Clarkson University seeks a visionary, strategic, collaborative and inspirational leader to serve as its next president. At a time when higher education is focused on student success, Clarkson’s value proposition is to provide students with the most relevant STEM education and coveted skills for the 21st century in a personalized and supportive environment. The “Clarkson Experience” is unique and our hands-on approach to “learning and doing” drives the success of Clarkson’s graduates and is the foundation of our success as a university. The 19th president of Clarkson will join a close-knit community of talented scholars, researchers and teachers, dedicated staff and administrators, driven students, and loyal alumni. The next president will be charged with leading the University through an unprecedented time in higher education, leveraging our distinctive educational experience to drive enrollment and ensure financial health and sustainability. The next president will be one who harnesses our core STEM mission and the “Clarkson Experience” in new and exciting ways to drive innovation in engineering, applied sciences, health sciences, and business for our students.

Leadership Agenda for the President

The president is the chief executive officer of the University, setting the vision and strategy to lead the institution forward, shaping a culture of high integrity character, enhancing academic excellence and the unique Clarkson Experience for our students, and managing all institutional affairs. The president will be the chief ambassador, enriching relationships with a wide array of constituents in the University community and beyond, all in support of Clarkson’s mission. The president will ensure Clarkson is externally positioned well, raising funds and attracting resources, while at the same time, be an accessible, respected, inspiring champion and moral compass to the campus community.

Imperatives

The 19th president of Clarkson will lead the efforts to successfully address the following imperatives:

Implement and drive our core STEM mission to deliver on the commitment to our students.

In collaboration with faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the Board, the next president will harness and drive our core STEM mission in new and exciting ways to attract and retain students who value the unique Clarkson Experience and the rewards it brings. Clarkson’s STEM education is a method of hands-on teaching where students learn to apply academic content in engineering, applied sciences, health sciences, and business by creatively solving real-world problems through innovative, design-based “learning and doing.” To enhance the academic distinction and national reputation of the University, the president will champion the holistic view of Clarkson’s practical STEM education and our students’ “learning and doing” experience across all schools within Clarkson, preparing them for ever-changing workforce requirements. The president will also continue to advance Clarkson’s agenda as a nationally ranked research institution by empowering research and scholarship activity across the University, thus promoting Clarkson’s distinct experiences of learning and discovery for all students. Finally, the president will respond to the opportunities and challenges in higher education by building on Clarkson’s existing strengths to evolve in new directions and continue to deliver on Clarkson’s STEM mission in engineering, applied sciences, health sciences, and business while remaining faithful to Clarkson’s institutional legacy and core values.

Judiciously steward and grow Clarkson’s resource base to ensure financial sustainability.

The president is charged with managing financial resources effectively and efficiently and providing leadership in the face of competing financial priorities and a challenging market. The president must ensure that Clarkson is sufficiently resourced into the future, ensuring both near-term and long-term fiscal health and sustainability. The president will possess a growth mindset and a proven fundraising track record. The president will secure and strengthen current and future sources of revenue, match donor interests with strategic goals, lead major fundraising efforts, and cultivate a culture of philanthropy within the Clarkson community to grow both annual giving and the endowment. The president will also work with external constituents at the local, state, and federal levels to generate the resources required to achieve the University’s goals. A comprehensive capital campaign is on the horizon, and the president will collaborate with the Board to begin that process and link it to the strategic vision for Clarkson’s future.

Bolster enrollment and retention with a clear articulation of Clarkson’s value proposition.

Clarkson delivers a high-quality education with a highly personalized experience that results in an excellent return on investment for our students and their families. The president will leverage the University community — Faculty, Staff, Students, Alumni, and the Board — to broadly champion this distinctive value proposition to solidify Clarkson’s brand recognition as a premier STEM institution and drive enrollment growth across the University including the Schools of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Health and Life Sciences, and Business. The president will enhance the external reputation of the University and embrace the fact that enrollment management is a cornerstone of ensuring Clarkson’s financial health and sustainability and will be a central consideration as the president establishes the institution’s strategic and operational priorities.

Shape a culture of leadership empowerment, inclusive collaboration, and continuous learning.

Clarkson runs lean and prides itself on a humble and strong work ethic shared by faculty, staff, and senior leaders, consistent with our motto, “A workman that needeth not to be ashamed.” The president will attract and retain top talent that can lead change and will empower the leadership capabilities of the Cabinet, faculty, staff and the entire Clarkson community. The president will intentionally shape the broader institutional culture, inspiring employee values and morale, empowering leadership, expecting collaboration, and ensuring that the Clarkson community maintains a spirit of humility and continuous learning both inside and outside of the classroom. The President will create a sense of belonging for all students, faculty, and staff regardless of background, ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation. The president will establish a compelling strategic direction, lead with clear communication, and empower with strong delegation and performance accountability. The president will have a natural ability to lead the hearts and minds of the Clarkson University community as well as purposefully develop future leaders through leadership training/development opportunities.

Qualities and Characteristics

The search committee seeks candidates with the following personal qualities and professional characteristics:

• A deep commitment to Clarkson’s legacy, STEM mission and core values, a passion for holistic technical and professional education, and an understanding and respect for the unique Clarkson experience that differentiates our graduates.

• Successful experience as a compelling leader - strategic, inclusive, transparent, humble, and visible - the ability to build strong teams, employ effective listening skills, have an openness to new ideas, make difficult decisions, delegate responsibility and authority, and establish personal ownership and accountability.

• Natural ability to shape culture and create an inclusive environment based on personal charisma and energy, an expectation for collaboration that leads to optimal solutions, the ability to cultivate trust, build relationships, and inspire others to believe in you as a leader.

• Demonstrated experience shaping visionary strategy with a bias for action; experience architecting a differentiating strategic plan, bringing others along to contribute to and commit to the collective vision, and executing with successful, high-impact

• Demonstrated financial management experience, executing plans with fiscal discipline. A clear understanding of budgeting, revenue growth through enrollment and grants, cost reduction through continuous improvement and efficiency, and overall operating performance management.

• Demonstrated development and advancement experience, creating and executing material fundraising campaigns successfully in complex business environments and connecting in a compelling way with potential donors individually and as a group.

• Demonstrated experience building and sustaining external relationships with community partners, educational leaders, corporate partners, and government representatives.

• Unquestioned integrity, trustworthiness, judgment, and ethics.

Compensation

Based on competitive market information, we anticipate an initial base salary for this position in the range of $600,000 to $750,000, supplemented by a bonus structure of up to $300,000 tied to delivery of the Leadership Imperatives, and a comprehensive and competitive benefits package including housing. Compensation for the successful candidate will be commensurate with experience, education, market, and organizational considerations.

Process and Applications

Screening of applicants will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. 

• We will evaluate candidates as they emerge on individual paths.
• We intend to maintain utmost confidentiality with the Search Committee, and in final stages when additional stakeholders are engaged, it will be in controlled, confidential circumstances.
• We reserve the right to close the search at any time when we feel we have found the next President of the University.

Application materials should be submitted electronically in Adobe PDF or MS Word and include:

• Cover letter responding to the “Leadership Agenda for the President” in this profile.
• Complete resume or vita.
• Contact information (email and phone) for five professional references, none of whom will be contacted without prior knowledge and permission of the candidate.

All nominations, inquiries and applications will be received and evaluated in full confidence; references will not be contacted without the candidate’s expressed permission.

Send application materials to:

John S. Mengucci ’84, Chair, Presidential Search Committee

presidentialsearch@clarkson.edu

A full search prospectus with more information about Clarkson University can be downloaded from clarkson.edu/presidential-search.

More About Clarkson University

Founded in 1896 to honor Thomas S. Clarkson, a pioneering entrepreneur and humanitarian, Clarkson today is a private, national research university in upstate New York known for giving students a great return on their investment through our core STEM mission. Across our close-knit University community, we ignite connections across disciplines, innovate real-world solutions, and empower our students to become the leaders of tomorrow.

Clarkson is the institution of choice for more than 4,000+ enterprising, high-ability undergraduate and graduate learners and doers pursuing world-relevant degrees in 75+ rigorous academic programs of study designed to ignite leadership and future-focus. University outreach through executive education, industry-relevant credentials and K-12 STEM initiatives impact an additional 3,000+ students every year.

With our core mission in STEM, Clarkson faculty are on the leading edge of research with international relevance and have a critical mass of talent in signature research areas that include healthy world solutions, advanced materials development, data and complex systems analytics-enabled discovery, and next-generation healthcare technologies.

Across the institution, all employees and students develop close mentoring relationships and make lifelong connections that guide personal and career success. Through highly personalized advising, all students pursue an academic program and co-curricular experience that ignites their personal purpose and passion.

More About Potsdam, A Vibrant Cultural Community in Upstate New York’s North Country

Clarkson’s main campus is located in Potsdam, New York, on the historic 640-acre wooded homestead of the Clarkson family in the foothills of the Adirondacks. With roughly 15,000+ year-round residents, the Village of Potsdam presents the classic college experience intertwined with adventure, innovation, and entrepreneurship. While the Adirondacks are in our backyard, our campus brings the exploration and exhilaration close to you through three miles of trails for biking, hiking, and cross-country skiing through the woods and past wetlands. As we’re located on the banks of the Raquette River, we have our own canoeing launch point for exploring on the water. Potsdam is also home to various shopping and dining experiences and an active downtown corridor.

With three other universities in the immediate region (SUNY Potsdam, St. Lawrence University, and SUNY Canton), Potsdam is truly “a college town.” Through the Associated Colleges of St. Lawrence County network, students can cross-register for classes at these same institutions. The Village of Potsdam was the 2019 recipient of a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Grant from New York state. Its tree-lined streets and historic red sandstone buildings contain an array of modern stores and restaurants. Clarkson and SUNY Potsdam are within walking distance of one another. Among the Village’s outstanding cultural features is The Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, which offers extraordinary vocal and instrumental performances and concerts by world-class musicians.

Just an hour and a half from Clarkson is Lake Placid, a year-round resort town with all kinds of entertainment, shopping, dining, and recreation. This famed Olympic site in the Adirondack mountains offers not only a spectacular setting and world-class sporting events, but also a variety of unique experiences like wheeled bobsled rides, views from atop a former Olympic ski jump and a wheelchair- accessible elevator to the summit of Whiteface Mountain. Having hosted the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics, Lake Placid is renowned for winter sports. Clarkson took a major role in the region’s preparations to host the International Children’s Games in 2019 and as a hockey venue for the 2023 Winter World University Games.

As the home mountain for Clarkson’s ski teams, the downhill skiing at Whiteface Mountain is unrivaled in the East. There is regular round-trip transportation to Whiteface, as well as family-friendly skiing hills at Titus Mountain just 45 minutes away, plus numerous groomed cross-country skiing and snowshoeing trails near campus.

The international Olympic flavor permeates the whole region. Olympic year-round training sites include not only the towering ski jump, but also the ice hockey, luge, speed skating, biathlon, and bobsled facilities. Recreational opportunities abound throughout the year, ranging from golf, tennis, horseback riding, hiking, white water rafting, biking, and sailing amid mountain splendor. Hiking trails abound; many faculty, staff, and students become “46ers” after climbing all 46 peaks in the region. Caves that are hidden throughout the Adirondacks wait to be explored. The numerous lakes and rivers of the North Country offer kayaking, fishing, and other rafting action, as well as scuba diving and boat tours to see the shipwrecks and old forts from the War of 1812 in several waterways.

Two of Canada’s major cities are within a two-hour drive of the University. French speaking Montreal, famed for the multicultural cuisine of its ethnically diverse restaurants and the glitter of its nightlife, is one of North America’s most cosmopolitan and sophisticated cities. The city’s urban environment offers unique francophone experiences, including the charms of “Old Montreal” with echoes of 400 years of history. Destinations include the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Place des Arts, and Montreal Canadiens hockey games, as well as performances in the arts and entertainment fields.  Ottawa, Canada’s capital, offers world-class cultural attractions, including the National Arts Centre, National Gallery of Canada, Museum of Civilization, Canada Science and Technology Museum, Canadian Museum of Nature and Parliament Hill, and A-list musical and stage performances. It is also home to the Ottawa Senators. A favorite local tradition shared by Clarkson students is skating on the famous Rideau Canal, which runs for miles through the city.

An equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, Clarkson actively seeks and encourages applications from minorities, women, and people with disabilities. All offers of employment are subject to the applicant successfully passing a background check including, but not limited to, employment verification, educational and other credential verification, and criminal records.