President

President

Bluefield State University (BSU) is seeking applications and nominations for the position of President. Reporting to the Board of Governors (BOG), the president is the chief executive officer of the Institution, defining its educational commitments, and its standard of excellence and securing necessary resources for the fulfillment of its mission. The president will lead BSU to success through inspirational and dynamic leadership. He or she will be expected to articulate the mission, vision, and core values of the University, and to work with each of the Institution's constituents to enable them to achieve the mission. The president is the executive agent of the BOG and shall, as educational and executive head of BSU, exercise such powers that are inherent in the position in promoting, supporting, and protecting the interests of the Institution and in managing and directing its affairs.

Chief responsibilities of the President of Bluefield State include:

• Exercising motivated and successful leadership in a collaborative effort with all BSU constituent groups to implement the mission of the institution and any other role and scope statements approved by the BOG;  Developing and overseeing annual operating and capital budgets;  Maintaining strong relationships with community/business leaders and public officials, providing effective leadership and support for an academic program that is consistent with the institutional mission and the needs of those being served;  Leading faculty, staff and administrators to pursue goals in a clear, purposeful way, including objectives that address student needs, initiatives in teaching, aspirations in academic scholarship, programs of service and leadership, and the professional development of faculty and staff;  Providing effective leadership and support for a program of student life that complements the academic program and recognizes as an institutional priority the diverse interests and needs of the student body;  Communicating, in coordination with the BOG, the needs of the university to the governor, legislators, other state and local officials, and the citizens of the state;  Interacting with appropriate external bodies to achieve the mission of the institution in a manner consistent with BOG policy, statutory and regulatory provisions, and sound academic principles, and securing external funding from individual donors, government agencies, corporations, and foundations. 

Opportunities and Challenges for Bluefield State’s new President:

Exercising wise and stable leadership while expanding BSU’s growth and future prosperity:

• Ensuring that all aspects of BSU are clearly aligned with BSU’s institutional mission, vision, and values. Being willing and able to make difficult decisions and prioritize strategic decisions. Leading the employees of the University in character, vision, and interaction. Being dynamic, ambitious, invested, motivated, and positive about BSU, our history and culture, our mission, our students and employees, our role in higher education, and our community. Anticipating and preparing for changes in the academic and business climate regionally and nationally. Having the courage and integrity to set clear objectives and priorities, and to manage the BSU team to the successful and efficient completion of such goals. Anticipating and effectively responding to critical and disruptive academic, political, technological, employment, and business challenges. Having the management agility to pivot as necessary to meet the demands of changing educational, financial, and political environments. Being an articulate, positive, and successful ambassador of BSU to the BSU community and those outside the community through skilled communication, relationship-building, and fundraising. Being a strong advocate for BSU, its mission, its heritage, its vision and its success.

Further strengthening BSU’s exemplary academic experience and reputation for student success:

• Developing academic programs which help to ensure life success and satisfaction to BSU students. Developing and advancing recruitment and retention of outstanding teachers/educators, staff, and students. Developing best practices toward the investment in academic infrastructure, research, facilities, technologies, and staff with emphasis on learning, innovation, student development, and research. Ensuring an unwavering commitment to the learning and critical thinking of BSU’s students, and their post-graduate success in a highly competitive modern economy and society full of dramatic changes. Cultivating intellectual curiosity. Expanding and strengthening BSU’s graduate education, online and international opportunities.

Working collaboratively with employees, students, alumni, and the community to advance a clear and unifying vision for BSU:

• Setting a tone for trust, transparency, and operational excellence through shared governance. Ensuring financial integrity and strength. Building a robust culture of collaboration and interdisciplinary cooperation, while ensuring that employees and students feel welcome, valued, supported, and integrated into a diverse learning environment. Galvanizing and energizing the entire BSU community around a sense of shared mission, responsibility, purpose and accountability. Effectively listening to and communicating with employees, students, their parents, and the community. Recognizing accomplishments and milestones of educators, staff, and students Building trust among all stakeholders by engagement and by consideration of diverse perspectives in decision making. Supporting and enhancing an environment of respect and appreciation for critical thinking, open and respectful sharing of ideas, freedom of speech, and diversity of thought. Understanding of and commitment to the role of student-athletes, collegiate athletics, and the importance of sports and other extracurricular endeavors to enrich the University, its students, and the community. Recognizing the importance of effectively and properly developing online and non-traditional educational opportunities.

Enhancing BSU’s financial and administrative management:

• Being innovative and determined in fiscal and development opportunities and results. Prioritizing the allocation of precious and finite resources for maximum institutional benefit. Deploying resources in an efficient manner to support faculty, employees, and students. Ensuring and enriching the educational experience through benchmarking productivity goals in administrative, academic, and related disciplines. Enhancing and expanding BSU’s fundraising opportunities. Developing BSU’s Foundation – its growth and stability.

Amplifying BSU’s local, regional, national, and global reputation and impact:

• Recognizing the unique needs of those individuals and entities who/which BSU serves Developing opportunities for building international relationships, including teaching opportunities, recruiting of international students and scholars, and remote learning opportunities. Demonstrating a willingness to listen and respond effectively to diverse institutional and community viewpoints.

The successful candidate must have an earned doctorate, preferably a Ph.D. or D.Ed., from an accredited institution; have a demonstrable track record of significant and successful senior executive and management experience in higher education, preferably with prior presidential or chief executive/operations officer experience; have demonstrated excellence in college/university level education, preferably tenured; have an appreciation for and sensitivity to the uniqueness of Appalachian culture; have an understanding and appreciation of the importance and roles of historically black institutions and the populations such institutions serve; have experience effectively interacting with state legislators and state governing bodies; have outstanding communication skills, especially with community engagement, campus constituencies and the media; have the capacity to attract and maintain diverse and expanding student, faculty, and staff populations; have shown effective leadership and success in external fundraising; have shown a personal commitment to serving people; and have demonstrated emotional understanding, intelligence and empathy through self-awareness, humility and the willingness to hear and respond to feedback. In addition, the successful candidate must have a strong moral compass, showing the highest level of integrity, transparency and ethics in meeting the challenges of leading a state institution of higher education.

The deadline for applications is September 19, 2024, with review to begin September 23, 2024. To ensure full consideration, applicants must electronically submit a curriculum vitae with an accompanying letter of interest that addresses specifically how the candidate's experiences and qualifications intersect with the University’s mission and strategic priorities and the names and addresses of five professional references to:  humanresources@bluefieldstate.edu.  More information may be found at https://bluefieldstate.edu/presidentsearch, or by contacting humanresources@bluefieldstate.edu. Applications and expressions of interest in the presidency will be treated in confidence.

Bluefield State University (BSU) is a historically black university (HBCU) with a rich and diverse history nestled in the terraced hills of Southern West Virginia. The University’s student body represents a cross-section of races, cultures, and ethnicities, as well as age, gender, socioeconomic, family, and employment status. The University offers graduate, baccalaureate, and associate degrees and has an enrollment of approximately 1,100 students. Instructional programs are offered in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; business; arts, education, and social sciences; criminal justice; and nursing and health science professions. The University has 12 accredited programs. The Institution is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. BSU is a member of the NCAA Division II and the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). 

Bluefield State University is an HBCU, AA/EOE/ADA employer, committed to the principle that minorities, women, veterans, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. The university complies with all applicable federal and state laws designed

to promote equal educational and employment opportunities. Bluefield State University does not provide H1B visa or employment sponsorship.