Hood College (the College, Hood), an independent, coeducational, liberal arts college offering a holistic undergraduate education and robust graduate education, seeks an entrepreneurial, strategic, and engaging leader as its next president. Founded in 1893 as an all-women’s college, Hood’s picturesque campus in Frederick, Maryland, is a short distance from its bustling downtown and about an hour from Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. Hood’s vision is one that aims to support an inclusive environment and prepare graduates for personal and professional success that supports students in leading purposeful lives of responsibility, leadership, service, and civic engagement.
Hood is home to 2,078 undergraduate and graduate students with 400 faculty and staff. For more than 130 years, Hood has been changing the trajectory of students’ lives. As of Fall 2023, the College is one of the most diverse private colleges in Maryland, and currently, 21.5 percent of Hood students are first-generation. Hood’s intimate class sizes provide the opportunity for all students to have more one-on-one support, elevating their academic performance from great to exceptional. The College has two schools and 14 departments—and offers 30 bachelor’s degrees, 21 concentrations, 45 minors, and pre-professional preparation in medicine, veterinary science, dentistry, and law. Hood offers 20 master’s degrees, four doctorates, 12 post-baccalaureate certificates, and numerous Skill Accelerator professional development badge programs. The graduate programs provide content in business, STEM, the humanities, healthcare, and education.
In 2023, Hood received a record-breaking $54 million gift given to exclusively support undergraduate student scholarships from The Hodson Trust, which has generously supported Hood for many decades. Also, in 2023, the College completed its first capital campaign in over 25 years, Forging the Future, raising $74.6 million, exceeding its $50 million target. The funds increased student scholarships, internships, study abroad opportunities, and onsite research and added 13 new or expanded academic majors along with the establishment of the Ruth Whitaker Holmes School of Behavioral and Health Sciences and the George B. Delaplaine, Jr. School of Business. Along the way, Hood has embraced visionary thinking, innovation and change, staying nimble, and adapting to the shifts in the higher education landscape while remaining true to its mission.
The next president will lead Hood at an important juncture in its history. In the last decade, the institution has steadied its financial health while completing an academic redesign, prioritizing and establishing an office focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and expanding its community and government partnerships at the state and national levels. The next president will build on this success and chart a strategic course for the future aligned with its mission and its distinctive strengths.
This presidency is an exceptional opportunity for an inspiring, financially astute, equity-minded, politically adept, and engaging leader who connects deeply with Hood’s mission. The College seeks a president who can galvanize an academic community, apply business acumen to ensure long-term financial sustainability, and engage alumni and the surrounding community in significant philanthropic efforts, including leading the next major comprehensive capital campaign. The next president must be able to astutely navigate government relationships and bring a deep connection to boards of higher education. Honoring the institution’s past while charting a course for its future is central to the charge for the next president.
The expected salary range for this position ranges from $350,000 – $450,000 depending on circumstances including an applicant’s skills and qualifications, certain degrees and certifications, prior job experience, training, and other relevant factors. Hood College has provided a compensation range representing its good faith estimate of what the College may pay for the position at the time of posting. The College may ultimately pay more or less than the posted compensation range. Additional compensation may include variable and deferred compensation. Hood College offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, vision, retirement, paid time off, and tuition benefits.
To conduct this search, the Hood College Board of Trustees has named a 17-member search committee that includes faculty, staff, students, administrators, alumni, and trustees. The committee is assisted by the executive search firm Isaacson, Miller. Screening of complete applications will begin immediately and continue until the completion of the search process. Inquiries, nominations, referrals, and CVs with cover letters should be sent via the Isaacson, Miller website for the search: https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/hood-college/president. Electronic submission of materials is strongly encouraged.
Kate Barry, Partner
Keight Tucker Kennedy, Partner
Steph Simon, Senior Associate
Isaacson, Miller
Hood College is committed to diversity in its faculty and staff and subscribes to a policy of hiring only individuals legally eligible to work in the United States. EOE/AAP/M/F/Vet/Disability Employer.
Hood College does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, marital status, pregnancy, disability, religion, or age in recruitment, admission and access to, or treatment, or employment in its programs, services, benefits, or activities as required by applicable laws including Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and complies with the law regarding reasonable accommodation for disabled applicants and students. Inquiries about discrimination or reasonable accommodation should be referred to the Title IX and Section 504 Coordinator at Alumnae Hall, 401 Rosemont Avenue, Frederick, MD. 21701 (AD 312), (301) 696-3592. For complete information on Hood College’s nondiscrimination policy, please visit http://www.hood.edu/non-discrimination/.
