors, and inspire faculty and staff. The successful candidate will be a tireless advocate for the University and possess exceptional interpersonal skills including the ability to communicate effectively with a wide variety of constituents. In addition, the successful candidate will exhibit the following:

Behavioral Traits

• Possess a track record showing a high degree of personal and professional integrity, ethics, and honesty; intellectual, analytical, and interpersonal qualities that will foster respect among the University’s wide range of constituencies.
• Personal characteristics of warmth and authenticity are crucial.
• Strong commitment to Christian principles.
• Possession of a genuine sense of humility, personal spirituality, and ability to build trust and generate consensus.
• Commitment to student success in all areas of the collegiate experience
• Knowledge of student performance metrics coupled with experience implementing strategies for enhancing student achievement across all academic levels; a commitment to employing innovative and forward-thinking initiatives and programs for improving academic engagement, promoting a student-centric environment, and creating a supportive environment for first-generation college students.
• Demonstrate a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusive excellence. A track record of creating a culture where the entire campus community collectively understands and embraces their roles in contributing to the success of diverse student, faculty, and staff populations.
• A commitment to enriching the campus community with global perspectives and a commitment to diversity in all its forms.
• Willingness to make strategic choices, timely decisions, and responsive actions
• Possess a collaborative and transparent leadership style and a track record of making decisions in an effective and timely manner.
• Desire and ability to include access and inclusion
• A demonstrated commitment to ensuring the accessibility of the University to the local community, the region, and the citizens of the state of South Carolina.
• Appreciation for the significant role of intercollegiate athletics in the life of the University
• Have an appreciation for and ability to leverage the University’s athletics program to strengthen Limestone’s identity as a regional and national competitor and community partner.

Personality Traits

• Possess a strong commitment to academic excellence in undergraduate, graduate, and professional education, and the ability to inspire confidence and encourage achievement among students and faculty.
• Commitment to the importance of online education and the role Limestone plays in educating nontraditional students, particularly working adults.
• Possess a genuine passion for student success; a knowledge, understanding and appreciation for the diversity of students served by Limestone University, including the nontraditional student; demonstrated interpersonal skills and a history of interacting with students coupled with the ability to enhance the student experience inside and outside of the classroom.
• Demonstrated understanding and evidence of respect for the roles and responsibilities of faculty in a multi-faceted University. An appreciation for the principles of shared governance, the faculty’s contributions toward teaching, research, and student success, and a record of success working in partnership with faculty.
• Have a proven record of strategic risk taking; the ability to foster an environment that embraces a shared culture of innovation.
• Possess the courage and fortitude to make difficult decisions and a history of leading an organization through transition and times of change.
• Resilient, able to learn from failures and move constantly forward
• Have a history of progressive management experience in complex organizations that demonstrates the candidate’s intellectual curiosity, compassion, and resilience. The ability to showcase and leverage the University’s existing strengths and identify new opportunities for success.

Organization and Context

• Anticipatory thinker
• Possess knowledge and awareness of current and future trends impacting higher education and experience leading and managing an organization in navigating a shifting landscape.
• Strong personal and professional academic background
• Possess a distinguished record of executive-level accomplishments, preferably in higher education, and an understanding of and a strong commitment to excellence in teaching, scholarship, and research.
• Familiarity with issues prominent in higher education including the practical application of the liberal arts.
• Demonstrated record of building, nurturing, and working with a high-caliber leadership team.
• Have a track record of building and nurturing strong and effective leadership teams; the ability to lead a high-performing team committed to the further growth of a complex organization over a sustained period. Demonstrate a collaborative and inclusive leadership style and the ability to serve as an effective delegator and developer of talent; demonstrated interested in investing in the professional development of faculty and staff at all levels.
• Demonstrated record of partnership
• A history of success developing relationships and strategic partnerships with a wide range of entities including community organizations, local industry leaders, state government officials, key University stakeholders, and other educational institutions (K-12, community colleges, universities, and colleges).
• Ability to acquire resources from a variety of sources, including fundraising
• Possess the ability to thoughtfully manage and grow resources in times of financial constraint; experience in identifying and developing new revenue streams from public, private and governmental sources through a variety of strategies. Demonstrated experience developing relationships with alumni, foundations, corporations, and individual donors. A history of success in securing major and planned gifts for the purpose of financially supporting the University in its endeavors.
• Ability to work with a variety of governmental agencies
• Have a track record of building and fostering close relationships with local government officials, corporations, nonprofits, foundations, and cultural organizations.
• Keen understanding of the unique mission and the ability to lead a non-denominational Christian University founded on the principles of the liberal arts.
• Possess experience leading a complex organization and the ability to understand the University’s unique history, assets, and mission; the ability to translate these into effective strategies and measurable outcomes on behalf of the University.
• Effective facilitator in a culture where buy-in is critical
• Possess a leadership style that emphasizes transparency and encourages openness in dealings with others and acceptance of diverging perspectives; exhibits a consultative decision-making style to foster collaboration and inclusion amongst all constituents and stakeholders that emphasizes openness, fairness, and strategic decision-making.
• An ability to listen carefully and communicate clearly with all of Limestone’s constituencies.