Strategic Consultant, Transfer Initiative

General description

The Minnesota Private College Fund is seeking to contract with a strategic consultant who will manage a planning process focused on strengthening transfer pathways for community college students coming to the 17 private nonprofit colleges that are members of the Fund and the Minnesota Private College Council.

The consultant will drive the project forward, working closely with key contacts at the Fund and Council. Significant focus will be on working with staff at participating member institutions, as well as staff at the Minnesota State system.

Required qualifications

o Deep expertise in and understanding private higher education

o Ability to facilitate and lead productive collaboration with independent member institutions and their staff contacts

o Sensitivity to the role of a higher education association in working with diverse member institutions

o Understanding of the Minnesota State educational system

o Understanding how community college students transfer to earn bachelor’s degrees

o Ability to draw on data and research

o Strong facilitation and inter-personal skills

o Ability to imagine ways to change systems and create solutions

Preferred qualifications

o Thorough understanding of academic affairs and experience working with faculty

o Thorough understanding of community college students transferring to private nonprofit institutions and what supports they need to succeed

Skills

We expect proficiency in working with video conferencing tools.

Scope of Work

The consultant’s scope of work will include the following tasks and duties:

1. to build a clear understanding of our member institutions’ current transfer culture, interests and needs, as it relates to students coming from community colleges;

2. to facilitate meetings of representatives from our member institutions, including the project’s advisory group;

3. to develop resources and research to help the process, in collaboration with Fund and Council colleagues;

4. to guide a process that will result in a plan for how the Fund and Council and can work with interested member institutions to act collectively to improve the movement of and success of community college students;

5. to guide how we connect with Minnesota State leadership in our process; and

6. to work on writing the plan itself, in coordination with our member contacts and Council and Fund colleagues.

Coordination

With Council and Fund staff

o The Transfer Initiative planning project will be coordinated internally at the Fund and Council with a project team that will include the strategic consultant, John Manning, Tom Lancaster, Paul Cerkvenik, Megan Rozowski and Carolyn Jones. Staff in this group will be available to help the consultant think through questions, develop materials and advance the planning.

o The core team will be made up of the strategic consultant, John Manning and Tom Lancaster.

o Major decisions will need to be reviewed and approved by Paul Cerkvenik.

With member institutions

o An advisory group of key contacts at member institutions has been formed to be consulted on how the project should progress, starting with how we recruit the strategic consultant.

o Each member institution’s president has identified lead contacts for us on this project; this broader group needs to be engaged as well.

Timeframe

• The project will be from six to 12 months long, ending in 2021

• There will be virtual and potentially in-person meetings that the consult will host periodically thereout the project.

Compensation

With grant funding secured to support this project, the amount available for would be $20,000.

To apply for the consultant position, please send a letter of interest that speaks to why you are a good fit for this role, along with your resume. Send your letter and resume to John Manning’s attention at colleges@mnprivatecolleges.org. We will begin reviewing materials Dec. 14.