Vice President

for

College

Advancement

 

 

Mission Statement

Young Harris College educates, inspires, and empowers students through a comprehensive liberal arts experience that integrates mind, body, and spirit.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Young Harris College, one of the nation’s leading private liberal arts colleges, seeks an experienced administrator and accomplished fundraiser to serve asVice President for College Advancement. The cabinet-level post reports directly to the College President and is responsible for all institutional advancement activities, including fund raising, planned giving, alumni services, and college relations. The Vice President for College Advancement will have the lead role in planning and implementing the College’s new multi-million-dollar capital campaign. The fund-raising goals being set will require the new administrator to move the current advancement program to a higher and more comprehensive level. The work of this individual, along side the President and other senior administrators, will have a transforming impact on the future of Young Harris, especially as the College moves from a two-year to a four-year baccalaureate institution over the next three years.

THE INSTITUTION

Young Harris College is a private, residential, liberal arts institution located in the southern Appalachian region. Affiliated with the United Methodist Church, the College has one of the largest endowments of any private two-year college in the nation. The College is moving to a baccalaureate degree-granting institution and anticipates conferring its first baccalaureate degree in 2011.

Founded in 1886 by a circuit-riding minister, the College was originally known as McTyeire Institute, for the town in which it was located. The name was soon changed to Young Harris College to honor its first great benefactor, Judge Young L. G. Harris of Athens, Georgia. Later, the town was renamed Young Harris.

Young Harris College is located 100 miles north of Atlanta, between Hiawassee and Blairsville, near the 7,200-acre Lake Chatuge. Nestled among the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains in Towns County, which is 60 percent National Forest Land, the county has a population of 10,000, growing to 25,000 during the tourist season. The College shares a close and vibrant relationship with the surrounding communities and serves as the cultural center of the region.

The financial condition of the College is excellent. The campus is beautifully landscaped, the facilities are exceptionally well maintained, and the institution is debt free. Enrollment is strong and steadily growing, pulling largely from northeast Georgia and the Atlanta metropolitan area, with most of the 635 students living in campus housing. The well-credentialed faculty is competitive with many larger four-year colleges, and the sense of community is strong throughout the campus.

College Leadership

In 2007, the Board of Trustees of the College recruited and appointed Cathy Cox, a highly regarded former Secretary of State of Georgia, as the new President of Young Harris. Her first goal is to successfully move the institution from a two-year to a four-year degree curriculum, including the development of new academic programs and facilities. The Vice President for College Advancement will work closely with President Cox to implement her ambitious, yet achievable, multi-year strategic plan for the College. Other members of her cabinet are the Provost and the Vice President for Finance, Vice President for Student Development, Vice President for Institutional Research and Planning, Vice President for Enrollment Management, and Vice President for Campus Technology.

Facts and Figures

Known for its world-class academic programs and United Methodist affiliation, the College attracts students from across the state. The enrollment consists of students from 65 counties throughout Georgia, 10 other states, and 12 foreign countries. The Fall 2007 entering freshman cohort average SAT score was 1007, with a high school grade-point average of 3.21. Of the entering freshmen from Georgia, 84 percent were HOPE recipients.

With a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio and an enrollment of 635 students, Young Harris combines a rigorous academic curriculum with a nurturing learning environment. Of the 42 full-time faculty members, 73 percent hold the doctorate or the highest degree offered in their field. The small class sizes, student-centered teachers, and the traditional small-college environment enhanced by excellent resources and facilities, add to the charm of Young Harris and produce graduates who are well prepared to complete their junior and senior years at competitive four-year colleges. Presently, more than 80 percent of Young Harris’ graduates successfully transfer to senior colleges and universities. As the College moves to a four-year status, it is expected that many of these students will remain at Young Harris for their junior and senior years.

Facilities

The College facilities and campus are centered on 30 acres, adjoining approximately 700 additional acres of College-owned mountain land. The campus consists of a fine arts building, including an auditorium with seating capacity of 1,200 and a large stage and orchestra pit for dramatic and musical presentations; a center for humanities and social and behavioral studies, including a conference room, a 158-seat modern audio/visual lecture hall, and a black box theatre for the performing arts; a center for mathematics and sciences, including the third largest planetarium in the state; an astronomical observatory; library and library annex with holdings of more than 49,000 volumes, 237 current periodical subscriptions and cassette and film media; seven residence halls that house approximately 525 students; a student center; a recreation center, including a gymnasium, weight room and six-lane indoor swimming pool; a dining hall, including a private dining area that seats 40; a chapel built in 1892, which is the oldest building and center of campus life; a church that serves the needs of the College and community; an administration building, and several support facilities. College intercollegiate and intramural facilities include six tennis courts, gymnasium, six-lane indoor swimming pool, baseball field and stadium, fast-pitch softball field and stadium, two soccer fields and a multipurpose intramural field.

The book value of the physical plant exceeds $41.3 million. Every building on campus is wired for technology and is state-of-the-art, including five computer labs, two mobile computer labs and 12 smart classrooms. The College has a campus-wide wireless network. Within the past 15 years, every building on campus has been remodeled or built. The most recent renovation was of the student dining hall, completed in January 2008. The newest building on campus, a $4.2 million residential hall with 96 beds, opened in 2002. Plans are underway to construct a 200-bed residential facility, beginning in summer 2008.

Accreditation

Young Harris College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097: telephone number 404-679-4501) to award the associate degree, and by the University Senate of the United Methodist Church.

Academic Programs

Designed within the framework of a core of selected courses, the associate degree programs provide a strong general education for transfer to senior colleges and universities. The Associate of Arts degree is offered with a concentration in liberal arts or religious studies; the Associate of Fine Arts degree, with a concentration in art, music, theatre and musical theatre, and the Associate of Science degree, with a concentration in business, international business, education, recreation, science, computer science and allied health.

In the fall of 2009 and 2010, the College anticipates offering third- and fourth-year coursework, respectively. The College anticipates that four majors will be initially offered at the baccalaureate degree-level: music, biology, English and business/public policy.

Students Organizations and Athletics

Student involvement in activities outside the classroom is encouraged. Young Harris offers more than 40 student organizations in which students can learn and demonstrate leadership and organizational skills. The Athletic Program has five intercollegiate teams that participate in the National Junior College Athletic Association, Division I, and the Georgia Junior College Athletic Association: men’s and women’s soccer, men’s baseball, women’s fast-pitch softball and women’s tennis. These teams compete against other two-year institutions, as well as four-year institutions. Young Harris student athletes won the National Women’s Soccer Championship in 2006 and went to the Junior College World Series in baseball in 2007.

THE CANDIDATE

The candidate must have a baccalaureate degree, with an advanced degree preferred. Other qualified candidates with successful backgrounds will be considered and are encouraged to explore this exceptional leadership opportunity.

The successful candidate must possess the following qualities:

• An enthusiasm for higher education to effectively articulate the mission, goals and values of Young Harris College to all constituencies.
• A self-starter attitude with a strong work ethic that includes the necessary energy, intellect and judgment to be successful and to represent the College and the President.
• A proven record of significant and progressive experience in successful fund-raising activities, encompassing setting goals, planning and executing capital campaigns, identifying foundations and major donors, preparing grants and presentations, and soliciting gifts.
• The ability and confidence to interface successfully with people of means and influence, including trustees, major donors, foundations, corporate and business leaders, friends and alumni, to promote the President’s priorities and initiatives to advance the institution.
• Exceptional and persuasive communication skills, both oral and written, in addressing internal and external audiences.
• Proven experience as a successful leader and manager of a comprehensive staff of advancement professionals and support staff.
• Expertise to prepare, implement and monitor complex budgets and financial recordkeeping for campaigns and gifts.
• Commitment to work collaboratively with administrative leadership as well as faculty, staff and others across the college and the community.
• Enthusiasm for living in a small town and being recognized as an integral member of the local community.
• Ability to travel extensively as needed.

Nominations and expressions of interest should be sent to jma@jonmcrae.com. All inquiries will be treated confidentially. More information is available about Young Harris College at their website www.yhc.edu.

Young Harris College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national and ethnic origin in the administration of its education policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic programs, and other College-administered programs. Furthermore, Young Harris College does not discriminate on the basis of physical handicap in the recruitment and admission of students, the recruitment and employment of faculty and staff, and the operation of any of its programs and activities.