An Introduction to Georgetown College
Vice President for Student Life Search
PROSPECTUS
The Search Committee for the Vice President of Student Life at Georgetown College announce the search for the next Vice President of Student Life. The college invites expressions of interest in this opportunity to lead the Student Life programs of a highly regarded and historical liberal arts institution in the beautiful bluegrass country of Kentucky. Georgetown is located 12 miles north of Lexington, Kentucky, just west of Interstate 75 and north of Interstate 64. The college is located seventy-five miles south of Cincinnati, Ohio and seventy miles east of Louisville, Kentucky.
About Georgetown College Mission and Values
Georgetown College is a small, residential, coeducational liberal arts institution which is distinguished by its respected
rigorous undergraduate and graduate programs, an array of opportunities for engagement and leadership, and a commitment to Christian values and distinctive religious heritage. These qualities provide for intellectual, spiritual and social growth on the part of students. The curriculum and program offerings help to shape informed thought and action in order to prepare students for their place in society. The college seeks persons committed to supporting its mission and to
realizing their full potential in a caring community of learners. Students are encouraged to discover ways in which Christian men and women can live, work and serve most effectively in contemporary society. With institutional roots dating back to 1787, the college is a Carnegie Baccalaureate Liberal Arts institution and has been historically related to the Kentucky Baptist Convention. More than 1500 students (graduate and undergraduate) are enrolled in the college and pursue their education within the framework of the Christian faith. The three words that describe the ethos of the campus are Live, Learn, and Believe. These words are visible on banners all over campus and remind everyone of the key components of campus life. “Georgetown College is an innovative community (live) of scholars developing ethical scholars (learn) committed to our heritage of Christian discernment (believe).� Residential living and personal interaction are hallmarks of life on campus and are valued as an integral part of an educated person’s preparation for life beyond college. A liberal arts education strives to develop the whole person by fostering an understanding of a variety of disciplines and teaching the individual how to think with depth and flexibility. In this Christian community, the faculty and leadership do not tell students what to believe, but instead provide an atmosphere that encourages belief and supports it. Stu-
The three words that describe the ethos of the campus are
Live, Learn, and Believe. These words are visible on banners all over campus and remind everyone of the key components of campus life.
dents are free to develop belief systems and are encouraged to test them against the variety of opinions that exist in a diverse community. The college fosters a student’s faith and the college has faith in its students and their ability to believe in themselves. In 2012, The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools renewed the regional accreditation of Georgetown College for 10 years without any recommendations.
History of the Institution Georgetown College made history as the first Baptist College founded west of the Allegheny Mountains. In 1829, the Kentucky legislature granted a charter to the Kentucky Baptist Education Society for the development of an institution of higher education. The citizens of Georgetown convinced the Society’s trustees to locate the school in their city by donating the former Rittenhouse Academy begun in 1787, along with its fifty-two acres and $20,000 in donations. The college struggled through its early years but the basic foundations of the institution were secured between 1839 and 1894. During that period, the college acquired its first endowment, an all-Baptist Board of Trustees and a permanent faculty. The Civil War years were very difficult and the college closed briefly. The first women were enrolled in 1889 and graduated for the first time in 1893. At the turn of the century, the college had four main buildings and enjoyed lay leadership on several occasions. Two world wars and the Great Depression almost closed the college a second time but postwar enrollment of veterans gave a boost to Georgetown College, along with many colleges in the country. In 1967, enrollment exceeded 1600 students and the college enjoyed highly successful athletic teams along with expanded academic offerings which helped build financial strength for the future. Hundreds of public school teachers enrolled to pursue master’s degrees for certification purposes. Dr. William H. Crouch, Jr. became president in 1991 and additional expansion occurred with a new neoclassical library, fine arts building, recreation center, and a conference and athletic complex. The latter resulted in the Cincinnati Bengals selecting Georgetown College as the site for its summer training camp from 1997-2011. The college’s athletic teams enjoy great success in national competition. In 2005, Georgetown College negotiated a separation agreement with the Kentucky Baptist Convention that allows for a self-perpetuating Board of Trustees independent of denominational control. The college serves a significant number of Baptist students, values its heritage, and seeks to build on its record of diversity in serving persons of the Christian faith in the state, nation, and world. In fact, the college has continued its relationship with Baptist churches and organizations.
Current Description Georgetown College offers a wide range of majors and minors in various academic departments. Students can choose their academic path
The curriculum and Student Life are directed by the Statement of Eight Guiding Principles, which are as follows:
Quality, as expressed in Jesus Christ as our way of life.
Excellent Service is our goal. Loyalty is our strength. Teamwork is to be cherished. Positive Vision will motivate us. Stewardship is our responsibility. Personal Growth will bring us joy. Commitment will be reaffirmed daily.
and include internships and international travel-study to enrich their experiences. The following undergraduate departments offer majors, minors, and other programs of study: Art, Biology, Business Administration and Economics, Chemistry, Communication and Media Studies, Education, English, History, Kinesiology and Health Studies, Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science, Modern and Classical Languages and Cultures, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Religion, Sociology, and Theatre and Film. An honors program, Spanish Immersion classes, and opportunities to apply for Fulbright Scholarships are part of the rich Georgetown College academic landscape. A writing center, tutoring center, intensive English offering, Foust Artist Series, and Marshall Center for Christian Ministry add depth to the curricular offerings. Georgetown College has a partnership with Regent’s Park College, an institution of Oxford University in England. Graduate education curriculum for early and mid-career educators includes Learning Behavior Disorders, Alternative Certification in Secondary Education, Combined Learning Behavior Disorders/Moderate to Severe Disability Rank 1, and Advanced Educational Programs in Master of Arts/Teacher Leader and Master of Arts Rank 1 School Improvement.
Campus facilities have expanded over the past two decades with the neoclassical library, art building, conference center and athletic complex, and state-of-the-art housing for students. The campus is a mix of classical buildings, historical landmarks, and modern brick construction, located on the edge of historic Georgetown. Rapid growth in population of the region related to the expansive Toyota manufacturing facility that employs 7,500 workers prompted construction of housing developments, restaurants, and hotels nearby to accommodate the influx of people. Conveniences of modern development are coupled with and surrounded by beautiful horse farms in the rolling hill country. The college enjoys an excellent location in a rapidly developing part of Kentucky along its main interstate transportation corridors and in close proximity to major public universities.
Expanded campus facilities include an athletic complex, library, and dorms.
Financial Status and Operation The college operates with an annual budget of approximately $36 million, though it has had difficulty in meeting its budget requirements for the past two years due to economically related declines in enrollment evident at higher education institutions nationally. The approximate $41 million endowment, while substantial for colleges of its size, needs to be enlarged to sufficiently cover financial aid needs of students and offer more competitive salaries for faculty. The campus facilities are attractive and functional, but budgetary constraints have resulted in a reasonable amount of deferred maintenance in older residence halls and classrooms. These needs and the desire of campus leadership to continue to serve a diverse population that requires substantial financial aid will necessitate additional fundraising, as well as growth in revenues from increased enrollment.
The college leadership has experienced financial challenges in the past and believes the current budget shortfalls will be overcome with return to basic enrollment strength and expanded fundraising. Approximately $1 million is raised in annual donations for operations and $3 - $4 million is raised for the total needs of the institution. The college has 15,000 alumni of record, but only sixteen percent contribute annually. The leadership believes much potential exists for greater alumni support of the high quality institution that is Georgetown College if properly cultivated. Construction of several much-needed new facilities in recent years helped to raise the debt level of the college to approximately $38 million, As a result, not much flexibility remains for further borrowing without growth in endowment and operating budgets.
Student Life Student Life at the college has a focus on Christian values in a caring community. Thirty percent of students are members of fraternities and sororities. Greek organizations are a significant part of campus life and are historically important to alumni. Campus diversity has been a major focus of college leadership for more than two decades. The college has developed a strong reputation for diversity in gender, race, and culture which has helped to improve access for students to college programs and also retention of students through such programs. Unless able to commute from a neighboring county, students are required to live on campus throughout their undergraduate experience.
Approximately ten percent of Georgetown students are commuters. Campus organizations include a number of groups important to the life of the college including: the Student Government Association, Maskrafters (Kentucky’s oldest collegiate theatre company), Abolitionist Movement (which fosters awareness of human trafficking), activities council, Interfraternity and Panhellenic councils, student newspaper, Lyric Theatre Society, American Chemical Society, and an award-winning fishing club. Athletic teams for football, basketball, and volleyball competed successfully on the national level with football championships in 1991, 2000, and 2001, a basketball championship in 1998 along with seven national Final Four appearances and fourteen straight championships in the Mid-South Conference. Other teams have earned impressive honors, as well. Built in 1997, the college’s East Campus Conference and Athletic Complex greatly enhanced athletic offerings. The college currently offers the following NAIA Division I teams for men: baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, tennis, and track
GC has a history of winning athletics teams.
and field. Also, the college offers competition for women in basketball, cross country, dance, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. The college is in the process of applying for NCAA II status and hopes to transfer to the new athletic association in 2014. The college believes the athletic teams can compete well in the NCAA, and that changing the affiliation will allow them to continue their successful records and result in positive academic benefits by enrolling students interested in competing in winning programs.
Strengths of the College Notable strengths are the great sense of community and personal atmosphere maintained for teaching and learning with a low 12:1 student-faculty ratio. Georgetown College has traditions that have helped it remain a major higher education force in the region,
such as strong academic offerings in the liberal arts, Greek life for men and women, Baptist church polity and Christian values that permeate all phases of campus life. The college excels nationally in the percentage of students who enroll in graduate and professional schools. Students have been selected Rhodes Scholars
five times and the college has had 26 Fulbright Scholars since 1989. This is an enviable record and one that sets Georgetown College apart from many smaller liberal arts colleges. Georgetown College enjoys one of the best locations in the country by being situated in a region with strong economic development, convenient transportation, other excellent higher education institutions nearby, beautiful countryside, and a variety of weather and seasons. The college has blended academic life,
Special Recognitions Georgetown College has been recognized in 2011-2012 Colleges of Distinction with four areas of significance: engaged students, great teaching, vibrant communities, and successful outcomes. The Princeton Review noted the college as a “Best Southeast College.” America’s Best Christian Colleges honored the institution with recognition for providing students the highest quality education in a Christian environment. America’s 100 Best Buys listed the college a “great financial deal” for eleven years. U.S. News & World Report has ranked the college as a “best” liberal arts college for sixteen years and now recognizes it as a Tier I institution. spiritual development, and competitive athletics into student offerings that have helped it achieve national rankings among similar colleges.
Opportunities for Advancing the College The traditional undergraduate enrollment of the college has declined for the past two years and has created a financial challenge for the board and leadership. The college has responded to the challenge with consultative assistance and the recruitment of
new leadership in enrollment management and other staff positions. A stronger enrollment is anticipated for the fall of 2013. The restoration of the base enrollment should be very important to the new leadership along with the consideration of new successful academic programs which are consistent with the college’s mission. These programs need to focus on undergraduate enrollment and also take advantage of the strong position Georgetown College enjoys in graduate education offerings in order to spread the institution’s overhead over a larger base. The college needs to enhance its development staff and benefit more from the wealth base in the region and from alumni who had memorable and beneficial experiences as students. The need for renovation of student housing will continue to be a challenge during tight budget periods, but it needs immediate attention to help with retention. The current endowment is not sufficient to maintain competitive faculty and staff compensation levels and student financial aid, but concentrated attention to securing long-term and estate gifts and annuities will help build assets for endowment and operating support. The reduction of the debt level would release funds to operations and also allow for further investment in physical plant renovations and improvement of technology on campus. Georgetown College enjoys excellent national standing in higher education and this status can be leveraged to obtain the resources needed to continue its advancement and competitiveness in higher education.
Attributes of the Vice President for Student Life • A person of strong Christian faith and ecumenical spirit who will respect and build upon the college’s Baptist heritage, relate well to the college’s religiously diverse constituents, and further Georgetown’s mission as a Christian college. • An experienced Student Life administrator with an understanding of collegial decision-making within the academic community, personalized education for students, liberal arts based curricula for undergraduates and professional graduate education for adults
and professionals in the region. • A strategic, visionary Student Life leader who values thinking and learning, and is well versed in Student Life programs. • A proficient communicator who is inter-culturally competent, able to build meaningful relationships with all members of the educational community with a strong focus on students. • An astute results-oriented Student Life leader who demonstrates stewardship of resources, and ability to
acquire funds externally to meet institutional goals. • A productive and energetic leader who will be highly visible in Student Life. • An intuitive administrator who understands trends in Student Life programs and knows how to administer notices and disciplinary proceedings effectively. • An individual with a genuine disposition who values
integrity, honesty, and transparency in Student Life and the many relationships with students and parents within the college community. • Demonstrated record of effectiveness and accomplishment that reinforces appropriate credentials for the leadership of Student Life at a national liberal arts college.
Process of Application The presidential search committee will begin review of applications on May 15, 2013. Completed applications for first review should be received prior to that date. The search committee will continue its work and review of expressions of interest until an appointment is made.
Applications must include a letter of interest that addresses prospectus issues and desired attributes for the Vice President for Student Life, a comprehensive curriculum vitae, and five professional references with email addresses and phone numbers (references will not be contacted without the express permission of the candidate). Please submit applications to Tracie Shapiro, Director of Human Resources at Tracie_Shapiro@georgetowncollege.edu.
For a copy of the profile and additional information about the college consult www.georgetowncollege.edu or www.agbsearch.com Georgetown College is an equal opportunity and affirmative action educational institution.
www.georgetowncollege.edu