Jobs at Member Institutions & APLU

Summary
The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) is seeking a new president to provide leadership for a multi-faceted, dynamic, Washington, DC-based organization with a large public research university and university system membership, a staff of more than 60 people, and an annual budget of nearly $20 million.

APLU is a membership organization that fosters a community of university leaders collectively working to advance the mission of public research universities. The association’s membership consists of nearly 250 public research universities, land-grant institutions, state university systems, and affiliated organizations spanning across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, six U.S. territories, Canada, and Mexico.

The successful candidate will have served as a president/chancellor of an APLU member institution and have a demonstrated record as a team-first leader with exceptional leadership and management skills, and successful experience building and maintaining supportive, diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environments.

They will have a track record of accomplishments aligning with APLU’s focus on increasing access, equity, completion, and workforce readiness; promoting pathbreaking scientific research; and bolstering economic and community engagement. As a Washington, DC-based association, the president will also have a clear understanding of how the federal government operates, have experience working with elected officials in leadership positions from both major political parties, and be prepared to engage regularly in a wide variety of federal policy areas as they work directly with the executive branch and Congress to advance the association’s advocacy work.

The new APLU president will serve as the public face and leading advocate for public research universities in Washington, DC and nationally. They will articulate the needs and promote the interests of APLU members to policymakers, other higher education and research policy advocates and stakeholders, the media, and the public.

The successful candidate will regularly interface with presidents and chancellors at public research universities and serve as the convener for regular meetings of the Council of Presidents and the Council of 1890 Universities to foster a community of leaders who share and learn best practices from one another.

Over the past 15+ years, APLU has built a grant portfolio aimed at helping public universities more effectively and equitably advance their education, research, and engagement missions. In this space, APLU partners with its member universities and others to research, test, and scale innovative practices. In support of this work, the president will foster relationships with foundations, corporate philanthropies, and the federal government in support of these and other new initiatives.

This full-time position is based in Washington, DC. While the association has a hybrid work policy, the incumbent must reside in Washington, DC, Maryland, or Virginia and pass standard background checks.

Responsibilities

• Set, in consultation with the Board, and implement APLU’s strategic direction to advance its work supporting the leaders of public and land-grant universities and their collective efforts to advance their institutions’ missions.
• Build and maintain a strong and transparent working relationship with the Board and ensure open communication about the measurement of financial, programmatic, and impact performance against stated milestones and goals.
• Cultivate strong and effective relationships with APLU members to ensure the association’s president and staff understand and meet their needs.
• Design and lead programming for the Council of Presidents and the Council of 1890s Universities.
• Oversee and ensure APLU’s financial health, including developing long- and short-range financial plans while maintaining sound financial controls. Set priorities for the association’s budget to ensure it is operating in a manner that supports the needs of the association’s work on behalf of its membership.
• Ensure that APLU continues to attract, retain, and develop a talented staff to accomplish its goals and objectives. Promote a positive, supportive, diverse, inclusive, and effective team environment within APLU and oversee APLU’s leadership to ensure they provide coaching, support, training, and development opportunities to employees as needed.
• Champion APLU’s member interests and priorities with Congress and the administration. Build and strengthen relationships and partnerships with key bipartisan policymakers and external advocacy partners. Engage presidents and chancellors in advocacy priorities and strategy to foster an engaged membership and leverage the far-reaching impact of APLU institutions in communities and states across the country around higher ed, research, immigration, and other key priority areas.
• Advocate for public higher education by representing APLU in opportunities with national media outlets and at external events and forums.
• Provide leadership to refine and advance APLU’s unique role in grant and programmatic work aimed at driving equity and student success; fostering research and innovation to meet societal needs; and deepening community and economic engagement to benefit all.
• Cultivate relationships with public and private funders to increase resources to advance APLU’s work.
• Facilitate cross-departmental collaboration and strengthen internal communications with staff throughout the organization that support consistency and high-quality work throughout the organization.
• Ensure APLU is advancing its work internally and externally with member institutions to empower, educate, and uplift all individuals to better meet the needs of society.

Qualifications

• A sitting or former president/chancellor of an APLU member institution with a deep and long-standing commitment to the association’s mission and that of its members.
• Exceptional leadership and management skills with a demonstrated commitment to fostering a positive work environment that empowers and uplifts all individuals to maximize productivity and creativity. An interest in working as a hands-on positive leader with a small-to-medium-sized association compared to a large university.
• Experience, knowledge, and interest in bringing together the public and land-grant university community to advance collaborative efforts around equitable student success, research and innovation, and community and economic engagement.
• A strong understanding of how the federal government and the Washington, DC policy community operates and successful experience working with elected officials in leadership positions from both major political parties.
• Successful experience engaging in coalitions and/or advocating for issues important to advancing public higher education.
• Financial leadership experience; successfully ensuring the financial health and integrity of institutions.
• Excellent analytical skills. Ability to understand and utilize data (both quantitative and qualitative) to accurately identify key issues and develop strategies and plans.
• A record of successful donor cultivation and associated resource generation.
• Exceptional communication (written and verbal) and presentation skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to build successful and effective relationships with representatives of member institutions and other stakeholders.
• Ability to travel as needed and to represent APLU at events that take place outside of normal business hours.

To Apply
Please send a letter of interest and resume to presidentialsearch@aplu.org with the subject line: APLU President. Applications will be reviewed as received and continue until the position is filled, with preference given to those applications received by July 31, 2024. Salary will be commensurate with experience. APLU provides a generous benefits package.

APLU is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and is committed to recruiting, employing, training, compensating, and promoting staff regardless of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.