The Opportunity

Connecticut College is seeking a new director of athletics/chair of physical education to lead a department of talented coaches and staff who are deeply committed to Division III athletics and the scholar-athlete model within one of the most competitive Division III conferences in the country (New England Small College Athletic Conference—NESCAC). This is an exciting time in the development of the athletics program at the College as the new director of athletics will be joining Connecticut College during year-four of the implementation of the College’s strategic plan and year-three of a comprehensive fundraising campaign — both of which include important priorities in athletics.

The College, founded in 1911, is a highly selective, private, coeducational, liberal arts institution enrolling 1,850 men and women from 42 states and 70 countries. The 750-acre campus is an arboretum and is supported by a staff and faculty of more than 800. The mission of Connecticut College is to “educate students to put the liberal arts into action as citizens in a global society.” The community is bound by a fiercely held value of shared governance, high academic standards, an honor code that encourages students to hold each other accountable, and a commitment to environmental stewardship and social justice. There is a vibrant arts scene on campus, along with a strong tradition of the scholar-athlete — at least 30 percent of the student body participates in competitive NCAA Division III sports and 20 percent participate in club sports.

PDF

The Position

Role of the Director of Athletics/Chair of Physical Education

The director of athletics is responsible for overseeing an athletics program of 28 intercollegiate sports, 45 coaches and athletics staff, and facilities including the Lott Natatorium, the Higdon Fitness Center, Dayton Arena, and the College’s waterfront property. Connecticut College supports over 500 student-athletes with 20 adjunct faculty head coaches, 17 assistant coaches, and 11 staff, including the director of the Camel Athletics Network/athletics director emeritus, two associate directors of athletics/head coaches, the assistant director of athletics for business operations, the manager of athletics facilities/recreation/home events, four certified athletic trainers, the sports information director, and the arena manager. The department of athletics also coordinates intramural sports and partners with the office of Student Engagement and New Student Programs to offer 16 club sports. The director of athletics, in conjunction with key stakeholders, also oversees the annual review and reappointment and promotion processes for all head coaches.

One of the major goals of the College’s strategic plan, Building on Strength, is to elevate athletics; more specifically, to “heighten the competitiveness, success, and integration of the College’s athletics programs.” To accomplish this goal, the plan presents three objectives:

  • Make strategic investments in infrastructure and operating support for varsity athletics
  • Develop club, intramural, and recreational programs for everyone
  • Strengthen connections among athletics, academics, and the co-curriculum

The director will lead the department and College in developing a vision and approach to achieving these goals.

The new director will join the College as it is in the midst of developing, with CHA sports architects, a master plan for the College’s athletics facilities. The director is expected to work very closely and collaboratively with colleagues across campus including those within the divisions of Student Life, Dean of the College, Institutional Equity and Inclusion, Advancement, Communications, Admissions, as well as Facilities Management. The director also serves as liaison to appropriate governing bodies such as the NCAA and NESCAC.

Selected responsibilities include:

Supervision

  • Supervision of the athletics administrative leadership team to include the director of the Camel Athletics Network/athletic director emeritus; the assistant director for business operations, and two associate directors of athletics/head coaches.
  • Supervision and mentoring of specific head coaches, including annual reviews, and reappointment and promotion reviews
  • Supervision of coaches with special administrative assignments including:
    • Aquatics Director for Lott Natatorium
    • Director for Higdon Fitness Center
    • Director of the Waterfront
    • Director of Physical Education
    • Coordinator of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC)
  • Supervise Director of Sports Medicine

Operations and Planning

  • Prepare, review, and execute the department budget.
  • Determine current and projected department budget requirements.
  • Coordinate the assignments of all department operations to department members, including teaching, administrative assignments, and department committee work.
  • Conduct department meetings for the dissemination of information, the education of department members, and the discussion of issues important to the functions of the department.
  • Coordinate searches for vacant department positions, including the formation of the search committee, identification of the final candidates, candidate interviews, and selection of a successful candidate in consultation with the dean of faculty and the dean of students.
  • Work with Facilities Management on the oversight and short- and long-term planning of all athletics facilities.
  • Coordinate an annual recruitment plan and collaborate with the Admissions on matriculation of student-athletes.
  • Partner with College Advancement on the promotion of the Camel Athletic Network and athletics fundraising.
  • Coordinate the education of all student-athletes on the honor code/student code of conduct and campus engagement opportunities with colleagues in Student Life.
  • Oversee the operation of all summer sports camps and clinics.

Compliance

  • Serve as liaison to appropriate governing bodies such as the NCAA and NESCAC, including attendance at annual meetings, nomination of student-athletes for awards, and submission of bids for hosting NCAA championships.
  • Oversee rules education for staff and sexual assault training for all staff and student-athletes.
  • Manage the execution of various reporting, including NCAA Sports Sponsorship and Demographic report, EADA report, Graduation Rates, NCAA Institutional Self-Study Guide (ISSG) in 2023, and Financial Aid reporting.
  • Conduct annual pre-season meetings with each varsity program to coordinate the signing of NCAA and department paperwork and the dissemination of NCAA, NESCAC, and department rules and regulations.
  • Represent athletics on all internal committees and forums regarding athletics, including reporting to the trustees, president, and dean of students.

History of the Position

The department of athletics and physical education at Connecticut College was formed with the hiring of its first director of athletics, Charles B. Luce, in 1974. Prior to hiring Luce, there were many intercollegiate and intramural activities for the students however, they were not formally overseen by an administrative group. Luce, who served as director of athletics from 1974 to 1992, is credited with forming the modern-day athletics program.

Luce worked with then president Oakes Ames and treasurer Lee Knight to put into motion his vision for a Division III athletics program. Luce built the program from six sports in 1974 to 19 in 1984. Together with senior administration, he was successful in developing the campus east of route 32 with the construction of Dayton Arena in 1979. The addition of the ice arena brought men’s ice hockey and contributed further to the College’s move to co-education which started in 1969.

Luce, having the vision to schedule as many NESCAC opponents as possible, was responsible for leading Connecticut College into the NESCAC in 1983. Soon after this the College moved to construct the athletic center, now appropriately named the Charles B. Luce Field House, completed and dedicated by the late Arthur Ashe in 1984. From 1984 to 1999, the athletics program grew from 19 sports to its current 28 sports (15 for women, 12 for men, and one coed team).

Luce retired in 1992 and he was succeeded by Robert Malekoff, a former lacrosse and soccer coach and administrator at Princeton and Harvard. Under Malekoff (1992 to 1996), the College continued to improve athletics facilities and competition with NESCAC institutions expanded. Wayne Swanson, government professor, served as interim director for one year. The next director of athletics was Kenneth McBryde who served from 1997 to 2002. During his tenure the NCAA instituted the automatic qualifier for championships, putting heavy emphasis on conference competition and equal access to championships. Following McBryde, Stanton Ching, chemistry professor, served as interim director during the 2002-2003 academic year. When Swanson and Ching stepped into their interim director roles they both were the College’s Faculty Athletic Representatives (FAR) to the NCAA.

In July of 2003, Fran Shields became the director of athletics and he has served in this role for the past 16 years. He first joined the department of athletics at the College in the fall of 1980 as head coach of men’s lacrosse and during his time in that position, built the varsity men’s lacrosse program into a nationally ranked program. He was named national (USILA) Coach of the Year in 1993.

As athletics director, Shields led the intercollegiate programs to improved competitive success in the NESCAC and oversaw a $16 million transformation of the athletics facilities, including the construction of the artificial turf at Silfen Field, the Ann & Lee Higdon Fitness Center, the renovation of the South Tennis Courts, and improvements to the waterfront for sailing and rowing. Shields has made significant contributions to campus life as a member of the first Presidential Task Force on Athletics in 2002, the President’s Commission on a Pluralistic Community in 2003, the Connecticut College Strategic Planning Committee in 2004, and the Strategic Plan Implementation Committee in 2017. He also served on the College’s recent campus master plan steering committee.

His 40-year history with the institution and the number of student athletes Sheilds impacted enables him to play an important role in helping the College achieve its goals for athletics as outlined in the strategic plan. With a strategic plan objective of making investments in the athletics infrastructure and in the operating support for varsity athletics, combined with the College beginning the third year of a comprehensive campaign, Shields is moving out of the director of athletics role to become the inaugural director of the Camel Athletics Network/athletic director emeritus. In this new role, Shields will report to both Kim Verstandig, vice president for college advancement, and to the incoming director of athletics. Contributing to the leadership teams of both departments, he will work to build collaboration between advancement and athletics and, given his deep alumni network, he will mobilize alumni and donors to support varsity athletics and the athletics master plan that are part of the College’s current campaign.

Opportunities and Challenges of the Position

  • As articulated in the strategic plan, the focus for the new director will be to increase competitiveness, success, and integration of the athletics program more firmly into the life of the College, connecting athletics with the co-curricular aspects of the student experience.
  • The new director will need to manage competing priorities, create efficiencies, and be creative in allocating resources to meet short- and long-range goals.
  • The new director will need to develop a vision for the next phase of the Camel athletics program and weave that vision into the Camel Athletics Network fundraising priorities and the athletics master plan.
  • The new director has the unique opportunity to work with Fran Shields, in his capacity as the director of the Camel Athletics Network, to build a strong foundation in advancement for the athletics program, and to leverage the relationships that Shields has built, both internally and externally, over his tenure at the College.
  • Meeting the fundraising goals for athletics will be critical to advance the program and will require an athletics director who has strong budgeting skills and the ability to prioritize projects and programs to articulate the needs of the athletics program to donors.
  • The new director must possess integrity, live the values of the institution, hold staff and coaches accountable, and support a competitive athletic culture.
  • Connecticut College has a deep commitment to shared governance and the new director will need to work quickly to understand the culture and how that impacts the day-to-day operations of the athletics program.
  • The new director must be a professional who is passionate about students, student empowerment, and supporting the student voice.
  • The director will need to partner with the office of Student Engagement and New Student Programs to advance shared goals for the club sport program and collaborate on strategies to enhance intramural sports and recreation with a focus on health promotion and wellbeing.

Measures of Success

The Connecticut College director of athletics will be a strong partner and collaborator across the campus. The director will work closely with the inaugural director of the Camel Athletic Network and College Advancement in constructing a successful fundraising program for athletics that will support the priorities of the strategic plan and the overall campaign.

The new director will drive a vision for Camel Athletics that raises the overall competitiveness of the program within the NESCAC by increasing funding, enhancing facilities, and ultimately increasing the College’s winning percentage within the NESCAC. The director will have the highest level of integrity. To advance the goals that the College, division and the department have for athletics the new director will be a strategic thinker, will work with others to develop and implement a vision, and will inspire the campus community, parents, and alumni to come together to accomplish shared goals for the future.

Qualifications and Characteristics

The successful candidate will possess at least a master’s degree with demonstrated leadership in an athletics program that has a focus on the scholar-athlete and requires collaboration and partnership with key divisions and stakeholders across the institution. The new director will possess experience with budgeting and resource allocation, managing and developing coaches and staff, and be able to articulate and advance a vision for intercollegiate athletics excellence as well as club, intramural, and recreational programs that serve the broader college community. Additionally, the ideal candidate may possess experience in coaching, facility renewal/master planning, and/or fundraising.

Additionally, as articulated by Connecticut College stakeholders, the successful candidate will ideally bring the following qualities and attributes (in no particular order):

  • possess a significant understanding of NCAA Division III athletics in terms of program needs, compliance requirements, competition demands, and student-athlete development;
  • be a visible champion and advocate for coaching staff and athletic programs;
  • serve as an effective ambassador for athletics within student life and a strong collaborator with academic affairs, admissions, advancement, alumni relations, and facilities management;
  • promote excellence, respect tradition, and support success;
  • possess strong strategic-planning skills and an ability to build consensus and support for short- and long-term goals;
  • bring an appreciation for the role that recreation, fitness programs, club sports, and intramurals contribute to the overall student experience;
  • be highly collaborative and adaptable, be equipped to respond to changing dynamics as circumstances dictate;
  • possess superior mentoring and talent-management skills;
  • understand and appropriately support the engagement of parents in today’s athletics programs;
  • motivate and inspire others while projecting a passion for students;
  • provide leadership in the hiring, supervising, retention, and professional development of coaches;
  • demonstrate positive interpersonal skills of diplomacy, accessibility, and respect for the expertise and viewpoints of colleagues within and outside the department of athletics;
  • have a track record of being a skillful collaborator in complex settings;
  • possess the highest levels of personal and professional ethics and discretion.

The Institution Division/Department: An Overview
The Division of Student Life

The Division of Student Life is led by the dean of students, Dr. Victor Arcelus, who came to Connecticut College in July of 2013 after serving in various administrative and leadership positions at Gettysburg College and Bucknell University. The Division of Student Life is charged with enhancing and extending the personal and intellectual development of the College’s diverse student body and is comprised of the following departments:

  • Office of the Dean of Students
  • Athletics
  • Office of Residential Education and Living
  • Office of Student Engagement and New Student Programs
  • Office of Health Promotion and Wellbeing
  • Student Counseling and Health Services
  • Campus Safety

The deans and directors that lead these offices are part of the Student Life Leadership Team (SLLT). The primary goal of this team is to create a culture that challenges students to become integrative thinkers, engaged citizens, and leaders. The division pursues this by fostering an environment focused on student wellbeing; promoting an integrated learning experience focused on inclusive decision making; embedding the ideals of integrity, civility, and respect in our work; and collaborating across campus to cultivate a welcoming community where we challenge ourselves and our students to build understanding across difference. The director must demonstrate qualities that contribute to a setting where creativity and teamwork is highly valued with the ever-present goal of advancing student learning and development.

The Division of Student Life collaborates extensively with the Dean of the College Division and the Division of Institutional Equity and Inclusion. Together these three divisions make up what is known as the Student Experience Group (SEG) and collaborate to offer a vibrant and engaging student experience beyond the classroom that supports students’ academic goals and supports students as their pursue their passions and engage in the full life of the College.

Leadership of the Division of Student Life

Dr. Victor J. Arcelus – Dean of Students

Victor J. Arcelus joined Connecticut College in July of 2013. He is charged with enhancing and extending the personal and intellectual development of the College’s diverse student body. A specialist in holistic learning, Arcelus oversees residential education and living, student engagement and leadership education, health and counseling services, campus safety, sexual violence prevention and advocacy, student wellness and health education, new student orientation, athletics, and the College’s student conduct process.

Arcelus came to Connecticut College from Gettysburg College, where he was assistant dean of college life and director of residence life since 2008. Prior to holding that position, he was the director of student rights and responsibilities, overseeing all aspects of the student conduct system, and the associate director of residential life. While holding those two posts he also served as the international student advisor. Before Gettysburg, Arcelus worked in residence life at Bucknell University. Arcelus earned a doctorate in higher education from Pennsylvania State University, with anthropology as his area of concentration. His dissertation is an ethnographic study of how faculty and student affairs staff perceive their own and each other’s roles as educators and how these perceptions influence the potential for developing a learning-centered campus. Arcelus writes and presents on a variety of topics including academic and student affairs collaboration, intellectual climate, learning centeredness, and co-curricular learning goal development.

Organizational Chart for the Division of Student Life

The Institution Division/Department: An Overview
Intercollegiate Athletics

Connecticut College is a member of the NCAA Division III and the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC). There are 28 varsity sports programs, 15 for women, 12 for men, and a coed sailing team. Sports for both genders include basketball, cross country, ice hockey, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, squash, swimming, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and field, and water polo. There are women’s varsity programs in field hockey, sailing, and volleyball.

In addition to varsity programs, the department of athletics and physical education supports recreation, intramural, and physical education opportunities for all students. Additionally, athletics provides facilities for club sports in basketball, field hockey, figure skating, Frisbee, ice hockey, lacrosse, rugby, soccer, and volleyball. Off-campus club sports include equestrian, skiing, and baseball. Physical education courses include the one-credit courses in lifetime sports: golf, tennis, and squash and offerings in rock climbing, riding, scuba, ice skating, and fitness and stress management. There is a two-credit offering in sport leadership and four-credit offerings include contemporary issues in sport, theory of coaching, and essentials of fitness and wellness.

Overlooking the Thames River and Long Island Sound, Connecticut College’s athletic facilities provide unique and scenic views of the school’s picturesque waterfront campus. The facilities for the athletics program are extensive:

  • A 10,000-square foot fitness-wellness center features over 40 cardio stations and weight training space in two stories overlooking the Thames River;
  • A synthetic turf field with lights for use by field hockey, soccer and lacrosse, as well as club sports;
  • Six outdoor tennis courts;
  • A rock-climbing wall;
  • An ice arena for ice hockey and figure skating programs;
  • An eight-lane, 37.5-meter swimming pool and diving well;
  • Three multipurpose indoor courts for indoor tennis and recreational use;
  • Two wood floor practice and competition courts for volleyball and basketball and two wood floor exercise studios for team stretching, yoga, dance, Zumba, and Pilates;
  • Three international squash courts and two squash/racquetball conversion courts;
  • An on-campus waterfront with facilities for rowing and sailing programs and an indoor rowing tank facility complete with two double-sided tanks with eight seats and exercise equipment;
  • Two natural grass fields for varsity practice and competition and thee fields for club sports and recreation.

In addition to serving all 28 varsity sports, the facilities are open to Connecticut College students, faculty, staff, alumni, and their guests for recreational purposes. They are also used to host numerous camps and clinics during the academic year and throughout the summer.

For a complete description of each athletic facility:

http://camelathletics.com/facilities/photos/index

Organizational Chart for the Athletics Department

New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC)

Founded in 1971, the New England Small College Athletic Conference is a group of eleven highly selective liberal arts colleges and universities that share a similar philosophy for intercollegiate athletics. The Conference was created out of a concern for the direction of intercollegiate athletic programs and remains committed to keeping a proper perspective on the role of sport in higher education.

The formation of the NESCAC originated with an agreement among Amherst College, Bowdoin College, Wesleyan University, and Williams College first drafted in 1955. Along with these four institutions, Bates College, Colby College, Hamilton College, Middlebury College, Trinity College, and Tufts University are sustaining charter members. Connecticut College joined in 1982, bringing the Conference’s membership to its current total of 11 institutions.

NESCAC members believe intercollegiate athletic programs should operate in harmony with the educational mission of each institution. The Conference is committed to establishing common boundaries to keep athletics strong but in proportion to the overall academic mission of the member institutions. In pursuit of this mission, the presidents of each NESCAC institution controls intercollegiate athletics policy. Conference tenets are usually more restrictive than those of the NCAA Division III with regard to season length, number of contests, and post-season competition.

NESCAC institutions also believe athletic teams should be representative of the entire student body. Thus, admissions and financial aid policies are consistent with the NCAA Division III policies that prohibit athletic scholarships and award financial aid solely on the basis of need.

In 1999, the NESCAC formally became a playing conference and now sponsors 27 conference championship sports (13 for men and 14 for women). Member schools offer extensive and broad-based intercollegiate, as well as club and intramural opportunities, for both men and women. With member institutions sponsoring an average of nearly 30 varsity programs, NESCAC provides more than 7,500 opportunities for participation in intercollegiate competition at the Division III level. Teams and individuals have achieved great success on both a regional and national level.

Conference Championship Sports

Fall
Men’s Cross Country | Women’s Cross Country | Field Hockey | Football | Women’s Golf | Men’s Soccer | Women’s Soccer | Volleyball

Winter
Men’s Basketball | Women’s Basketball | Men’s Ice Hockey | Women’s Ice Hockey | Men’s Swimming & Diving | Women’s Swimming & Diving | Men’s Squash | Women’s Squash

Spring
Baseball | Men’s Golf | Men’s Lacrosse | Women’s Lacrosse | Men’s Rowing | Women’s Rowing | Softball | Men’s Tennis | Women’s Tennis | Men’s Track & Field | Women’s Track & Field

NESCAC Member Institutions

The New England Small College Athletic Conference is the home to 11 private colleges and universities located throughout New England and New York:

  • Amherst College
  • Bates College
  • Bowdoin College
  • Colby College
  • Connecticut College
  • Hamilton College
  • Middlebury College
  • Trinity College
  • Tufts University
  • Wesleyan University
  • Williams College

Institution & Location

Institutional History

The College was founded in 1911, but its history began in 1909 when Wesleyan University announced that it would no longer offer admission to women. At that time, more women than ever were seeking higher education and demanding the right to vote. A committee was formed and towns across the state of Connecticut began offering prospective sites.

A New London hilltop, later described as “the finest college site in the world,” was the committee’s first choice, and they asked New London to raise $100,000 to ensure that their proposal would succeed. A 10-day fundraising campaign exceeded the goal by $35,000. Nearly a third of the inhabitants of the city and the surrounding communities contributed, including many children, along with virtually every business and organization.

A board of incorporators petitioned the State of Connecticut for a charter, which was granted in April 1911. The incorporators became the board of trustees, whose first responsibilities were to appoint a president and a campus architect. As it prepared to make these decisions, the board learned with some astonishment that its chairman, Morton Plant, was giving $1 million for an endowment. The future of the College was assured.

Today, Connecticut College is a thriving private, coeducational, liberal arts institution known for developing extraordinary students who are drawn to the College’s rigorous interdisciplinary academics, an integrative residential life program, and diverse opportunities to explore their interests through funded internships, community outreach, and international study.

The 750-acre arboretum campus overlooks Long Island Sound and the Thames River. The southeastern Connecticut area offers affordable living

Connecticut College graduates are creative, adaptive thinkers prepared to take on complex challenges with an academic foundation rooted in integrated study, research opportunities, and service learning.

The College offers more than 1,000 courses in 30 academic departments and more than 40 traditional majors. Close to 55 percent of the 1,900 enrolled students study abroad, and nearly 80 percent participate in the paid summer internship program.

About New London, Connecticut

New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world’s three busiest whaling ports for several decades beginning in the early 19th century, along with Nantucket and New Bedford, Massachusetts. The wealth that whaling brought into the city furnished the capital to fund much of the city’s present architecture. The city subsequently became home to other shipping and manufacturing industries, but it has gradually lost most of its industrial heart.

New London is home to the United States Coast Guard Academy, Connecticut College, Mitchell College, and The Williams School. The Coast Guard Station New London and New London Harbor are home port to the Coast Guard Cutter Chinook and the Coast Guard’s tall ship Eagle. The city had a population of 27,620 at the 2010 census. The Norwich-New London metropolitan area includes 21 towns and 274,055 people.

Nestled between the shores of Long Island Sound and the banks of the Thames River, New London boasts an active arts community and plenty of restaurants, cozy coffeehouses, and eclectic shops. Grab a seat and discuss ideas over a cup of coffee at Muddy Waters, a lobster roll at Captain Scott’s, or a Namaste smoothie at Right Path Organic Cafe.

New London has a thriving entertainment scene and downtown area. Whether you’re in the mood for a Broadway show or just a bite to eat, there’s something to suit any taste. Friday Nights in the District features events downtown and later hours for businesses.

For more information about the area, visit the Mystic Chamber of Commerce at

http://www.mysticchamber.org/

Mission and Values

Connecticut College educates students to put the liberal arts into action as citizens in a global society

Academic Excellence

Rigorous academic standards, innovative and engaging faculty members, and a diverse classroom curriculum challenge students to reach their full intellectual potential. The College expects students to learn outside the classroom as well, through such activities as research, travel, and internships. The College facilitates those opportunities in the belief that a diversity of experiences is essential for genuine academic excellence. The College also expects, and strongly supports, faculty scholarship, research, and creative work that advances human knowledge and expression and informs excellent teaching.

Diversity, Equity and Shared Governance

In the early 20th century, Connecticut College was founded in the belief that all qualified students— women as well as men—deserve an opportunity to secure an education. The College strives to be a community in which all members feel comfortable, respect each other’s differences, and seek common ground. The College promotes understanding by offering a variety of academic and social experiences and is committed to building greater access, opportunity, and equity. Students, faculty, staff, trustees, and alumni all participate in the governance of the College.

Education of the Entire Person

The College supports and nurtures the intellectual, emotional, spiritual, creative, and physical development of its student body. Connecticut College encourages students to engage in a wide range of activities, including academic pursuits, athletics and physical education, artistic expression, and community service. The College fosters an appreciation for the natural and aesthetic connectedness of the mind, body, and spirit. It prepares students to be responsible citizens, creative problem-solvers, and thoughtful leaders in a global society.

Adherence to Common Ethical and Moral Standards

Connecticut College maintains a strong commitment to its long-standing Honor Code. Students are expected to monitor their own faithfulness to the principles of honesty and moral integrity and to display courage in academic and social interactions. The principles of justice, impartiality, and fairness—the foundations for equity—are paramount.

Community Service and Global Citizenship

Connecticut College fosters civic responsibility and enhances academic excellence through a long tradition of community involvement and through courses that provide opportunities for service. The College promotes an understanding of local, regional, national, and international peoples, groups, cultures, and issues, and encourages students to take a life-long interest in them.

Environmental Stewardship

Connecticut College is proud of its pioneering tradition of ecological awareness and responsibility and intends to remain a leader in safeguarding the environment. The arboretum campus is an ecological showpiece, and the College’s procedures and programs aim to preserve and protect the environment, both locally and globally, and to prepare citizens sensitive to the need for responsible environmental stewardship.

Mission statement and values adopted by the College and the Board of Trustees, October 2004

Strategic Plan

Building on Strength is a strategic plan that advances the mission of Connecticut College for the 21st century. Officially adopted in fall of 2016, the plan outlines goals and actions that will support state-of-the-art teaching and research and enriched opportunities for student engagement in order to create the conditions for equitable and sustainable communities in future generations—both on campus and in the world beyond. Using past successes to reflect on present challenges, the plan offers an ambitious agenda to move Connecticut College forward into its second distinguished century.

Faculty, staff, students, and administrators spent the 2015-16 academic year listening to the insights, ideas, and experiences of members of the campus community. Those conversations produced a consensus around three strategic priorities for the College’s future: achieving greater academic distinction; creating a more robust student experience; and supporting a just and sustainable College.

These three distinct but intertwined priorities form the structural foundation for this strategic plan: we seek to support a more diverse, just, and sustainable campus and community through new efforts that will both enhance the academic distinction of this College and enrich the overall student experience. These priorities represent complementary and mutually reinforcing aspirations, motivated by a vision of an educational culture that makes it possible for everyone—students, staff, and faculty—to thrive, to reach their highest potential, and to contribute.

Leadership

Dr. Katherine Bergeron – President

Katherine Bergeron became the 11th president of Connecticut College on January 1, 2014. From her first year in office, she has supported the faculty in developing a bold new venture in interdisciplinary education. The resulting vision, called Connections, requires students to create deeper linkages between the work they do in courses, jobs, the community, and around the globe, in order to prepare them for leadership in an era of change: liberal arts for the interconnected world.

During Bergeron’s tenure, Connecticut College has received some of the largest gifts in its history, including one $20 million gift to enhance financial aid, career education, and athletics, and two $10 million gifts to revitalize Palmer Auditorium into a center for creative performance and research. Other major projects completed during her tenure include the renovation of the Charles E. Shain Library, the creation of the Otto and Fran Walter Commons for Global Study and Engagement, and the opening of a new office of Career and Professional Development in Fanning Hall (slated for fall 2019).

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Wesleyan University, Bergeron earned master’s and doctoral degrees in music history from Cornell University and is the author of numerous scholarly publications, including two edited collections and two prize-winning books on French music and culture. Before coming to Connecticut College, she was dean of the college at Brown University.

Bergeron currently serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of “Liberal Education,” the flagship journal of the Association of American Colleges and Universities; on the Executive Committee of the Council of Independent Colleges; on the Board of the Association of American Colleges and Universities; as a commissioner for the New England Commission on Higher Education; and on the Board of Directors of the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra.

Dr. Jeffrey Cole – Dean of the Faculty

Dr. Jeffrey Cole, Professor of Anthropology, was appointed Dean of the Faculty effective July 1, 2018.

The highest ranking officer after the president, the dean of the faculty is responsible for providing academic leadership for the College and its faculty. The dean provides leadership for the College’s educational mission, supports faculty development, and ensures the quality of the College curriculum. The dean is responsible for overseeing all academic departments, programs, and interdisciplinary centers, as well as the department of physical education and athletics; stewarding the appointment, promotion, and tenure of individual faculty members; identifying new chairs and program directors; reviewing the faculty compensation program; and administering the academic budget.

In addition to all academic departments and programs, the Dean of Faculty Division includes the:

  • Arboretum
  • Arts Programming
  • Children’s Program
  • Otto and Fran Walter Commons for Global Study and Engagement
  • Joy Shechtman Mankoff Center for Teaching & Learning
  • Office of Institutional Research and Planning
  • Office of the Registrar
  • Physical Education

Academic Programs and Faculty

The world needs leaders who are intellectually courageous, inventive, resourceful, and resilient to address the new and complex problems of our time. Connecticut College offers a comprehensive four-year approach, Connections, to integrate the student experience—classes, major, study abroad, and internship. Because world-changing social movements and social innovation often start at the community level, Connecticut College offers a multitude of ways to get close to the day-to-day challenges, the aspirations, and the nuances of communities—whether that community is in a hometown, the seaport city of New London, or across the globe.

  • 9:1 student to faculty ratio
  • 18 students on average per class
  • 93% of full-time professors hold a doctorate or equivalent
  • 54% of full-time faculty members are women and 46% are men
  • Fall 2018 full-time faculty is 69% white, 20% U.S. persons of color, and 12% foreign citizens (of any race). Together, U.S. faculty of color and foreign faculty of color constitute nearly 27% of full‐time faculty members
  • 172 fulltime faculty members, 117 (68%) are tenured, 30 (17%) are untenured, and 25 (15%) are not on the tenure track (e.g., lecturers and visitors)
  • Women account for about 48%, 70%, and 60% of tenured, untenured, and non-tenure track faculty members, respectively

The Student Body

In fall of 2018, Connecticut College enrolled 1,844 students (1,798 full-time and 46 part-time undergraduates, for a total of 1,813 student FTEs).

The proportions of female and male full-time students are 62% and 38%, respectively.

Using the federal government’s race/ethnicity categories, Connecticut College’s fall 2018 undergraduate population was 70% white, 22% U.S. students of color (including multiracial individuals), 7% international students (of any race), and 2% race unreported. Together, U.S. students of color and foreign students of color constitute 27% of undergraduates.

Based on home addresses on file with the College, the most common home states of our full-time U.S. students are Massachusetts (30% of our U.S. students), Connecticut (19%), New York (13%), California (5%), and Maine (4%). Based on home address, the most common home countries of our full‐time international students are China (27 students), Vietnam (15), Pakistan (8), India (7), and Canada and the United Kingdom (6 each).

Organizational Chart for Administration

Benefits Overview

As an employee of Connecticut College, you have the following benefits available to you:

  • Health Insurance
  • Dental Insurance
  • Retirement Plans
  • Supplemental Retirement Options
  • Flexible Spending Accounts
  • Life and ADD Insurance
  • Leave Options
  • Tuition Benefits
  • Employee Assistance Programs

Application & Nomination

Review of applications will begin July 22, 2019, and will continue until the position is filled. To apply for this position please click on the Apply button, complete the brief application process, and upload your resume and position-specific cover letter. Confidential inquiries and nominations for this position may be emailed to Dell Robinson (ddr@spelmanjohnson.com) or Ellen Heffernan (eth@spelmanjohnson.com). Applicants needing reasonable accommodation to participate in the application process should contact Spelman Johnson at 413-529-2895.

Spelman Johnson
Connecticut College – Director of Athletics
Dell Robinson, Search Associate
Ellen Heffernan, President

Visit the Connecticut College website at www.conncoll.edu

As a highly selective residential liberal arts college, Connecticut College is committed to creating a vibrant community enriched by diverse perspectives, talents, and experiences. We encourage applications from candidates who share this commitment and will contribute to the diversity of our college community, especially members of historically under-represented groups. AA/EOE

Apply