Opportunity

University of Illinois-Chicago
Director of UIC Student Centers
Chicago, IL

Director of UIC Student Centers
University of Illinois-Chicago

A dynamic and creative leader will be chosen as the new director of student centers at the University of Illinois at Chicago. UIC is a major university: the largest institution of higher education in the Chicago area, one of the top 50 research universities in the country, and a significant center for education, research, and public service. Its 15 colleges and professional schools offer bachelor's degrees in 74 fields, master's degrees in 77, and doctorates in 60. The university's annual budget exceeds $1.75 billion.

UIC students reflect the diversity of 21st century America. No racial/ethnic group constitutes a majority of the student body. UIC is ranked fourth in diversity among all public universities and is the most diverse urban public university in the nation. Over 30% of the students are non-native speakers of English.

The UIC faculty is nationally recognized for excellence in research, teaching, and public service. Over an eight-year period, the university ranked thirteenth nationwide in the number of full-year National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships awarded to faculty members. Faculty members have received prestigious National Science Foundation Career awards, Guggenheim Foundation grants, Fulbright Distinguished Professorship awards, and Sloan Foundation Fellowships, among many others. Despite the faculty's annual $258 million in research and more than $100 million in public service activity, 75 percent of tenured professors teach undergraduate courses.

The director maintains the highest quality of customer service, employee development, and facility improvement. Supporting the university's academic mission and the enrichment of campus life, the student centers provide diverse programs and activities, services, and facilities that strongly support student learning and engagement, and place the interests of UIC's diverse and multicultural population at highest priority.

With the numerous activities anyone can find in a world-class city, Student Centers must provide students with opportunities that appeal to them and enrich their campus experience. The main challenge that the director faces is to provide a comfortable atmosphere that fosters social interaction among students and offers a large array of enriching and entertaining experiences
conducive to making UIC their "home community." The director must also maintain a keen awareness of any and all opportunities throughout Chicago, so that he/she can alert students to more experiences that might enhance their learning and growth.

The student centers director oversees Campus Programs, Campus Recreation, Student Centers Building Operations, and the UIC Forum. More importantly, the position is responsible for maintaining an environment that is focused on students and empowers them to lead. The UIC campus is served by two college union buildings-UIC Student Center East and UIC Student Center West. UIC also operates two recreation facilities, the Sport and Fitness Center, adjoining UIC Student Center West, and the Student Recreation Facility, just across the street from UIC Student Center East. The UIC Forum, opened in February of 2008, hosts campus and community events ranging from conferences to concerts and wedding receptions. The UIC Student Centers includes over 862,000 square feet of facilities making it one of the largest college union operations in the country. In addition, the Student Centers provide management supervision for the Student Services Building and custodial support to a number of satellite dining operations.

The selected candidate will have demonstrated credentials in leadership, innovation, budget management, employee development, strategic planning, and student learning within a college union environment. Remuneration is competitive, as is the benefit package, which includes a tuition waiver. To be considered for this position, candidates must have at least seven years of progressive experience in the direct management of a student center or college union or a unit which typically reports to a student center or college union. In lieu of direct experience in a student center or college union, at least ten years of progressive management in a higher education institution will be required with direct student contact for at least seven of those ten years. A master's degree in student personnel services, higher education, or another appropriate discipline is required; a doctorate is preferred. Candidates must submit a letter of interest, a resume, and a brief (one-page) summary of their philosophy of the role of college unions in a student's academic experience to William Spelman Executive Search.

Interested individuals should send a letter describing their interest in and qualifications for the position, a resume, and contact information including mailing and email addresses for five references. The packet should be sent electronically (Microsoft Word attachments preferred) to leadership@wspelman.com. The subject line in the email should be UIC. Confidential inquiries will be received at 585.787.9742.

Documents that must be mailed should be sent to William Spelman Executive Search at 667 Midship Circle, Webster, NY 14580. Confidentiality will be maintained, and references will not be contacted without prior knowledge or approval of the candidate. For full consideration, all materials must be submitted by June 14, 2009. The process will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

For more information, visit the university's web site at:
www.uic.edu or www.wspelman.com

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