Presidential Search

The Alma College Board of Trustees has announced the start of a national search for the college’s 14th president in collaboration with Storbeck Search.

Alma College is a four-year liberal arts college located in the city of Alma in the geographic center of Michigan’s lower peninsula. Founded in 1886, its mission is “preparing graduates who think critically, serve generously, lead purposefully and live responsibly as stewards of the world they bequeath to future generations.” Alma College offers more than 45 undergraduate academic programs, leading to Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Bachelor of Music degrees. It also offers four graduate programs, leading to Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, Master of Science in Communication Information Technology, Master of Arts in Special Education with Learning Disabilities Endorsement and Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling degrees. In addition to the academic majors, numerous concentrations, academic institutes, and special programs are offered. Its athletics teams, nicknamed the Scots, are part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) – Division III and the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA).

Want to know more about the position?

Search Profile

To share nominations and inquiries, email almapresident@storbecksearch.com.

Prospectus

Meet the Search Committee

Accolades

Recent national recognition for the college includes:

No. 8 in Regional Colleges Midwest by U.S. News & World Report (2024)
No. 24 in Top Performers on Social Mobility by U.S. News & World Report (2024)
Princeton Review’s Best in the Midwest listing (20th year)
Fiske Guide to Colleges listing of the 300 “best and most interesting schools in the U.S., Canada and Great Britain” (38th year)
Colleges of Distinction (16th year)

Accreditation

Alma College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, having received re-accreditation in 2019-20. Specific programs of the college are also accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, and the American Chemical Society.

Distinctions

At Alma College, we believe in the power of extraordinary experiences. As part of the Alma Commitment, every Alma student qualifies for up to $2,500 to pursue an original research project, internship or off-campus study experience designed to meet their personal and professional development goals.

Alma has a 4-4-1 academic calendar. Our one-month Spring Term courses in May take advantage of the unique format of the term and cross geographical, cultural or disciplinary boundaries.

Alma offers STEM research opportunities not typically available to undergraduate students, including through our on-campus cadaver lab, 200-acre ecological station, and the Dow Digital Science Center.

The Center for College and Community Engagement (3CE) offers students opportunities to engage, learn and grow in partnership with the local community. Students might mentor local youth, implement a social media campaign in a political advocacy class, or support ecological restoration during an Alternative Break.

Alma’s Model United Nations program has 58 “outstanding delegation” awards at the Midwest Regional Competition and 52 at the National Model UN Conference in NYC – the most of any college or university.

Check out our Tartan Magazine for more highlights.

Belonging and Inclusion

A liberal arts education has its greatest impact when it includes a wide range of perspectives; as such, Alma College has made considerable gains in recent years with respect to the strength and diversity of its student body, as well as resources for faculty and staff, and financial and academic support for all students. The college is currently in the process of creating a comprehensive strategic plan to enhance diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging for the whole campus community.

Learn More

Strategic Plan

In 2020, the college revised its strategic plan, entitled Evergreen, with five priorities: Purpose and Place, which is focused on modeling citizenship for students and improving the communities around us; Creating a Just and Inclusive Community, dedicated to accountability, transparency and building a holistic culture of inclusion; New Programs and Innovation, regarding the development of new programs and new markets; Experiential Learning, focused on the expansion of service-learning opportunities; and Financial Viability, aimed at finding efficiencies across campus and investing strategically in growth and infrastructure. The Evergreen Plan is designed to be continuously updated, to meet the needs of an ever-changing world.

Learn More

“Our Time is Now” Campaign

The college in 2021 completed the most ambitious and successful fundraising campaign in its history, “Our Time is Now: The Campaign for Alma College,” which inspired more than $125.2 million in giving over the course of eight years. “Our Time is Now” surpassed the record for an amount raised in an Alma College philanthropic campaign. Donations have resulted in the completion of several major construction projects across campus and in the city of Alma, including the Greg Hatcher Learning Commons, Thomas Andison Chapel and the Wright Leppien Opera House.

Learn More

A College Town in the Heart of Michigan

Picture this: a small college town where the leaves change color, football is played on Saturdays, and the downtown is hopping. You can find it all right here in Alma.

Nestled in its namesake city of Alma, Alma College is steps from everything you need to relax and absorb the local vibes. From the vibrant downtown – with places to eat, grab a coffee, shop, exercise and even play video games – to big box stores and a movie theater just down the street, there’s plenty to keep you busy. And when family and friends come to visit, they can stay right on campus in our boutique hotel rooms. The cities of Mt. Pleasant, Midland, Grand Rapids and Lansing are all within an hour’s drive from Alma, proving we’re truly in the center of it all.

Driving Distances to Major Cities:

Lansing – 45 miles
Grand Rapids – 58 miles
Detroit – 110 miles
Chicago – 183 miles
Midland – 27 miles
Mt. Pleasant – 17 miles

Search Communications

December 10, 2024

TO: Members of the Alma College Community

FROM: Erika Powers Appelt ’91, Trustee and Presidential Search Committee Chair

On behalf of the College’s Presidential Search Committee members, I am pleased to share that the search is progressing well and on schedule. We recently met in person with a leading group of semi-finalist candidates and were very impressed with both their qualifications and their enthusiasm for Alma.

From that group we identified a set of finalist candidates who will participate in additional conversations with College representatives in December and January. We are confident that from these efforts will emerge an exceptional leader to guide the College in its next chapter.

We will share another update with you early in the New Year. For now, thank you for your ongoing support and interest.

October 9, 2024

TO: Members of the Alma College Community

FROM: Erika Powers Appelt ’91, Trustee and Presidential Search Committee Chair

Warm autumn greetings. I am writing with an update on our shared efforts to identify Alma College’s next President.

We would like to thank all of you who participated in recent conversations with our consultants Julie Tea and Brian Bustin of Storbeck Search. Your thoughtful comments provided the basis for the creation of the search prospectus, a valuable tool that will be used to solicit nominations and recruit candidates nationally. We invite you to review the finalized copy which is available on the College’s presidential search website as well as the Storbeck Search website.

As you review the search prospectus, please pay particular attention to the attributes most highly desired in our new President. We urge you to suggest people you know who could serve effectively in this critically important position, or those you think might know of potential candidates. Please forward their names to Julie Tea and Brian Bustin at AlmaPresident@storbecksearch.com.

Our committee is well aware that the success of our search depends on the involvement of all members of the Alma community. Please rest assured that names and information will be treated with full confidentiality.

Over the next several weeks, we will generate a national candidate pool through nominations received from you and others, inquiries at other colleges and universities similar to Alma in scope and mission, advertising in The Chronicle of Higher Education and Inside Higher Ed and on a number of other relevant websites, and the work of our search firm. In mid-November, the search committee will begin to narrow the candidate pool.

The search is off to a good start. I will write to you again as we enter subsequent stages of the process. Thank you for your support.

September 5, 2024

TO: Members of the Alma College Community
FROM: Erika Powers Appelt ’91, Trustee and Presidential Search Committee Chair

I am writing with another update regarding our shared efforts to identify Alma College’s next President.

On behalf of the Presidential Search Committee members, I would like to thank all of you who participated in conversations with our consultants Julie Tea and Brian Bustin of Storbeck Search during their campus visit this week. We deeply value your input and suggestions.

As promised, our Storbeck Search partners are offering additional, virtual listening sessions for those of you who may not have had a chance to meet them during their campus visit or who have additional thoughts to share. Please make a note of the respective sessions below and participate as your schedules will allow.

Wednesday, September 11
4:00-4:45 p.m. – Faculty
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82870712528?pwd=0N2vvt0O5ubvnxKo4cbQaqcPckRPKK.1

Thursday, September 12
9:00-9:45 a.m. – Administrators/Staff
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82142213499?pwd=xIe5PN4vxyFnjGB81myKGa76s5Onu2.1

Friday, September 13
2:00-2:45 p.m. – Students
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82189948619?pwd=uQciqvasTZgU0WwmdPJC9LT02acFSM.1

To complement the listening sessions, an electronic constituent survey remains available for community members to share their thoughts regarding the search. The survey is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AlmaPresidentSearchSurvey. Please feel free to access the link and complete the survey through Friday, September 13th at 5:00 p.m. Please also share the link with others who have an interest in the College’s future. Please rest assured that the survey responses will be anonymous. Responses will be collated by our Storbeck Search team.

On the heels of these sessions and the closure of the survey, our consultants and Alma’s marketing and communications team will craft and share a draft search prospectus with the search committee for editing and revision. The final copy will be distributed to the College community and beyond as we look to build a talented and deep candidate pool.

Nominations and expressions of interest continue to be welcomed and may be directed to our search firm team at AlmaPresident@storbecksearch.com.

Please be in touch with any questions at presidentialsearch@alma.edu. Thank you for your support of the search.

August 29, 2024

TO: Members of the Alma College Community
FROM: Erika Powers Appelt ’91, Trustee and Presidential Search Committee Chair

Dear Campus Community:

I hope the fall term is off to a smooth and energizing start for you. I write to you today on behalf of the Presidential Search Committee with another update regarding the progress we are making in identifying the 14th President of Alma College.

The search committee met earlier this month to receive its charge from the Board of Trustees, to discuss the search timeline and related key activities, to avow its commitment to a fair and equitable process, and to affirm the importance of confidentiality in our work. It was a positive meeting, and the committee is excited about the path forward.

Our partners on the search, the Storbeck Search team of Managing Director Julie Tea and Senior Associate Brian Bustin, will be meeting with the Alma community on Wednesday, September 4th to learn more about the institution’s greatest strengths, the challenges and opportunities awaiting new leadership, and the skill sets and personal attributes you see as most important for our next President to possess. The Storbeck team will host open listening sessions with faculty, students, administrators, and staff in the Thomas Andison Chapel. Calendar invitations for these meetings have been shared with the community. It is extremely important to the Search Committee that we gather input from as many folks as possible, so I encourage you to attend and share your thoughts—our future work will be stronger and better informed the more we hear from you. Julie and Brian look forward to meeting with you and to visiting campus on the 4th.

As a complement to the listening sessions, an electronic constituent survey is available for community members to share their thoughts regarding the search. The survey is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AlmaPresidentSearchSurvey. Please feel free to access the link and complete the survey through Friday, September 13th at 5:00 p.m. Please also share the link with others who have an interest in the College’s future. Please rest assured that the survey responses will be anonymous. Responses will be collated by our Storbeck Search team.

Thank you in advance for your willingness to participate in these important exchanges about Alma’s future. We are eager to hear your perspectives.

Having gathered information from across the campus and via the survey, our consultants will then work with Alma’s marketing and communications team to compile a draft of the search prospectus, an important document that will describe the College as well as the leadership agenda for the next President. Our consultants will share the draft with the search committee for editing and revision before the final copy is distributed to the College community and beyond as we look to build a talented, diverse, and deep candidate pool.

Nominations and expressions of interest are welcomed and may be directed to our search firm team at AlmaPresident@storbecksearch.com.

Please be in touch with any questions at presidentialsearch@alma.edu. Thank you for your support of the search.

Contact Us

Questions: presidentialsearch@alma.edu

Nominations or Inquiries: almapresident@storbecksearch.com