Prepared by the Presidential Search Committee
Lewis B. Lee, Chair
I. THE ATTRACTIONS OF MANSFIELD UNIVERSITY
The Board of Governors, the Council of Trustees of Mansfield University and its
Presidential Search Committee are searching for a successor to Rodney C. Kelchner who will
retire in the summer of 1998, following 14 years of effective leadership. The university features
many assets that make this an attractive opportunity for presidential candidates. These include,
but are not limited to, the following:
Mansfield's long history of proud service, particularly to the Northern Tier region of
Pennsylvania;
The relatively safe environment of Mansfield University during a period when
security is a significant concern on many university campuses;
The university's relatively small size which facilitates a sense of community, a
friendly and supportive atmosphere, and institutional loyalty;
The sense of pride felt by constituencies on the campus about the high level of
civility and the reality of shared governance;
Mansfield's status as one of 14 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of
Higher Education which has received national recognition as a model for system
effectiveness and which provides many opportunities for collaborative activities among
the constituent institutions;
The recent and continuing improvements in Mansfield's physical plant, highlighted
by the impressive, inspiring restoration of historic North Hall, the campus land mark;
The strong support enjoyed by Mansfield from opinion leaders in the region;
The university's strategic location in the northern tier of the state, providing it with
an unusual opportunity to serve a large geographical area;
Mansfield's pioneering activities in distance learning, providing considerable
potential to address future educational needs;
The recent commitment of the university and its foundation to accelerate fund raising
in the private sector as evidenced by the creation of the position of Vice President for
Development and Alumni Affairs;
A faculty that is appreciated by students and alumni for their caring and attention to
individual needs;
The university's significant advances in the application of advanced technology,
including a new student information system; and
Mansfield's location in a beautiful, bucolic setting in the mountains of North Central
Pennsylvania.
While Mansfield inevitably will face difficult challenges in the coming years, these and
other strengths of the university provide a strong foundation for the university's future
growth.
II. THE PRIORITY NEEDS OF MANSFIELD UNIVERSITY
As indicated in the prior section, Mansfield is strongly positioned to address the
challenges that lie ahead for it and other public universities. The challenges for Mansfield will
include the following:
Maintain a dynamic, effective strategic planning process to ensure that Mansfield
University engages in proactive decision-making to address creatively its regional mission.
"The Institutional Plan: 1990-2000", containing 63 action goals, guides the university's current
decision-making. Through an effective, continuing strategic planning process that engages the
entire university community, the university must be proactive in identifying the needs,
particularly in its service area, that have implications for instruction, service and applied
research.
Continue the development of an effective enrollment management system to ensure
that the university recruits and retains the desired number of students. Maintaining an adequate,
stable enrollment has been a continuing concern for the university. The current enrollment of
approx-imately 2,900 students may be too small in relationship to the faculty, staff and facilities
of Mansfield. The university's planning calls for a gradual increase of students, primarily through
continuing education and distance learning, to 3,200 by the academic year 2000-2001.
Through a continuing assessment of Mansfield's region, provide educational
programs and services - as well as their delivery - that respond to the needs of agriculture,
businesses, health organizations and other groups. The university is in a dominant position in
North Central Pennsylvania with respect to competition from other institutions of higher
education, providing Mansfield with both a heavy responsibility and a special opportunity. While
there seems to be general satisfaction in the region with the university's performance, an
increasingly aggressive, creative search for new opportunities to meet educational, research, and
training needs will be required.
Continue to focus on increasing funding support from the private sector. The
university made a major commitment to fund-raising last year when it created the position of
Vice President for Development and Alumni Affairs. That the university can raise funds
successfully from the private sector was demonstrated in the campaign to renovate North Hall,
when over $3.1 million was contributed by alumni and friends of Mansfield. The need to increase
the university's financial resources through additional private sector funding is evident in that
revenues from the state and student tuition are inadequate.
Continue the evaluation of academic programs relative to the changing needs of the
region. The faculty has made several changes in the curriculum and the organization of academic
programs, including the merger of academic departments and the addition of ten new associate
degree programs. With the need to ensure that the university's programs are attractive to pros-pective students, traditional and non-traditional, there may be a need to further integrate and con-solidate courses to provide coherent offerings that prepare students for emerging career needs.
Develop a more optimal equilibrium between resources and spending needs.
Through the planning process, the new president must develop priorities for spending that
enhance academic programs and operating needs that have the greatest impact on the fulfillment
of Mansfield's mission. The reality is that the university is unlikely to receive a significant
increase in revenues for the foreseeable future.
Complete the major improvements in the university's physical plant with a minimum
of disruption. After many years of deferred maintenance, the restoration of North Hall launched a
major effort to upgrade Mansfield's facilities. When current projects are completed in about three
years, the university will have spent approximately $34 million on improvements to the buildings
and grounds. In addition to the renovation of North Hall, a magnificent facility, now housing the
new state-of-the-art library and administrative offices, the Student Recreation and Fitness Center
has been constructed, Alumni Hall is being converted into a student center, academic facilities
plan-ning is underway.
Provide increased support for students, particularly for those who are under
prepared. Mansfield's access mission means that some students will be less well prepared than
others. Thus, the university has an obligation to provide appropriate support services through the
collaboration of faculty and staff to ensure that all students are challenged and provided
maximum opportunities to reach their potential. The university's small size and caring
environment are ideal for meeting the individual needs of students.
While there are other issues with which the new president of Mansfield University will
need to be concerned, the above are likely to be among the most important challenges for the
next president.
III. DESIRED LEADERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS OF THE
NEXT PRESIDENT
The challenges listed in Section II, along with the mission, history, and location of
Mansfield, suggest special qualities that should be possessed by the university's next president,
including the following:
An up-to-date understanding of faculty needs and academic issues related to
collaborative learning, scholarship, and service to the community, and the
application of technology;
An unapologetic advocate for focusing the university's resources on the welfare
and development of students, both traditional and non-traditional, and a full
appreciation of the need to integrate academic programs, student services, and
student activities;
A management and leadership style that is characterized by caring, personal
involvement with internal and external constituencies, accessibility, openness,
advocacy for diversity, and an appreciation of the contributions of all;
A genuine personal liking for the predominately rural region surrounding
Mansfield University and a strong interest in playing a leadership role for the
benefit of its future quality of life;
A strong advocate for Mansfield and its needs within the State System of Higher
Education while also supporting those policies and initiatives that benefit the
entire system;
An effective, enthusiastic spokesperson in a variety of settings for Mansfield's
special, comprehensive, small, rural, public mission;
A strategic thinker who can lead the university's efforts to address creatively the
special needs of its service area within the context of its mission;
An understanding of the special requirements of collective bargaining by faculty
and staff and the ability to work effectively with these units; and
An enthusiastic supporter of Mansfield's successful system of shared governance
with the ability to make those tough decisions that ultimately must be made by the
president.
