Overview
South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities, Inc. seeks a President and Chief Executive Officer to lead the organization’s advocacy, collaboration, public engagement, fundraising, and member service work on behalf of South Carolina’s independent colleges and universities.
The President & CEO of South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities (SCICU) leads the organization that supports and advocates on behalf of 20 independent colleges and universities in South Carolina.
The President will represent the collective interests of SCICU member institutions before the South Carolina General Assembly, the Governor’s Office, state agencies, boards, commissions, Congress, and federal agencies. The successful candidate must understand that independent colleges and universities have interests that are often distinct from public institutions and must be able to explain those differences clearly and persuasively.
A central responsibility of the President is to protect the funding that South Carolina students receive to pursue a college degree at the institution that best fits them. The President must also work to prevent unnecessary or overburdensome regulation that adds cost or complexity without improving student learning, student success, institutional accountability, or public trust.
Above all, the President must maintain strong, trusted, and regular relationships with the presidents of South Carolina’s private colleges and universities. SCICU’s effectiveness depends on the confidence of its members, the credibility of its message, and the ability of its President to bring diverse institutions together around shared priorities.
The President & CEO will represent and advocate for the interests of member institutions and oversee all operational aspects of the organization, including supervising staff, drafting the SCICU budget and ensuring efficient office operations. The President & CEO will oversee fundraising, and foster collaboration among member colleges and universities, stakeholders, and the broader higher education community.
The President & CEO manages a board currently with 42 members, which includes the 20 campus presidents and represents the institutions before federal, state, and local officials and serves as primary spokesperson.
Reports to: Board of Trustees
Location: Columbia, SC
Primary Responsibilities:
Strategic Leadership
· Communicate a clear vision and strategy for SCICU, engaging members institutions, staff members, lawmakers, and other external stakeholders in support of the SCICU mission.
· Drive initiatives that support academic excellence, financial health, and public profile of member institutions. Pursue opportunities to expand services to meet the needs of member campuses.
Legislative Advocacy and Public Policy Leadership
· Develop, recommend, and execute a clear annual legislative strategy in partnership with the SCICU Board of Trustees, Public Policy Committee, and member presidents.
· Advocate for state funding that supports South Carolina students attending independent colleges, including need-based tuition grants, merit scholarships, and other forms of student aid.
· Protect the principle of student choice by ensuring that state financial aid follows eligible South Carolina students to the accredited in-state institution that best fits their academic, personal, and professional goals.
· Monitor proposed legislation, budget actions, agency rules, and regulatory initiatives that could affect independent colleges and universities and their students.
· Oppose unnecessary or overburdensome regulation that does not produce meaningful improvement in learning outcomes, student success, financial stewardship, or public accountability.
· Build and maintain relationships with legislators, legislative staff, the Governor’s Office, state agency leaders, congressional offices, and relevant policy organizations.
· Prepare testimony, policy briefs, talking points, data summaries, and legislative updates that help policymakers understand the value and needs of independent higher education.
Fundraising and Development
Oversee fundraising efforts to secure financial resources for scholarships, grants, and other programs that support member institutions.
Cultivate relationships with donors, foundations, and corporate partners to enhance financial support for SCICU initiatives.
Relationship with Member Presidents
· Maintain regular, direct communication with member presidents to understand their institutional priorities, challenges, and concerns.
· Convene presidents around shared policy issues, emerging threats, and opportunities for collective action.
· Build consensus while recognizing that SCICU institutions differ in size, mission, location, student population, religious affiliation, and institutional model.
· Ensure that advocacy positions reflect the broad interests of the independent sector, not the needs of only one type of institution.
· Serve as a confidential sounding board and strategic resource for member presidents on legislative, regulatory, and public policy matters.
· Strengthen the sense of common purpose among South Carolina’s independent colleges and universities.
Protection of Student Financial Aid and Affordability
· Advocate for strong, stable, and predictable funding for South Carolina Tuition Grants and other student aid programs available to students at independent colleges.
· Explain the importance of need-based and merit-based aid in preserving access, affordability, degree completion, and student choice.
· Work closely with the South Carolina Tuition Grants Commission, Commission on Higher Education, legislative leaders, and member campuses to address funding, eligibility, and administrative issues.
· Communicate clearly that support for independent college students is not an institutional subsidy, but a student-centered investment in South Carolina residents.
· Use data and student stories to show how state aid helps students complete degrees, enter the workforce, and contribute to South Carolina’s economy.
Public Voice for Independent Higher Education
· Communicate the public value of independent colleges and universities to policymakers, business leaders, civic organizations, donors, media, and the general public.
· Highlight the sector’s contribution to workforce development, economic vitality, student opportunity, leadership formation, and community life.
· Promote the distinctiveness of independent higher education, including institutional diversity, mission-centered education, student support, smaller learning communities, and values-based formation.
· Represent SCICU at public events, legislative hearings, campus gatherings, statewide meetings, and national association meetings.
· Strengthen SCICU’s reputation as a credible, nonpartisan, policy-focused advocate.
Board Relations and Organizational Leadership
· Work closely with the Board Chair, Executive Committee, Board of Trustees, and relevant committees to set priorities and measure progress.
· Lead SCICU staff in a manner that is professional, collaborative, accountable, and mission-focused.
· Ensure sound financial management, operational discipline, compliance, and transparency.
· Oversee fundraising, business partnerships, communications, public engagement, and member services in alignment with SCICU’s mission.
· Prepare board materials, reports, legislative updates, financial information, and strategic recommendations.
· Maintain productive relationships with donors, foundations, corporate partners, and other supporters of independent higher education.
Leadership of the Team and Management
· Create and sustain a staff culture built on trust, shared responsibility, mutual respect, and clear accountability.
· Set clear expectations for staff roles, priorities, decision-making authority, and organizational performance.
· Encourage open communication, thoughtful dissent, collaboration, and problem solving across the organization.
· Model integrity, transparency, discretion, and follow-through in all internal and external relationships.
· Develop and support staff members so they understand how their work advances SCICU’s mission and strengthens member institutions.
· Delegate effectively while remaining engaged in the issues that matter most to members, policymakers, donors, and the Board.
· Ensure that SCICU operates as a well-managed, responsive, and service-oriented organization that earns the confidence of its members.
Desired Qualifications
· Significant experience in higher education, public policy, government relations, association leadership, nonprofit leadership, or a related field.
· Demonstrated ability to work effectively with elected officials, legislative staff, state agencies, boards, commissions, and policy organizations.
· A strong understanding of student financial aid, higher education funding, regulatory policy, and the role of private nonprofit colleges.
· Experience working with college or university presidents, boards, senior executives, or comparable leaders.
· Ability to build trust across institutions with different missions, histories, faith traditions, student populations, and financial models.
· Strong written and oral communication skills, including the ability to translate complex policy issues into clear, persuasive messages.
· Political judgment, discretion, and the ability to represent members in a nonpartisan and highly credible manner.
· Commitment to access, affordability, student success, institutional independence, and educational choice.
· Fundraising, donor relations, or business partnership experience preferred.
· Advanced degree preferred, though significant leadership and advocacy experience may be considered equally valuable.
Key Competencies
· Credibility with policymakers: The ability to earn trust at the State House and in other public policy settings.
· Credibility with presidents: The ability to listen to, advise, and represent private college presidents effectively.
· Strategic advocacy: The ability to identify threats and opportunities before they become urgent.
· Clear communication: The ability to make the case for independent higher education in plain, compelling language.
· Political discernment: The judgment to know when to lead publicly, when to work quietly, and when to build coalitions.
· Consensus building: The ability to bring diverse institutions together around shared priorities.
· Regulatory awareness: The ability to distinguish meaningful accountability from burdensome rules that add cost without improving student outcomes.
· Student-centered focus: The ability to keep the emphasis on students, families, affordability, degree completion, and opportunity.
Measures of Success
· Strong, trusted relationships with SCICU member presidents.
· Clear and effective representation of independent higher education in the South Carolina General Assembly.
· Protection and advancement of student financial aid programs that support South Carolina students attending independent colleges and universities.
· Timely identification and response to legislative and regulatory issues affecting member institutions.
· Increased visibility and credibility for SCICU as the voice of independent higher education in South Carolina.
· Strong board engagement, organizational management, and financial stewardship.
· A healthy internal culture marked by trust, shared responsibility, clear expectations, and effective team performance.
· A stronger shared identity among South Carolina’s independent colleges and universities.
Position Profile Summary
The President of SCICU must be more than an association executive. This person must be the chief advocate for a sector that serves South Carolina in ways that are sometimes underappreciated and often misunderstood. The role requires someone who can walk comfortably into the State House, speak credibly with legislators, sit privately with college and university presidents, understand the financial pressures facing students and institutions, and explain why independent higher education matters to the future of South Carolina.
The right leader will protect student choice, defend essential student aid, resist unnecessary regulatory burden, and ensure that South Carolina’s independent colleges and universities speak with a clear, coordinated, and respected voice.
To Apply
Confidential nominations, inquiries, and application materials should be submitted electronically to:
[email protected]
Application materials should include a cover letter addressing the candidate’s qualifications and interest in the position, a current résumé or curriculum vitae, and contact information for five professional references. References will not be contacted without the candidate’s permission.
Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.
Pay: $165,000.00 - $180,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Professional development assistance
- Relocation assistance
- Retirement plan
- Vision insurance
Education:
Experience:
- Higher Education: 5 years (Required)
- Government Relations/Public Policy: 5 years (Required)
- Association Leadership: 5 years (Preferred)
- Nonprofit management: 5 years (Preferred)
Location:
- Columbia, SC 29201 (Preferred)
Ability to Relocate:
- Columbia, SC 29201: Relocate before starting work (Preferred)
Work Location: In person
