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COMMISSIONER JOB DESCRIPTION

Message from Chairman Clark

Dear Friend of Public Higher Education:

I am pleased to bring to your attention this notice for our search for a new Commissioner for the Department of Higher Education. The higher education enterprise is vital to the economic strength of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and to the well-being of its residents. The Board of Higher Education is calling upon the widest circle of contacts to bring forward the best candidate for this position.

The Board is seeking an individual with outstanding leadership qualities who will serve as an effective advocate for higher education in the Commonwealth. The leadership qualities that we require are briefly defined in the attached notice for the Commissioner position and will be expanded in the Leadership Statement that will be posted on the Department of Higher Education website at www.mass.edu/commissionersearch.  

Please consider who, among the higher education professionals that you know, might be a potential candidate for this position. The Search Committee will begin interviews with qualified candidates as soon as letters of interest and résumés are submitted, and the search will continue until the position is filled. 

Sincerely,
Frederick W. Clark, Jr.
Chairman

Job Description

The Massachusetts Board of Higher Education invites letters of intent and résumés and/or nominations for the position of Commissioner of Higher Education for the Board of Higher Education. The Commissioner is the Chief Executive Officer of the Board, responsible for implementing policies determined by the Board, and the chief school officer for higher education in the Commonwealth. The position is based in Boston, Massachusetts.

The Commissioner, through the Board, and in collaboration with the Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth, is responsible for overall coordination of the public higher education system, which includes the five campuses of the University of Massachusetts, nine campuses of the Massachusetts state colleges, and fifteen campuses of the Massachusetts community colleges. The Board of Higher Education is responsible for long-range strategic planning, the approval of new academic programs, collective bargaining for bargaining units at the state and community colleges, charter oversight of independent institutions, administration of state financial aid programs, and affirmative action.   

The Massachusetts Board of Higher Education is seeking a recognized leader with a passion for higher education and academic excellence, who will serve as an advocate for public higher education in Massachusetts. The ideal candidate will be a proactive and creative candidate who will lead public and private higher education with a renewed spirit of collaboration and coordination of the sectors of early, primary and secondary education, as well as the workforce and economic development sector. The selected individual will be an outstanding communicator with an awareness of the responsibilities of higher education in advancing the state’s social and economic progress. The individual will bring a commitment to and understanding of the multiple missions of a complex system and endeavor to provide the broadest public access to programs of excellence. 

The Search Committee’s consideration of candidates will continue until the position is filled. A letter of intent and résumé and/or nominations should be sent to:

Frederick W. Clark, Jr., Chair
Commissioner of Higher Education Search Committee
One Ashburton Place, Room 1401
Boston, MA  02108
Tel: 617-994-6950
www.mass.edu