Employment

President

Full-time, 5-year term
Opening date: Wednesday, June 12, 2024

THE PRESIDENT’S ROLE

Reporting to the Board of Governors, the President is the leading interface of the College with our stakeholders in the world as well as an inspiration to our Regent community. The President serves as the chief spokesperson of the College, embodying and communicating its vision, mission, theological commitments, and culture. With accountability to the Board and a collaborative spirit with multiple constituencies, the President has the authority to lead, plan, organize, direct, and represent the College. The multifaceted role of the President entails engaging with faculty, staff, Board, students, alumni, donors, as well as the public. 

Key Responsibilities

Theological Fidelity

• Pursues a life of humble and joyful obedience to God, living and working in ways that honour the Scriptures and align with the highest ideals of Regent College, including an annual subscription to the Doctrinal Statement and Moral Vision Statement.
• Effectively and winsomely articulates to current and prospective constituents Regent’s theological commitments and vision as a graduate school of Christian studies.

Missional Integrity

• Implements the current strategic plan to expand missional impact by deepening students’ experience of holistic transformation, increasing enrolment in educational offerings, and gaining financial sustainability.
• Collaboratively leads the planning process for a new strategic plan that will take effect in 2026.

Cultivates Unity and Healthy Collaboration

• Sets the conditions to attract and retain a godly and gifted faculty and senior leadership team that mirrors and magnifies Regent’s distinctive mission, vision, culture, and values.
• Strengthens relationships within and between the faculty and staff.
• Effectively navigates with humility and courage the collaborative work of shared governance with the Board, Senate, senior administration, and faculty.

Inspires and Leads Faculty and Staff

• Inspires and articulates a vision that leads towards a fresh expression of our mission. Cultivates an environment in which the vision for the College is discerned together.
• Supervises and directs the Vice President and Academic Dean (VP/AD), Directors of Advancement, Finance, and Human Resources, and Assistant to the President.
• With the VP/AD, nurtures an environment of collegiality, spiritual vitality, and mutuality that enables faculty to effectively teach, mentor, research, write, and be godly witnesses to culture and society.
• With the VP/AD, empowers and makes provision for the training, development, spiritual nurture, and support of the staff to fulfill the mission of the College.

Student Vitality and Community Life

• Recognizing the priority of embodied communal life, fosters an environment that promotes spiritual, academic, emotional, and relational flourishing across the rich diversity of the student body, which is comprised of a mix of in-person, hybrid, and online constituencies.
• Understanding the crisis of housing affordability, proactively seeks innovative solutions to ensure students can continue to access quality education.

Financial Sustainability

• Creatively supports and empowers student recruitment and retention efforts to ensure a strong and growing enrolment of full-time and part-time students.
• In keeping with the College’s fundamental purposes and values, encourages the development of programs within the College that enhance revenues or otherwise further the financial viability of the institution.
• In conjunction with the Treasurer and Director of Finance, reviews and reports to the Board on the College’s financial health and statutory compliance.

Operational Viability

• Ensures the Board is made aware of issues that might affect the mission or good standing of the College and that guidance given by the Board is implemented.
• Upholds proper management, maintenance, and supervision of the College’s physical plant, properties, IT, and equipment.

External Relations

• With the Director of Advancement, expands and deepens the College’s supporting constituency base by establishing and cultivating positive relationships with current or potential key donors in North America and beyond.
• Serves as an ambassador for the College and ensures it is appropriately and effectively represented at local, regional, national, and international levels.

ESSENTIAL ATTRIBUTES AND QUALIFICATIONS

Prayerful Servant with Christ-like Character
The President must have an active track record of loving God and others by serving in ministries and/or local churches that align with the priorities and doctrinal fidelity of the College. The person must remain open to the continual transforming power of the Holy Spirit and be a person of prayer who can lead in humble confidence and dependence on Jesus Christ. With the highest level of integrity, the President must fully agree with the institution’s theological convictions, championing them both in precept and example.

Relationally-Oriented Leader
The President will cultivate a deep understanding of the faculty, staff, and students in order to empower the community to live out the mission of the College. A participative and collaborative spirit will be coupled with the ability to make difficult and strategic decisions with wisdom, conviction, courage, and ongoing humility. A strong emotional intelligence and cross-cultural sensitivities are necessary to develop genuine relationships with and effectively relate to the various institutional stakeholders on and off the campus.

Winsome Communicator and Fundraiser
The President must be able to communicate Regent’s vision for theological education winsomely and effectively to generate support for the College’s educational mission. The vision must be clearly held so that the President can invite others (both internal and external) into a robust and healthy partnership. The President must be capable of managing multiple projects simultaneously, including growing and maintaining strong networks for Regent and fundraising to ensure viability for the College.

Academic Experience
A terminal degree is required, ideally from a recognized institution in a discipline relevant to the College’s academic mission, along with graduate level teaching experience that qualifies the candidate for a faculty appointment.  The President is not required to teach but is expected to be theologically conversant and speak adeptly and with nuance about theological and cultural issues.

Understanding of the State of Theological Education
Given the state of theological education at this time, it is important to have a grasp of the opportunities and challenges, including utilizing digital educational experiences to supplement in-person learning and to have an appreciation for the nuances and challenges of how to engage in spiritual formation with students.

Administrative Experience
The President must have a history of effective administrative leadership, with experience in areas that could include overseeing budgets, institutional policies, accountability standards related to Board governance and dealing with external accreditors, government mandates, and other entities overseeing institutional activities and operations.

Global and Local Engagement
The President should demonstrate a mature awareness of and deep appreciation for global Christianity and an understanding of the local cultural context of Canada and North America. Leading a transdenominational and international school requires celebrating and highlighting God’s creativity in diversity. Unafraid to have hard conversations and skilled at conflict resolution, the President will serve as a unifying presence for relationships in a diverse community that seeks to speak into the greater culture with courage, tact, wisdom, and diplomacy.

Vision and Calling
The President will articulate a clear sense of divine calling to the mission of Regent College. The person will understand the current state and future trajectory of Christian higher education, and how these factors impact programs and commitments. Ideally the President should be able and willing to make a long-term commitment to the College (two five-year terms, subject to satisfactory performance, and at the discretion of the Board).

THE SEARCH AND SELECTION PROCESS

The Dingman Company, Inc., an executive search firm, has a successful track record of similar searches (see www.dingman.com). This opportunity will be shared with people who might be or who might know potential candidates. The search firm will establish a list of interested and qualified persons, request submission of a thorough resume and subsequent questionnaire response in a designated format from each candidate, and conduct follow-up telephone calls and a Zoom interview with strong candidates.

In collaboration with the Search Committee, the list of candidates will be narrowed to a group of finalists who will then be interviewed comprehensively by the committee. Interviews are projected to take place in Vancouver, BC, in November 2024. The base salary range for this position is $170,000–$200,000 CAD per annum.

Regent College and The Dingman Company are committed to a process that represents equal opportunity employment. However, for searches on behalf of religious organizations such as this, candidates will be evaluated based on the organization’s theological beliefs and religious practices. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, in keeping with Canadian law, Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be given priority. Final appointment is subject to the completion of a satisfactory criminal record check.

The confidentiality of information provided by interested parties will be fully respected, and they can rest assured that their backgrounds and interests will not be disclosed to anyone, including Regent College, without their prior consent. Reference contacts will also not be made until mutual interest has been established. The consultant and the Search Committee will exercise caution and sensitivity as necessary to safeguard the anonymity of each candidate.

For further information on this position, to apply, or to suggest a name, please contact:

Bruce Dingman, President
The Dingman Company, Inc.
[email protected]
+1 (818) 378–7755 (cell)