Greenville University (GU) Mission & Vision

Greenville University empowers students for lives of character and service through a transforming Christ-centered education in the liberal arts, sciences, and professional studies. Greenville University believes that God created each of our students to uniquely shape the world.

About GU and Greenville, Illinois

Greenville University is a nationally ranked Christian liberal arts college founded by the Free Methodist church. With over 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students and 60+ full-time faculty members on campus, Greenville’s sense of strong, connected community is palpable. Greenville is a vibrant community of Christians who love and support each other and are invested in the health and future of both their institution and the surrounding region. Greenville University hopes to be an open door to life-changing opportunities for every person they get the privilege of shaping and influencing – whether students or parents or friends or neighbors – believing that a Christian education uniquely equips women and men for lives of character and service in today’s complex and globalized society. 

Founded in 1815, Greenville, Illinois, population 7,000, is one of the oldest communities in the State of Illinois. An hour east of St. Louis and situated at the seat of Bond County, it boasts over 200 years of ingenuity fueled by an enterprising spirit. Greenville’s motto, “Arms Wide Open:” echoes the town’s history as a stop along the Underground Railroad and the welcoming nature of its citizens. Today Greenville is known for its agri-entrepreneurs, quaint and comfortable town square, and its manufacturing of specialty goods – including band uniforms, scoreboards, high-end dairy products, and artisan cheeses.

Committed to cultivating a strong and vibrant future for the City of Greenville, Greenville University partnered with local community leaders, business owners, and entrepreneurs to create the SMART Center: an initiative to unify the resources of the local community. With a 10,800 square foot, 3-story building on Greenville’s historic town square, the SMART Center functions as a gathering place for events and educational opportunities and supports regional economic development and local entrepreneurs with business services, membership, and amenities through a co-working space.

History

When the Free Methodists of Central Illinois acquired Almira College in 1891, they gained a neglected four-story building on a 10-acre campus. The Greenville site suited their plans to educate young men and women in both scholarship and the Christian faith. They soon renamed the school Greenville College and installed Wilson T. Hogue as its first president in 1892. Hogue, a pastor and accomplished scholar, proved masterful at bringing clarity and purpose to the fledgling school. His sound grasp of Christian culture, clear definition of policy, and skillful administration left such a mark that later, one observer proclaimed, “Greenville College stands as a living monument to Wilson T. Hogue.”

Today that monument, Greenville University, consists of a 50-acre campus with spaces that facilitate learning, performance and practice, art exhibition, athletics, science, and research. It also encompasses study abroad on various continents and a “virtual” community that reaches far beyond campus and across the world to connect students with faculty and other students. The “living” parts of Hogue’s monument are today’s students who, over 130 years later, continue to engage in pursuits that fulfill his vision for “true and thorough Christian education.” Their learning takes place on campus, online, and across the world in places like Dominican Republic, Brazil, Costa Rica, Israel, and Uganda.  Students come to Greenville’s campus from every state in the nation and over 30 different countries around the world.  This year’s incoming class is comprised of 30% domestic diversity and 10% international students for a total of 40% total diversity. 

The Opportunity

The higher education industry is in a period of unprecedented disruption, consolidation, and technological change. Greenville faces these national industry trends as well as the added challenge of shifting demographic changes in its home region of southern Illinois. While these challenges are significant, they also create space and momentum for outside-the-box solutions. Through a new strategy centered around strategic investments – including the creation of the SMART Experience Institutes LLC, the acquisition of the Contemporary Music Center in Nashville, TN, a joint venture with Forefront Living in Dallas, TX, for holistic healthcare and an international partnership with SCORE International to provide a credit bearing gap year program in the Dominican Republic and beyond, Greenville sees tremendous opportunity to pursue innovative business arrangements both in Illinois and around the globe to broaden its marketplace and influence, thereby strengthening its main campus as its premier opportunity for the traditional student market.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate will consistently demonstrate exceptional and collegial leadership including displaying creativity which inspires confidence and respect; holds a solid knowledge of and appreciation of shared governance; evidence of ability to work effectively and collaboratively with University administration, faculty, students, staff, and other constituent groups and partners, both within and outside the University; strong oral, including public speaking, written, and interpersonal communication skills; strong supervisory skills; and a well-developed understanding of contemporary issues in higher education. He or she will ideally come from a Wesleyan faith background or will work toward becoming a member of the Free Methodist Church upon acceptance of the position.

The ideal candidate will possess personal characteristics of integrity, excellent listening skills, inner strength, stamina, an approachable and engaging demeanor, and the desire to be a visible presence on campus and in the community.  He or she will be decisive, adaptive, and an innovative leader with an ability to create annual goals for the institution and integrate those into the operational plans for departments and to bring about the data-driven results needed to advance the University’s strategic plan. He or she must have a successful history as a catalyst for change with demonstrated change management skills and experience, including the ability to galvanize and inspire employees.  He or she should have a history of assembling and motivating a dedicated, focused, powerful, and dynamic team with a record of accomplishment related to communicating goals and timely implementation.  Strong communication and collaboration skills and a transparent approach to leadership are necessary, along with the ability to work effectively with multiple constituencies including faculty, staff, students, trustees, alumni, donors, community partners, and peers, especially at other Association of Free Methodist Educational Institutions (AFMEI). 

Areas of Responsibility

Oversee the Academic Affairs, Student Development (Community Life) and the Office of Culture and Diversity to advance the educational mission of the University, with a primary goal of increasing graduation rate, making data driven academic and co-curricular program decisions consistent for an excellent student experience. Collaborate with leadership in the Enrollment Management, Athletics and Marketing Departments to provide academic-related input regarding the recruitment and retention of students. Work with the Chief Economic Development and Innovation Officer and Director of Experiential Learning to nurture programs and partnerships that add revenue to the University while increasing immersive experiential learning opportunities for the main campus in Greenville, its surrounding community, as well as institutes in Nashville, Dallas, and the Dominican Republic.

This position reports to the President and serves on President’s Executive Cabinet.

· Lead and collaborate with the Academic and Student Affairs administration, faculty and staff to establish and communicate clear conceptual expectations, principles, and guidelines related to the University vision and strategic planning.

· Assure that university policies and procedures governing academic and student issues are equitable and enhance the learning environment and reflect current needs and appropriate practices.

· Lead university efforts to promote and sustain a quality and compassionate student-centered environment that supports student success in both curricular and co-curricular areas through collaborative, data-drive decision making and strategic planning. 

· Lead the institution’s development of new mission-driven and market-sensitive undergraduate, graduate and certificate programming.

· Encourage creativity and innovation in educational programming and student life and in the use of personnel and financial resources to meet University objectives.

· Assure the excellence and integrity of all programs; promote the highest quality teaching, scholarship, and service; and champion the very best in spiritual life, student life, and co-curricular activities.

· Nurture among faculty, staff, and students a Christian community of relationships, of scholarship, and of spirituality which embraces both freedom and responsibility and which pursues the University mission promoting “Christ-like character and service.”

· Exercise leadership in developing and implementing initiatives to promote a more diverse faculty, staff and student community that celebrates the image of God in all of us.

· Oversee the preparation of budgets for Academic Affairs and Student Development (Community Life) areas of control.

· Coordinate the work of administrators reporting to the Vice President of Academic Affairs and Student Development (Community Life), including the Chief Academic Officer, Assistant Chief Academic Officer, Chief Diversity Officer and Chief Student Experience Officer.

· Work alongside the appointed officers of the faculty assembly including the Faculty Moderator, Faculty Vice Moderator and Faculty Assembly Secretary, through the work of the Academic Leadership Team.

· Liaison with Dynamic Campus staff, including the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Department of Solutions, Oversight and Support.

· Serve as the chief administrative officer of the University in the President’s absence.

· Engage with faculty and staff to maintain morale, implement trainings and learning opportunities to develop a meaningful and vibrant Christian atmosphere for our work together as a community of faith and learning.

· Directly engage faculty in areas that impact the faculty experience such as the oversight of faculty searches, working toward an effective strategy for balancing varied departmental requests with available resources, mediating and bringing resolutions for concerns brought by faculty, managing all faculty professional development, working with academic affairs leadership team to plan faculty assembly meetings, faculty elections, and faculty committee appointments, and serving on faculty committees. 

The selected candidate must provide evidence of a vibrant Christian faith, clearly understand and internalize the mission of Greenville University, and articulate the value of Christian higher education. 

• The successful candidate must possess an earned doctorate from a regionally-accredited college or university.

• Distinguished record of a minimum of three years, five years preferred, as a fulltime classroom faculty member in a college or university setting
• Experience in curriculum development and design
• Five or more years of progressively responsible supervisory and management experience in a college or university with a diverse student body
• Experienced, creative administrator with demonstrated leadership skills needed to foster the continuing academic progress and vitality of the University
• A record of academic and scholarly achievement sufficient to earn the respect of the academic community
• Demonstrated commitment to promoting diversity, cross-cultural collaboration and love-driven justice.

APPLICATIONS: Click Apply and include the following: (1) evidence of preparation for this position (a complete CV with degrees earned, teaching experience, and professional interests); (2) a statement of philosophy of Christian higher education; (3) a statement of personal faith journey and commitment; and (4) names and contact information for at least three professional references. Applications will be reviewed once all components have been received. The search will remain open until the position is filled. 

Address transcripts or application materials not submitted online to:

Human Resources

Greenville University

315 East College Avenue 

Greenville, IL 62246-0159

hr@greenville.edu 

Greenville University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, sex, disability, national or ethnic origin in employment opportunities, in keeping with applicable state and federal laws. In keeping with the mission of the institution, Greenville University seeks applicants with a strong commitment to the values and lifestyle of evangelical Christianity and who profess a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. As a Christian institution, we require faculty and staff to adhere to the University's Lifestyle statement and to enforce a religiously based code of conduct for all University employees. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. Greenville University, as an educational institution affiliated with the Free Methodist Church USA, reserves the right to prefer employees on the basis of religion (Title VII, Sections 702-703, United States Civil Rights Act of 1964 as amended).

About Greenville University

Greenville University (formerly Greenville College) was founded in 1892 by the Free Methodist Church with the intent to provide a distinctive, Christ-centered university education for men and women. The university's first president, Wilson T. Hogue, used the motto "education for character" to describe the university's purpose. Its mission 125 years later - empowering students for lives of character and service - echoes that purpose.

Connections working at Greenville University