President Gary A. Olson
Dear Ms. Gross:
I would like to thank you and the other members of the search committee for accepting my charge to identify a list of acceptable finalists to fill the critically important position of Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Daemen College.
In my judgment, the fiscal challenges facing private higher education in general, especially in New York State with the Excelsior Scholarship, and at Daemen College in particular, will require a visionary leader with the right mix of proven and innovative approaches to advancing an institution through philanthropy, marketing, alumni relations and communications. The next Vice President for Institutional Advancement will take on a major leadership role at a college that is growing both in size and stature. Consequently, this new member of the Cabinet must be an experienced, innovative, and accomplished leader who will collaborate with College leadership to help promote Daemen’s pathway to increased academic and operational excellence.
I am confident that your committee will help to identify a short list of outstanding individuals, any one of whom could become our next Vice President for Institutional Advancement.
To these ends, I would specifically charge you and the committee to give priority consideration to the following:
- Conduct a national search for the most highly qualified individual who will best fit the key requirements set forth in the published job description profile, with special focus on the unique characteristics of Daemen College;
- Give careful consideration to identifying highly qualified under-represented minorities and women candidates among those individuals under review for the position;
- Give priority consideration to those candidates with recent experience in similar positions at institutions of higher education, with special emphasis on those with experience at private, non-profit colleges or universities and;
- Develop and maintain a website devoted specifically to the search, with links to important information that will assist in the committee’s recruitment process.
Finally, reflecting the importance of your committee and your role as Chair, I urge the committee to maintain strict confidentiality regarding all proceedings of the search. Furthermore, as is typical of leadership searches, all communications from the search committee should come from you.
Again, I want to thank you and the other search committee members as you begin the critically important recruitment of the College’s next Vice President for Institutional Advancement.