Open Rank Faculty position and Executive Director of Women’s Leadership

The Executive Director of High Point University’s Women’s Leadership will lead the management, development, and delivery of courses and programmatic offerings for female students at High Point University. These include:

• Management, development, and delivery of programmatic offerings for the Leading and Inspiring Female Trailblazers (L.I.F.T.) Fellowship, and the Sompo Women in Insurance (S.W.I.M) Fellowship; and
• Management, development, and implementation of courses for the Women’s Leadership Development Minor.

All programs are housed in the David S. Congdon School of Entrepreneurship (CSE).

This is a faculty position requiring hands-on leadership, teaching, strategic management and mentoring skills to continue the delivery of excellent educational experiences for HPU’s top female students. As one of our most prestigious scholars’ programs, the L.I.F.T. Fellowship provides students with experiential learning opportunities that further their leadership skills.

The successful candidate will be qualified to teach women’s leadership studies courses, develop meaningful programming for L.I.F.T. Fellows, mentor students and lead a team of two faculty and one staff member who support students through their four-year term at High Point University.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and implement multi-year strategic plans for:
  • L.I.F.T. and SOMPO Women in Insurance Management (SWIM) Fellows programming, including budgets, clear objectives, milestones and measures of success.
  • Strickland Women’s Leadership Council (SWLC) engagement and governance.
• Lead the design and execution of programs that foster women’s leadership development, including mentorship programs, workshops, community engagement events and the SWLC engagement.
• Build and maintain partnerships with faculty, internal and external mentors, alumni, and SWLC members to support student growth and engagement.
• Develop, design and deliver academic courses the deliver leadership learnings.
• Achieve and deliver on the mission and goals of High Point University and the Congdon School of Entrepreneurship, aligning with School and University priorities

Program Leadership & Management

• Oversee daily program operations, budgets and performance reporting while ensuring the effective use of resources and space. Including, but not limited to:
  • Student recruitment, including attending Admissions Events, Open Houses, student applicant outreach, L.I.F.T./SWIM/SWLC activities, etc.
  • Admissions management, including student application development, review, scoring and notifications.
  • Student retention through intentional engagement opportunities, cohort activities (including the annual third year cohort trip), and individualized one-on-one mentorship of Fellows in the program.
• Plan and direct, with internal and external partners. L.I.F.T. Co-Directors and the Women’s Leadership Program Associate, seven annual events.
• Establish monitoring methods to track metrics and satisfaction scores to promote student outcomes and program impact.
• Represent L.I.F.T./SWIM within the university and externally, acting as the champion of women’s leadership development.
• Lead and manage faculty co-directors and Women’s Leadership Program Associate.

Teaching

• Provide high-quality instruction in leadership, focusing on women’s leadership development, including lectures and experiential learning opportunities. Including:
  • L.I.F.T. Fellowship courses
  • Courses associated with the Women’s Leadership Development (WLD) minor
• Management of the WLD Minor and related courses and faculty
• Engage in service activities within the school and university.
• Collaborate with faculty members across departments and schools to enhance interdisciplinary learning.

Student Support

• Serve as the primary point of contact for participating L.I.F.T./SWIM Fellows.
• Plan and facilitate workshops, webinars, and networking events.
• Facilitate connections between students, SWLC, and mentors.  
• Provide mentor and advisor role to student participants, as needed.

Partnership & Stakeholder Engagement

• Cultivate, build and maintain partner relationships with mentors, industry experts, and SWLC to support student engagement and growth.
• Collaborate with internal HPU/CSE teams to enhance program visibility and integration.
• Partner with Institutional Advancement to host the annual Strickland Women’s Leadership Summit and Strickland Trailblazer Awards
• Cultivate and maintain partnerships with Sompo Insurance and the (SWIM) Program.
• Communicate and provide regular and ongoing updates with Fellows, mentors, and internal and external stakeholders

Alumni Engagement

• Cultivate and maintain alumni engagement programming and relationships with HPU and L.I.F.T. graduates.
• Partner with Institutional Advancement on ways to integrate this group with existing programming while also creating new opportunities to strengthen the network for alumni and current students’ benefit.
• Establish a resource and support network with L.I.F.T. graduates and Strickland Trailblazer Award finalists and recipients

Qualifications:

• Advanced degree in business, leadership development, education, or a related field preferred. (PhD in Leadership Development or other leadership studies preferred)
• Strong leadership, organizational, and communication skills with demonstrated ability to work collaboratively across complex organizations. This includes, but is not limited to, exceptional interpersonal communication, project and stakeholder management, and relationship-building skills.
• Significant experience in leadership development, education, and mentor management, with a proven track record of teaching and program management.
• Experience working in a higher education environment is highly desirable.
• Experience working with volunteer boards/councils and/or high net worth individuals is highly desirable.
• Passion for student development, mentorship, internal and external stakeholder management and community building.
• The successful candidate may come to this position from many different backgrounds including one of the following:
  • Demonstrated success in partnership development and network engagement, ideally in a higher education or nonprofit context.
  • Experience leading leadership programs or centers, with a track record of advancing student/participant outcomes and/or strategic goals.
  • Experience in developing experiential learning opportunities and integration of leadership training in a university setting, preferred.

Reporting: The Executive Director will report to the Dean of the Congdon School of Entrepreneurship, with additional reporting responsibilities to the Provost’s Office.

About this program:

The L.I.F.T Fellowship Program provides networking, leadership development, mentorship and coaching for students interested in becoming CEOs, leaders, entrepreneurs, executives, and trailblazers in their chosen careers. The program is not limited to any one field of study. Rather, L.I.F.T. students will work alongside accomplished faculty and executives to strengthen their self-efficacy, confidence, and leadership capacity. It is anticipated that the L.I.F.T. Fellowship Program will generate a sustainable pipeline of students who desire to blaze a trail for themselves as they progress in college and into the next stages of their lives.

An additional opportunity is provided to four students annually to participate in the SWIM Fellowship which provides mentorship, internships, and possible job placement at SOMPO Insurance.

The L.I.F.T. Fellowship is made possible through the vision and generosity of Elizabeth Miller Strickland. A trailblazer herself, Strickland attended HPU where she was crowned Miss High Point College in 1952. Betty and her late husband Bob, former chairman of the board of Lowe’s Home Improvement, believed in education, mentorship, experiential learning and the God, family, and country values that HPU embodies.

This position has responsibility for:

• The Women's L.I.F.T. (Leading & Inspiring Female Trailblazers) Fellowship,
• Sompo Women in Insurance Management (SWIM) Program, and
• Women’s Leadership Development Minor

Learn more: https://www.highpoint.edu/admissions/strickland-womens-lift-fellowship/