CWRU seeks new president

Case Western Reserve University, one of the nation's leading independent research universities and a full partner in the resurgence of the City of Cleveland, seeks an exceptional man or woman as its next president. Located in University Circle, an extraordinary concentration of over 40 cooperating institutions, CWRU's programs encompass the major elements of modern intellectual life: the arts and sciences, technology, and the professions, including medicine, nursing, dentistry, law, management, and social work.

We seek an experienced and successful leader, manager, and communicator who will embrace CWRU's parallel commitments to teaching, research, and service. He or she will be a person of integrity, broad and deep intellectual interests, and well-developed interpersonal and strategic skills, oriented to the interests of students, faculty, the community, and the larger society.

The position will be available on July 1, 1999, with the retirement of Agnar Pytte, who has served since 1987 with great distinction. Nominations and applications, which will be accepted and reviewed until the position is filled, may be sent in confidence to:

Ward Smith, Chair

Presidential Search Committee

c/o Board of Trustees Office

Case Western Reserve University

10900 Euclid Avenue

Cleveland, Ohio 44106-7010

Assisting in this search are Robert Atwell and Shelly Weiss Storbeck of A. T. Kearney, Inc. (phone: 703-739-4613; fax: 703-518-1782; e-mail: shelly_storbeck@atkearney.com).

In employment as in education, CWRU is committed to Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action.

President of the University -- Position Description

The University

Case Western Reserve University is a nearly 175-year-old institution, long a center for undergraduate, graduate and professional education. CWRU's more than 60 fields of study are offered through the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Medicine, the Case School of Engineering, the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, the Weatherhead School of Management, the School of Law, the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, and the School of Dentistry. The School of Graduate Studies administers non-professional masters and doctoral programs offered by the faculties of the College and the Schools.

Of its approximately 10,000 students, two thirds are in graduate and professional degree programs. The University ranks 12th among the nation's private universities in federal research and development awards, and the School of Medicine ranks 10th among all medical schools in NIH funding. CWRU is one of only 20 universities or colleges in the world with an endowment greater than $1 billion.

Mission Statement

Case Western Reserve University's mission is to serve society as a leading independent center for undergraduate, graduate, and professional education, for research that adds to society's store of knowledge and addresses its priorities, and for active, responsible world and community citizenship.

The students, faculty, staff, volunteers, alumni, and other friends who constitute the university community pursue and exemplify this mission through their teaching, research, professional activities, and public service, all marked by a commitment to continuous learning.

Core Qualifications

Case Western Reserve University, one of the nation's leading private research universities, is seeking an exceptional man or woman as its next President.

This person's academic and managerial accomplishments will reflect this University's stature and dynamism. He or she will be able to capitalize on a decade of remarkable advances at this institution and, in the process, lead the University to its next plateau.

Over the past decade, CWRU's reputation, student body, faculty, staff, campus, and endowment have been enhanced considerably. It will be the charge to the next President to further that work. Toward that end, six leadership qualities and five personal qualities are critical.

Leadership Qualities

Case Western Reserve's next President must have demonstrated significant achievement in the leadership, development, and management of a complex institution, with the stature and interests to be a recognized leader in the local, national, and global communities. Specifically, he or she must be:

Highly respected as a leader with a commitment to academic excellence, scholarship, and research. Maintaining CWRU's academic excellence and its research preeminence will be at the core of maintaining the University's present momentum and excellence. While the President is most likely to be a person who has served as a university faculty member and administrator, the search process will also consider candidates presenting significant leadership achievements in other fields.
CWRU is the melding of strong traditions in the liberal arts, the applied sciences, and the professions. The successful candidate will bring a level of achievement -- including a strong commitment to outstanding teaching and the development of the highest level of student potential -- that will be respected throughout the CWRU community and among its external constituents.
An experienced manager and fund-raiser. The President of CWRU will have the focused managerial skills to lead a large, multi-unit institution. He or she will also have demonstrated the skills and enthusiasm that mark an effective fund-raiser for an institution of CWRU's stature and size.
Well-versed in strategic planning, with a record of successful implementation. The President will have demonstrated a strong strategic planning capability, coupled with a proven record of successful initiation and implementation of major projects and new programs. Specific institutional features illustrating the need for these skills include:
The University has determined that research and technology transfer are important in its future. The President must appreciate the importance of these pursuits to the University and be able to integrate them into an overall strategy and program. At the same time, he or she must appreciate the difficult questions about the proper relationships between an academic institution and the world of commerce that such pursuits evoke.
Similarly, health-related disciplines -- particularly medicine -- account for a significant share of CWRU's teaching and research programs. The President should be capable of shaping and implementing institutional strategies that deal effectively with the complex relationships involving the medical, nursing, and dental schools, other related programs in the University, health care and biomedical institutions (including affiliated hospitals), and the clinical practice activities of faculty members.
Capable of energizing and attracting a diverse, highly-talented faculty, staff, and student body. The President must see himself or herself as both guide and inspiration to the faculty and staff in furtherance of the University's mission, which encompasses both teaching and research. Similarly, he or she will also be an effective recruiter of new talent from a wide range of backgrounds, men and women whose talents, effectiveness, and diversity will enliven and enrich the CWRU community.
Sensitive to the importance of service within the mission of the University. The President must understand the role of the University in adding value to society at large and to the various communities of which the University is a part.
An excellent communicator. The President will also be an effective and sensitive communicator both within the University community and with its many outside constituencies, committed to broadening the University's national and international visibility and reputation.

Intrinsic Qualities

Case Western Reserve University is a complex, never static community. It requires a President with exceptional intrinsic qualities. In particular, five such qualities define the next incumbent:

Outstanding intellectual breadth and depth. To deal with the complexity of the institution and the issues confronting the University overall and its individual components, the President must be a person of unusual intelligence and learning, with an understanding of the institution's current and potential roles locally, nationally, and internationally.
Strong interpersonal instincts and skills. The President's interpersonal instincts and skills must be superior. He or she must be empathetic and approachable, have a good sense of humor, and be an active and good listener and a consensus builder.
Student-oriented. CWRU's nearly 10,000 students are a primary reason this University exists. The President must be able to relate to students and must genuinely care about them and about the educational opportunities, whether undergraduate, graduate, or professional, that this University offers them. The President must genuinely believe -- and demonstrate -- that a truly diverse student body enriches our students, the University, our community, and society at large.
A high level of energy. This is a demanding position -- intellectually, emotionally, and physically. Only a person of great personal energy and physical stamina will succeed at it. The hours are long and the agenda unending. The successful candidate, however, will thrive in that intensity.
Exemplary integrity and trustworthiness. Most of all, CWRU's President will be a man or woman of unquestionable integrity, one who inspires trust and respect -- not by his or her position or title, but by inherent personal qualities.

Principal Responsibilities

Serve as the University's chief executive officer and direct all of the University's affairs.
Formulate institutional goals, and long-term plans to achieve those goals, for consideration by the Board of Trustees. Report to the trustees and others about progress toward these goals.
Establish policies, annual plans, programs, and organizational structure to achieve the University's goals, and appoint and supervise officers to fill leadership positions, consulting as appropriate with trustees and faculty.
Serve as a voting member of the Board of Trustees, ex officio, as a member of all Board committees except the Audit Committee and the Management and Compensation Committee, and as the principal channel of communication between the Board and all of the University's constituencies.
Serve, ex officio, as chair of the University Faculty, as chair of the University Undergraduate Faculty, as a member of each of the constituent faculties and of all faculty committees, and as a member of the Faculty Senate.
Serve as the University's principal representative to all external constituencies, including alumni and other friends, industry, foundations, government, affiliated organizations, and the local, regional, state, national, and international communities.
In concert with trustees, volunteers, and other University officers, seek financial support from external sources to underwrite the institution's current operations and future plans.
Establish and oversee procedures to maintain quality, equity, and accountability in all University activities, including selecting and promoting faculty and staff, and managing human, financial, and physical resources. Review the qualifications of each faculty candidate for promotion or tenure, and recommend Board action for those candidates judged as meeting the University's parallel commitments to teaching and research.

Reports to: The Board of Trustees