This Presidential Search Committee has developed a position profile that summarizes the most significant attributes and experiences we would like to see in our next president. This profile, which reflects input received from Scripps constituents in a series of public forums and an online survey, conveys the goals, values, and leadership qualities that are shared and respected throughout the Scripps community.

• Scripps College’s Ninth President
• Presidential Prospectus (PDF)

Scripps’ Ninth President

The next president of Scripps College will lead a campus characterized by deep academic, co-curricular, and community engagement, an unwavering commitment to the liberal arts and women’s education, and an extraordinarily passionate and involved student body. The president serves as the chief executive officer and reports to the Board of Trustees.

Opportunities and Challenges

Scripps is poised to build upon fundamental academic, community, and financial strengths. It seeks a president who espouses the values of intellectual exploration, creativity and service, and inclusive excellence. The next president will be someone who believes in sustaining a community of deep engagement and mutual respect, and whose educational philosophy builds upon that of founder Ellen Browning Scripps, who wrote, “the paramount obligation of a college is to develop in its students the ability to think clearly and independently, and the ability to live confidently, courageously, and hopefully.” In maintaining and enhancing Scripps’ ability to offer such a transformative educational experience, the next president will be asked to take on the following opportunities and challenges:

• Lead and direct the development of the next strategic plan
  The next president will have the opportunity to lead an institution-wide strategic planning process that will articulate the College’s priorities as it pursues its mission over the next decade. Scripps’ prior strategic plan dates from 2007 and has given healthy focus to the College’s growth since that time. A new strategic planning conversation will likely include robust discussion of key issues: faculty teaching load and compensation; allocation of resources across the academic program; strategies for enhancing accessibility, diversity, and inclusion; increasing financial aid resources; expanding co-curricular programming and real world experiences for students while sustaining Scripps’ curricular commitment to interdisciplinary humanities; and positioning the school as a leader in national dialogues on the importance and value of a residential liberal arts education. The president will be expected to collaborate with the Board of Trustees to help the institution frame these discussions productively, develop a plan that gives the College a strong sense of vision and direction, and work within an enthusiastic and supportive community to deliver on the goals identified.
• Build the College’s financial resources
  Scripps is in a healthy financial position today, with a balanced budget, robust admissions profile, and attractive cost-sharing arrangements within the Claremont consortium. The current fundraising campaign, “More Scripps: The Campaign for Scripps College,” was launched in November 2013, and has raised $116 million to date toward its $175 million goal. The next president will need to sustain the momentum of the campaign, build relationships early with key prospects and donors, and lead the College to a successful conclusion of this important effort while laying the groundwork for even greater future philanthropic engagement from Scripps’ many supporters—trustees, alumnae, parents, faculty, staff, students, and friends alike.
• Advance diversity and inclusivity on campus
  Scripps is committed to continuing the progress it has achieved in building a campus-wide culture of inclusion. The next president will have the opportunity to build upon this foundation and champion initiatives that advance inclusion, diversity, equity, and access throughout the Scripps community.
• Serve as a visible advocate for Scripps and the value of a liberal arts education
  Scripps has enjoyed increased national recognition and prominence in the past decade. Consistently ranked among the top national liberal arts colleges, Scripps has been able to provide leadership in national conversations on topics ranging from the abiding relevance and power of the humanities; the importance of global and interdisciplinary perspectives within the liberal arts; diversity, access, and inclusion in higher education; and the meaning and value of women’s education in the 21st century. The next president of Scripps will be expected to maintain Scripps’ reputation, engagement, and visibility in these and other settings, and to advocate persuasively on behalf of the College’s essential beliefs and priorities.
• Sustain and enhance Scripps’ role within The Claremont Colleges
  Scripps is fortunate to be a member of one of the most robust collaborations in American higher education. The next president of Scripps will be expected to commit deeply to this partnership in the following ways: building effective working relationships with fellow Claremont college presidents; creating opportunities for Scripps to join and contribute to initiatives, programs, and shared resources within the consortium; and championing Scripps’ priorities and needs in this complex environment.

Desired Qualifications and Personal Characteristics

The next president of Scripps College will be a proactive, collaborative, inspirational, and transparent leader with the following qualifications and personal characteristics:

• Commitment to Scripps’ core values of intellectual curiosity and risk-taking, service, global citizenry, and the celebration of difference;
• Staunch supporter of the liberal arts and women’s education;
• Experience with balancing the needs of various constituencies;
• Disciplined and strategic approach to long-term planning and institutional sustainability;
• Capacity to manage and focus a complex organization;
• Decisive yet collaborative approach to making decisions;
• Exercises flexibility while working with multiple advisors;
• Possession of an informed commitment and sensitivity to issues of diversity and inclusion;
• Courageous, consensus-seeking leadership style, especially in the context of the Claremont consortium;
• Fundraising proficiency, including the ability to successfully close a campaign and to inspire ongoing support for the College;
• Respect for and commitment to shared governance;
• Aptitude for recruiting and retaining outstanding staff and faculty;
• Ability to be articulate, clear, and eloquent when describing Scripps;
• Commitment to transparent and respectful communication, including deep listening;
• Talent for financial management and understanding of financial trends in higher education;
• Proclivity for welcoming challenges within the context of constructive and civil discourse;
• Desire to be an accessible, visible member of the campus community;
• Superb emotional intelligence, unwavering energy, intellectual heft, charisma, kindness, a strong sense of humor, and approachability.