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The Person

Sterling College is seeking an experienced, proven leader, who will embrace the tradition, ethos, and vision of Sterling College and will empower and propagate its core values:

Faith: "Faithful discernment of and response to God's self-revelation in Christ in Scripture."

Calling: "Faithful discovery and pursuit of each person's particular calling in life."

Learning: "A love of learning and a dedication to the pursuit of truth."

Integrity: "Integrity in scholarship, the arts, athletics and all other co-curricular activities."

Service: "Faithful practice of redemptive servant leadership involving a vision of wholeness in a broken world."

Community: "Mutual respect and diversity as members of the body of Christ."

The President of Sterling College must be a leader in the fullest sense of the word.

Spiritual Leadership:

  • Be a mature follower of Jesus Christ who is firm in his/her core faith commitments and is open, engaging and compelling in the s/he expresses the essentials of the Christian life.
  • Be able to articulate the personal nature of his/her faith in Jesus Christ with ease in conversation, public addresses and in prayer as opportunities arise.
  • Be theologically astute in practical ways; applying Biblical principles in the day-to-day challenges of leadership of all college constituencies.
  • Have a call to Christ-centered higher education.
  • Have a well balanced Christ centered world and life view
  • Affirm and embrace the college mission statement and statement of faith is pivotal.

Personal Leadership

  • Be very focused, willing to persevere, have a high energy level, excellent health, and a readiness to assume this challenging role. His/her family situation should enhance his ability to meet the demands of this position and not create conflict or obstacles.
  • Have a willingness and ability to serve in this position for an extended period of time.
  • Have a sense of humor, congenial, fun to be around.

Executive Leadership

  • Be committed to academic excellence; able to articulate the educational philosophy of Sterling College
  • Maintain a visionary and entrepreneurial educational environment for a growing student body; be a direction setter, not only conceptually but also in execution.
  • Be a skilled decision-maker – caring, but strong natured and able to make hard decisions and support and establish policy, where necessary, as well as demonstrate consistency in the application/enforcing and/or upholding of rules, policies and practices.

Organizational Leadership

  • Be able to lead by example; through building and leading the Senior Leadership Team; able to bring about consensus and forward progress.
  • Be able to inspire, encourage, and motivate individuals and/or groups through a compelling presentation style – coupled with a seasoned, professional/executive presence. It is critical that this person be able to create community and motivate and foster ownership and accountability
  • Communicate vision and personal warmth and sincerity to staff while maintaining organizational discipline.
  • Be adept at conflict resolution, solving problems and expedient in doing so.
  • Have a very clear understanding of what everyone is doing and how they are doing what they are doing; holding people/staff accountable for agreed upon outcomes.
  • Have a high degree of understanding of what motivates people and the ability to draw out of them their best results.

Institutional Leadership

  • Have rapport with all college constituent groups.
  • Recognize and value the historic links to the Presbyterian tradition while building upon the multi-denominational foundation developed over the past few decades.
  • Realize and appreciate the multifaceted nature of the college’s constituent groups and demonstrate proven ability to unify and synergize these groups into a dynamic, purposeful institution.
  • Have the ability to attract, develop and maintain strong financial support for the college’s mission.

Professional/Functional Experience

The ideal candidate will have many of the following areas of experience:

  • Financial Management
  • Fundraising/Advancement
  • Enrollment/Retention
  • Board Governance
  • At least 10 years in key leadership and administrative positions, preferably managing the complexity of multiple constituencies in higher education with responsibility in operation, finance, planning and forecasting.
  • Speaking and presentation experience that includes multiple forums where persuasion and influence are well-developed skills in both formal and inspirational settings; the ability to present Biblical insights in a wide spectrum of venues in engaging ways.