Position Profile:
President, Trent University

The University

Trent is one of the youngest universities in Canada, with an established reputation for academic excellence. Formally created as an independent university with full degree-granting powers by the Ontario Legislature in 1963, the University specializes in high-quality liberal undergraduate education where the emphasis is on the individual student. In addition, Trent has a strong research profile and several interdisciplinary graduate programs.

Now in its thirty-fifth teaching year, the University has achieved its desired size of 5000 undergraduates. In addition, there are approximately 200 graduate students in the five fields in which graduate studies are currently offered.

The University has 325 faculty and 380 staff. The 1996-97 operating budget is $37 million, with an additional $15 million of activity in ancillary and capital budgets and trusts. Funding of research at Trent amounts to $3.5 million.

A distinguishing feature of Trent University is its college system. Four of the colleges are located on the Symons campus, which is situated on the banks of the Otonabee River at the northern city limits of Peterborough, Ontario; two other colleges are located in historic buildings in residential areas of downtown Peterborough. The 580-hectare Symons campus is set in the forest and gently rolling hills of the Kawartha lakes region. The buildings have won international awards and acclaim, and the combination of architecture and surroundings creates a setting of startling beauty.


Trent's Mission

Trent University aspires to be Canada's outstanding small university known for its commitment to liberal undergraduate education in the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences and to the centrality of the individual student. Within a collegial setting, the University offers undergraduate and graduate programs, both traditional and interdisciplinary, which seek to advance learning through the creative interaction of teaching and research of the highest quality.


Trent's Goals

• To create a teaching, learning, research and living environment fundamentally committed to the promotion of free inquiry and expression.
  
  
• To offer a distinctive, excellent and continually evolving teaching program that responds to the needs of an increasingly diverse full- and part-time student body.
  
  
• To provide educational programs which encourage students to think critically, creatively, constructively and to communicate their ideas effectively, as well as instilling a curiosity that engenders lifelong learning.
  
  
• To sustain and enhance opportunities for research and scholarly activity of the highest standard.
  
  
• To recognize and take advantage of Trent's relatively small size, flexibility and experience to foster continually opportunities for creative interaction between academic departments and programs, teaching and research, colleges and academic activities and among our faculty, staff and students.
  
  
• To develop, in the pursuit of the advancement of learning, mutually beneficial partnerships and linkages with universities, colleges, schools and other public and private sector institutions and organizations, including our alumni.
  
  
• To encourage intellectual and cultural sensibility, adaptability, leadership, mutual respect, an ethical conscience, global (or international) perspectives and environmental sensitivity among all members of the Trent community.
  

Institutional Objectives

• Recruit and retain students from within and beyond Canada who will benefit from Trent's programs and who will contribute to University life.
  
  
• Provide an appropriate range and sequence of undergraduate courses and programs in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and interdisciplinary fields to ensure a truly liberal education rooted in a strong institutional commitment to undergraduate teaching.
  
  
• Develop new opportunities for small group teaching and individualized learning.
  
  
• Create and sustain a range of interdisciplinary graduate programs that will reinforce the goal of liberal education, have linkages with our undergraduate departments and programs and provide all faculty with graduate teaching and research opportunities.
  
  
• Employ and retain excellent faculty who contribute actively to the advancement of learning through teaching, research, service and professional development.
  
  
• Employ and retain excellent academic and administrative support staff and ensure adequate opportunities for their professional development.
  
  
• Create and sustain an environment (intellectual, physical, fiscal and social) that advances learning through quality teaching and research while encouraging respect, tolerance and sensitivity.
  

The Presidential Mandate

Universities generally, and Trent University in particular, are confronted with formidable challenges as the century draws to a close. This is a time for finding new opportunities, for refining how the institution perceives itself, and for focusing on the key elements necessary for fulfilment of its mission. It is a time for rebuilding a sense of community and pride within the University and restoring linkages and trust externally.

The mandate which follows identifies the areas of over-riding importance for the President. Success with them will address the most pressing challenges facing the University. In pursuing this mandate, the President and his or her administration are expected to be as open, receptive and responsive as possible to the views and concerns of individuals and groups in the University community.

1. The President shall lead the University in establishing a renewed sense of identity and pursuing a vision of a strengthened Trent with proven excellence in liberal arts and science education and national recognition as an academic destination of choice.

2. The President shall develop and implement communications mechanisms and other strategies for fostering positive relations, mutual respect and a common sense of purpose among faculty, staff and students.

3. Externally, the President shall develop and implement strategies for enhancing the University's image and reputation and for strengthening the University's relations and links with governments, government agencies, other educational institutions and the local and business communities.

4. The President shall lead the University in increasing its financial viability and self-sufficiency.

5. The President shall seek creative ways for the University to remain fully accountable while protecting academic freedom and the necessary elements of institutional autonomy.

6. The President shall promote and secure Trent's strategic and academic position in the Ontario and Canadian university systems and shall improve external understanding and appreciation of the unique and evolving role this University plays and its value to society. This will require assuming strong roles in representative organizations (like COU and AUCC), and participation in individual and group lobbying efforts.

7. mandate will guide the President during his/her term of office and shall be reviewed and updated as necessary by the Board of Governors. The President shall report annually to the Senate, the Board and the University community concerning more specific goals for accomplishing this mandate and will make regular progress reports.

The Candidate Qualifications

The Search Committee is seeking an individual who possesses the academic credentials - including teaching, research and scholarship - sufficient to command respect within the academic community. The following qualifications, experience and personal attributes are seen to be desirable:

• An understanding of universities, the contribution they make to the social, economic, intellectual and cultural well-being of society, and the particular ways in which Trent has defined its role within Canada's university system;
  
  
• Commitment to excellence in teaching and research as the hallmarks of Trent's image and reputation, and to Trent's focus on small-group teaching and individualized learning;
  
  
• Outstanding leadership skills; a demonstrated ability to understand and foster constructive university decision-making processes;
  
  
• Proven management abilities, with a track record of experience gained in a senior university administrative position, or similarly complex environment; a talent for identifying strength in others, and the ability to build and lead an effective and cohesive senior administrative team;
  
  
• The ability to lead and motivate others, an awareness of the importance of communication, strong communications skills, and an ability to engender trust and confidence in all members of the university community;
  
  
• The ability to portray, and to celebrate, Trent's excellence in liberal arts and sciences to the internal and external communities;
  
  
• The ability to develop a positive working climate for all employees, supported by experience in a unionized environment;
  
  
• An awareness of the needs and expectations of students, and appreciation for the contributions they make to the University;
  
  
• An appreciation and respect for the voice of alumni, an awareness of the contributions they make to the University and their value to its future development;
  
  
• An ability to lead the University in planning its future and in securing its financial viability in a fiscally constrained environment;
  
  
• Openness, accessibility, and visibility; willingness to support collegial decision-making, with the astuteness to know when difficult decisions must be taken, and to make them;
  
  
• An appreciation of the value of technology in education, the advances in the 'science of learning', and an ability to integrate these ideas with Trent's values;
  
  
• The capability of being an enthusiastic spokesperson for and marketer of the 'Trent difference', especially as it supports the fundraising objectives of the University;
  
  
• An understanding of the value to Trent of relations with other institutions, and the capacity to represent the university effectively with the Council of Ontario Universities, the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, all levels of government, the Peterborough community, and other external groups and agencies;
  
  
• Integrity, fairness, credibility, and sensitivity in dealing with the many individuals and groups who make up the Trent community;
  
  
• Physical stamina, energy, and a willingness to accommodate the personal demands of the Presidency.
  

The Opportunity

This is an exciting opportunity to play the key leadership role in an outstanding Canadian university distinguished for its focus on the individual student.

The terms of the appointment and the compensation of the President are negotiable. The new President is expected to take office July 1, 1998. The appointment of the President is normally for a term of five years, renewable. Trent University is committed to employment equity, welcomes diversity in the workplace and encourages applications from all qualified applicants including women, members of racial minorities, aboriginal peoples, and persons with disabilities. In accordance with Canadian immigration requirements, this Position Profile is directed to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.

All inquiries regarding this position will be treated in strict confidence and should be directed to either Dr. Janet Wright or Ms. Gerri Woodford at Janet Wright & Associates Inc., 21 Bedford Road, Suite 100, Toronto, Ontario, M5R 2J9, Phone: (416) 923-3008, Fax: (416) 923-8311, E-mail: jwassoc@astral.magic.ca.