SOLUTIONS FOR SUCCESS
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Date: June 12th, 2008
Author: Career College News
Chief Operating Officer
About Blue Cliff College - (www.bluecliffcollege.com)
In February of this year, Quad Ventures (www.quadventures.com), as part of its investment strategy in postsecondary education, acquired ownership of Blue Cliff College, an accredited and expanding group of career schools headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Together with Dorsey Schools, with four career schools in suburban Detroit, and Beckfield College, a private four-year career-education college serving the suburban Cincinnati market, Blue Cliff provides high-quality instruction to more than 5,000 students in the heartland of America.
Currently, Blue Cliff owns and operates seven campuses in Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas offering associates degrees and diplomas in allied health, massage therapy, and criminal justice.
The mission of the staff and faculty of Blue Cliff College is rooted in the very name itself. “Blue Cliff” is taken from an ancient Zen text, “Blue Cliff Records”, containing dialogues between Zen Masters and their students. “Blue Cliff” has come to symbolize the role of the teacher in bringing personal knowledge and insight to a student, while simultaneously kindling the flame of his or her personal development and personal awareness.
Blue Cliff is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology. In Louisiana, the Louisiana Board of Regents licenses the college. In Mississippi, the Gulfport campus maintains a license with The State of Mississippi Commission on Proprietary School and College Registration. Blue Cliff Campuses in Mississippi and Louisiana are approved by the Department of Education to provide Title IV Federal Aid to qualified applicants in various programs. Each location may have a different combination of accreditations and approvals.
The Position Opportunity
Quad Ventures is seeking an individual to bring vision and strong execution to the school as its new COO. Replacing the school’s founder, this new President and COO will be expected to accomplish several broad objectives–
- Create the technology, financial, and human capital infrastructure to support the school’s expansion throughout the Gulf Coast and South
- Build Blue Cliff’s awareness and reputation among the regional pool of potential students
- Evaluate and upgrade the quality of Blue Cliff’s staff, programs, and organizational culture
- Develop new programs that leverage the school’s resources and brand, and that serve the communities in which campuses are located
- Improve the overall operational efficiency of the school’s administrative functions
- Identify other schools in the South that might be acquired by Quad to build Blue Cliff revenues and expand its offerings
Performance will be measured by a number of quantitative and qualitative criteria, including enrollment and revenue growth, start numbers, student retention rates, placement success, faculty and degree reputations, new campus and program rollouts, and profitability.
The new President and COO will be expected to live in or commute weekly to Baton Rouge.
The Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate currently works as CEO, President, and/or COO of a similarly sized, multi-campus, for-profit college offering a range of professional programs. Alternatively, he or she is a Campus President or Regional Vice President for a large public, proprietary school and with the ability and desire to run a college.
Candidates will have a record of performance documented by superior growth of their schools, especially if they have taken a <$10MM company to revenues of $50MM and more.
Equally important, this individual will be a true leader--outstanding communication skills, presence, self-awareness, "learning agility," integrity, and intelligence.
This is a building task—the President and COO will be working long hours to drive the success of this college. Evaluation of staff and curricula, technology and campus infrastructure, key partnerships, and student acquisition strategies will all occupy significant time during the first year.
An MBA and/or advanced degree is desired.
Candidates for the position must be willing to relocate or commute weekly to college head-quarters in Baton Rouge.
The Career Opportunity
- To an experienced President and COO or President seeking a new challenge, this opportu-nity offers the opportunity to join the leadership team of a successful and growing investment team in postsecondary education
- To a current #2 (President and COO, GM, Regional Vice President), the opportunity to step up in responsibility, title, and compensation
- To any candidate, (1) the chance to make a difference–Quad Ventures’ culture of innovation will appeal to individuals who may feel thwarted by red tape and the weight of tradition, (2) the chance to build a dominant, multi-program and multi-campus regional college, and (3) the chance to contribute to an exit strategy that benefits both Quad and the President and COO
- To the individual hired, a path to greater responsibility and rewards within the Quad Ventures network of schools in higher education
About Quad Ventures
Quad Ventures was founded in 2000 to make value-added private investments in the education industry. Today, Quad is the most active investor in privately-owned education companies in the United States.Its strategy is to invest in small and mid-sized education businesses with significant potential, then apply the unique operating and financial expertise of its principals to help managers drive company growth while maintaining or improving academic results.
Quad manages over $200 million of equity capital from leading limited partners including Auda, CMS Companies, Goldman Sachs, HarbourVest, Landmark Partners, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Partners Group and others.
Compensation
Compensation includes base salary, bonus, and significant equity in line with an individual’s work experience.Travel
Travel may be as much as 30 percent in addition to any commuting.Contact
Resume should be sent as a Word document to Ralph Protsik, Managing Director, Boston Search Group, ralph@bsgtv.com, and also posted on the BSG website, www.bostonsearchgroup.com.
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