Note: Please upload cover letter on final page of application under "Supporting documents."
Executive Summary
The W.E.B. DuBois Scholars Institute—a premier scholarship and leadership development organization for adolescents and secondary students from historically marginalized families and communities—seeks a visionary, engaged, and strategic leader deeply committed to the advancement of educational equity and social justice to serve as Executive Director of the Institute.
Guided by the enduring principles of W.E.B. Du Bois, the Institute has a steadfast commitment to several core objectives: sustaining high levels of academic interest and performance, fostering the development of leadership potential, and instilling in students a commitment to using their talents to improve conditions in their respective communities. What distinguishes the Institute from peer organizations at comparable University campuses is our profile of diverse, high-achieving students, who are not only academically talented, but also community-minded, and for whom we provide a collaborative, rather than hyper-competitive, environment.
The new Executive Director will lead strategic planning and advocacy, enhance scholarship and career development, and promote a diverse and inclusive community. The Executive Director will also spearhead fundraising efforts by creating relationships, writing grants, and building an alumni funding base. Overall, the Executive Director will shape the strategic vision and priorities of the Du Bois Institute.
To submit a nomination or personally apply to serve as the Executive Director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Scholars Institute, please follow the Procedure for Candidacy at the end of this profile.
Role of the Executive Director
The Executive Director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Scholars Institute will fulfill several roles in the organization, both through high-level leadership and in collaboration with key staff. The first is as a Chief Academic Leader, overseeing the curricular direction of our programming, recruitment and retention of faculty, assuring our course offerings are consistent with current scholarship and pedagogy, and understanding our organizational culture as an academic, as opposed to a corporate, entity. In addition, the Executive Director will identify and recruit talented scholars early in their career, offering them the opportunity to further develop their teaching and scholarship with the Institute. Past faculty members include Eddie Glaude of Princeton University and Jonathan L. Walton, current President of Princeton Theological Seminary, both at earlier stages in their careers, and Jarvis McInnis, an Assistant Professor at Duke University.
The Executive Director will also serve as the key Administrative Officer of the Institute, responsible for all operational matters. This includes academics, finances, leadership of faculty and staff, strategic partnerships, fundraising, alumni relations, and community relations. The Executive Director will oversee the staff’s execution of well-defined goals in a collaborative fashion by encouraging an inclusive culture. In addition, the Executive Director will be the liaison between the Institute’s staff and the Board of Directors, and work with the Board to ensure that strategic goals are established for the Institute, with actionable steps that prioritize the long-term health of the Institute.
The Executive Director has the overarching responsibility for defining the strategic vision and priorities for the Institute, in alignment with our stated mission and in collaboration with the Board of Directors. As the Institute is a continually evolving organization, the Executive Director will lead the effort to pursue innovative changes where opportunities present themselves. As an example, in 2016, we expanded beyond summer programming to institute a STEM-focused program administered during the school year, and in 2021, we extended those offerings beyond high school students to middle school students. Strategic partnerships are also key to this workflow. It is therefore important that the Executive Director be able to interface with senior-level professionals in the corporate, higher education, philanthropic sectors, and, importantly, with the leadership of school districts and public and private schools.
Another key role of the Executive Director is to maintain our financial stability, lead our fundraising activities, and enhance our fiscal strength. This involves nurturing our existing relationships with key funders, developing new funding streams from one’s network and among mission-aligned philanthropic organizations, while continuing to foster government funding and building our capacity to harness the giving potential of the Institute’s Alumni Base.
Finally, the Executive Director will serve as the face of the Institute, helping to raise our profile within the space of educational and leadership development programs. This includes maintenance of our important regional ties within the Tri-State New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania region, while also continuing our growth on the national stage, and pursuing opportunities in other regions with interested students and families.
The Executive Director’s current leadership team and staff comprises the following positions:
- Senior Program Manager
- Supervise and support the Program Manager and recruit, hire, and supervise part-time residential staff
- Create marketing content and marketing materials
- Lead orientations, ceremonies, and communicate with parents, students, counselors, and administrators
- Manage new and existing and expand new partnerships and sponsorships with schools, counselors, foundations, districts, companies, etc.
- Compose annual reports, grant proposals, contracts, and program evaluations.
- Track program payments, employee stipends, employee reimbursements, donations, and scholarship distributions
- Program Manager
- Assist Senior Program Manager in above tasks
- Coordinate and manage the Accelerated Learning Academy (for 8-9 graders), from the recruitment/preparation phase to the daily operations, execution and evaluation phase
- Seasonal Administrative Staff: Residential Staff, Health Officer (COVID, etc.)
- Chief of Faculty/Dean of Academic Affairs
- Recruit, hire, and supervise the faculty of the W.E.B. Du Bois Scholars Institute for all programs
- Review the lesson plans, syllabi, workshop summaries, and student evaluation reports composed by the faculty and the overall curriculum created by the faculty.
- Engage in peer-teaching observations and implement methods for better student and faculty engagement
- Organize faculty schedules and lead faculty meetings for professional development
- Compose letters of recommendations for students, faculty, and staff
- Conduct and or participate in faculty, student, and parent orientations
- Work with the Executive Director and Senior Program manager on grant writing, and external relations
- Seasonal Academic Staff: Faculty (~30 instructors at a given time)
Board of Directors
The current Board of Directors (the “Board”) is a ten-member body consisting of academics, financial executives, community activists, attorneys, and other professionals. Some Board members are also former W.E.B. Du Bois Scholars. The Board is the governing body of the Institute, responsible for its governance, strategy, major decision making, and oversight of the Institute’s operations. The Board works in a collaborative manner with the Executive Director to shape the current and future vision of the Institute.
Professional Qualifications and Personal Qualities
The Du Bois Institute seeks in the next Executive Director a transformative leader. To that end, the next Executive Director will need to possess the following qualities and qualifications:
- Preferred terminal degree in one’s field
- Significant administrative and leadership experience in an academic setting
- Strong organizational and managerial skills, with the ability to oversee administrative operations effectively
- Effective communication and relationship-building abilities, including with external partners
- Experience in fundraising, including grant writing, cultivating donor relationships, and building an alumni funding base
- Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, with the ability to create a supportive and inclusive environment
- Ability to identify and collaborate with faculty to achieve the Institute’s unique mission
- Ability to collaborate with staff, students, parents, and Board of Directors to advance the Institute's mission
- Flexibility and adaptability to navigate complex challenges and seize opportunities in a rapidly changing environment
About the W.E.B DuBois Scholars Institute
Overview
Founded in 1988 as the W.E.B. Du Bois Scholars Program by Dr. Sherle L. Boone, Professor of Psychology at William Paterson University, the Institute was established as a residential summer program for high-achieving African-American and Latino-American students attending secondary schools in New Jersey. The program has since evolved to become a beacon of educational excellence and social transformation. While the academic programs are primarily hosted on the campus of Princeton University, the Institute remains an independent entity, distinct from Princeton University
The Du Bois Scholars Institute is supported by a dedicated board of 10 members and collaborates with 11 corporate and organizational sponsors and partners. The Institute offers three programs: (1) the , welcoming 8th through 12th graders to participate in one of three academies; (2) the (ALA), which focuses on STEM studies and careers; and (3) the , designed for 7 and 8 grade students to introduce them to skills and tools for successful academic growth, career preparation, planning, and advancement, providing mentorship and leadership experience.
Mission Statement
The WEB Du Bois Scholars Institute is a leadership development organization for adolescents and secondary students from families and communities who have experienced historical barriers to achievement and opportunity. To help overcome these challenges, the Institute develops a diverse cadre of leaders and scholars who, through rigorous preparation and nurturance, excel in higher education and professionally. With an array of academically enriched content, career development resources and cultural awareness, the Institute aims to foster well-rounded young minds and wisdom-loving change agents working to create a more just and human world.
A key goal is that these students go on to use their talents to serve their respective communities.
Du Bois Quick Facts
- Total enrollment: ~200 students per year
- Number of programs: 4
- The Summer Institute for 7 -11 Graders
- The Accelerated Learning Academy for 10 -12 Graders
- The Accelerated Learning Academy for 8 -9 Graders
- The Career Development Academy for 7 -8 Grader Trenton and Mercer County Youth
- 7-to-1 student-faculty ratio
- 30 faculty members
- More than 1,750 alumni
- 99% of students enroll in a college or university
- Regional make-up of students: Approximately 50%-60% from NJ, 5% from NY/PA, and the remainder from other regions
- Esteemed alumni include the first Black woman to serve as commissioner of the California Public Utilities Commission, Newark Public School’s first Rhodes Scholar, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Department of the Interior, a senior economist on the Council of Economic Advisors, a Senior Vice President of the JPB Foundation, and numerous academic scholars, writers, activists, physicians, attornies, artists, and entrepreneurs.
Diversity & Inclusion
Diversity and inclusion are essential to the work we do. Fostering an environment that encourages rigorous inquiry and effective leadership development requires the involvement and understanding of diverse viewpoints and opinions.
The Du Bois Scholars Institute has made this commitment a priority as we prepare a new generation of leaders to make a positive social impact in their communities and around the world.
Procedure for Candidacy
All applications, nominations and inquiries are invited. Applicants must upload a CV or resume and a letter of interest addressing the themes in this profile. Note: Please upload your cover letter on the final "Please review your application" page of the application, under "Supporting documents." Click "Add."
For fullest consideration, candidate materials should be received by Monday, June 10th, 2024. All applications must be submitted through this portal.
We seek a diverse pool of applicants who wish to join an organization that places the highest value on rigorous inquiry and encourages diverse perspectives, experiences, groups of individuals, and ideas to inform and stimulate intellectual challenge, engagement, and exchange.
The W.E.B. Du Bois Scholars Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law.
Job Type: Full-time
Schedule:
- Monday to Friday
- Weekends as needed
People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply
Work Location: In person