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Vice President for Communications

Employer: Knox College
Location: Galesburg, Illinois

Executive Administration Jobs: Vice Presidents
Administrative Jobs: Institutional & Business Affairs, Communications & Marketing
Institution Type: Four-Year Institution

Job Details
Organization

Job Details

Knox College is seeking a Vice President for Communications to join the president’s senior leadership team at this historic liberal arts college. The new Vice President will chart the direction of the College’s strategic communications and messaging to prospective students and parents, alumni, donors, the on?campus community, and other critical regional and national audiences, promoting a climate of support and engagement among key constituencies.

Knox has a proud reputation for its one?of?a?kind academic experiences and its inclusive and creative community. Recognized as one of the 50 most diverse campuses in the U.S., Knox has a nearly 200-year-long commitment to keeping a high?quality liberal arts education available to all promising students, regardless of background.

In this role, the VP for Communications can expect to:

Work closely with the president on priority institutional communications, leadership messaging, media outreach, and more.
Collaborate with the president and senior staff on strategic planning, crisis management, trustee engagement, and campus institutional leadership.
Strategize with the leadership of Advancement and Admission on, respectively, critical fundraising and recruitment communications across all media and outreach channels and platforms.
Set the vision for and provide leadership and guidance to an outstanding team of 10 communications and marketing professionals, including writers, designers, developers, photographers, and videographers.
Develop a comprehensive communications and marketing strategy, complete with priority messages, a creative tactical plan, and ambitious outreach goals.
Oversee internal college communications, providing the community with access to announcements, activities, and events to maintain and enhance a cohesive campus culture.
Ensure Knox is capitalizing on new and emerging technologies that effectively combine with print and digital media for maximum strategic impact and reach, in service to core Knox priorities.
Provide articulate and persuasive messaging on the value proposition of a liberal arts education.

Qualifications:

Knox is looking for a strategic leader, an experienced and savvy communications and marketing professional who is an imaginative, nimble, and innovative thinker. A sense of humor will be welcome. The successful candidate will be a collaborative campus leader with proven management skills and an enthusiastic, energetic self?starter with a keen attention to detail. Our new communications leader must possess excellent oral and written communication skills, the ability to juggle multiple deadlines and projects and be comfortable leading not only our internal creative team but also partnering with other College departments, outside agencies and vendors, living and working as part of a vibrant multicultural community.

Other requirements:

A minimum of a bachelor's degree; advanced degree is preferred.
A minimum of seven years of managerial roles in communications or marketing— showing progressive development of skills and leadership in higher education or related nonprofits.
Experience with or in-depth knowledge of best uses of a wide array of communications media, including print, social, web, video, and design.
Readiness to serve as an effective college spokesperson, including in a crisis, and to play an instrumental role in all crisis management.
Experience working directly with news media or proven ability to provide guidance, counsel, and insight on presidential and college news/media outreach.
Familiarity with the higher education environment preferred.

How to apply:

Please complete a brief application and upload your resume and cover letter at https://knoxhr.bamboohr.com/jobs/ Review of applications will begin immediately and remain open until the position is filled. Finalists will be subject to a background check. This search is being conducted in collaboration with Ballentine Consulting Partners, which will manage all communication with applicants throughout the process of application through finalist interviews.

For more information about the position and Knox College, please see the position prospectus.

For more information about Knox College, please visit knox.edu/about?knox. Or check us out on film at knox.edu/knoxmade

Meg Kimmel and Tom Kazee, of Ballentine Consulting Partners, are assisting Knox College with this search.

Notice of Non-Discrimination

In keeping with its commitment to equal rights since it was founded in 1837, Knox College particularly welcomes applications from members of underrepresented groups. Knox College does not discriminate on the basis of sex, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, race, color, creed, national or ethnic origin, religion or religious affiliation, sexual orientation or preference, age, marital or family status, disability, veteran status, or other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law in admission, financial aid, employment, athletics, or any other aspect of its educational programs or activities. In addition, Knox College is prohibited by Title IX of the education amendments of 1972 and its accompanying regulations from so discriminating on the basis of sex.

Any inquiries regarding Title IX or the College’s policies that prohibit discrimination should be directed to the Title IX coordinator identified below. The coordinator will be available to meet with or talk to students, staff, and faculty regarding issues relating to Title IX and this policy.

Lead Title IX Coordinator

Kimberly K. Schrader

Old Jail 12 | Campus Box K-209

309-341-7751 office | 309-337-6536 cell

kschrade@knox.edu

Deputy Title IX Coordinator

Crystal D. Bohm

Associate Vice President of Human Resources

Administrative Services Center 109 | Campus Box K-200

309-341-7200 office

cdbohm@knox.edu

Individuals may also contact the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights for additional information.

Office for Civil Rights

U.S. Department of Education-Chicago Office

500 W Madison St., Suite 1475

Chicago, IL 60661-4544

Telephone: 312-730-1560

ocr@ed.gov

Organization

Working at Knox College

Knox College is a community of individuals from diverse backgrounds challenging each other to explore, understand and improve ourselves, our society and our world. The commitment to put learning to use to accomplish both personal and social goals dates back to the founding of the College in 1837. We take particular pride in the College's early commitment to increase access to all qualified students of varied backgrounds, races and conditions, regardless of financial means.

Today, we continue to expand both the historic mission and the tradition of active liberal arts learning. We provide an environment where students and faculty work closely together and where teaching is characterized by inviting and expecting students to pursue fundamental questions in order to reach their own reflective but independent judgments.

The first thing college guides will tell you is that Knox College is a nationally ranked, private, residential liberal arts college of 1,400 undergraduate students located in Galesburg, Illinois. But to really get a feel for our campus, just consider this: Everything that happens at Knox -- both inside and outside of the classroom -- involves giving our students the freedom to flourish. Knox professors don't just stand in front of classes and "profess" their wisdom, and our students are not mere note takers. Instead, we value:

Independent thinking. Our students choose their own path toward a degree, guided by scholar-teachers who encourage them to explore ideas and places, stretch their intellect and their talents, blend thought with action, and fuse imagination with initiative.
Egalitarian spirit. Founded in 1837 by social reformers strongly opposed to slavery, Knox was one of the first colleges in the United States open to both women and people of color. And it was on our campus that Abraham Lincoln chose to denounce slavery on moral terms for the first time, during the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas Debate. A pervasive spirit of equality thrives on campus today in our commitment to giving every student a voice.
Diverse perspectives. With a campus population that includes students from 47 states and 48 countries, 18% U.S. students of color, and individuals from every imaginable religious and socioeconomic background, members of the Knox community are actively challenged to broaden their points of view.

At Knox, the educational experience means being part of a community of individuals who challenge each other to explore, understand, and improve their world. That mission calls on a special sort of scholar-teacher, one who approaches the classroom, the College, and the community in a uniquely engaged way. Our faculty are top scholars - 98% of our full-time faculty have Ph.D.s or the highest degree in their field. They are active scholars with frequent work in leading academic publications and showcases of artistic and theatrical work in venues around the world. And they represent a wide range of academic disciplines, educational backgrounds, and cultural experiences. Just as important as their scholarly achievements and diverse backgrounds is how Knox professors bring all of that into the classroom. Our faculty make the classroom a forum for a shared pursuit of knowledge, a vibrant place for exploration and debate. You'll not only learn from your professors, you'll learn with them.

Walk into any class on campus and you'll find professors -- not graduate students - leading discussions. A Knox class is small - average size is 18 students - and it is anything but a passive one-way lecture or note-taking session. Our faculty are not shy about letting students know their own point of view on a subject; but they also expect-and assist-students to form and defend their own opinions and viewpoints in a wide range of coursework. They challenge assumptions and teach students to be independent thinkers.

Our faculty don't hide away in their offices. Their doors are open to work closely with students throughout their educational careers. Through one-on-one mentoring, professors help students plan their studies and even design their own majors and research projects.

At Knox, we never forget that life is about more than the books. Our faculty do more -- and breathe more -- than merely publish. They live in the community. And you'll find them cheering on the Prairie Fire athletic teams, playing on intramural sports teams, discussing current events at the dining hall, or enjoying jazz music with fellow faculty and students at a downtown club - or even performing on-stage. By being engaged scholars, Knox faculty instill a lifelong love of learning in their students and impart to them the skills and the drive to apply their education to their career, their community and their world.

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