WMU was founded as a Normal School in 1903 with broad support from the community. Today it is a student-centered research university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, with a total enrollment of just under 18,000 students, comprising 13,860 undergraduates and 3,745 graduate students. WMU is Michigan’s fifth-largest university, attracting a diverse and culturally rich student body from across the United States and nearly 100 other countries. Approximately 35% of students identify among historically under- represented populations or as international, and 26% of undergraduates are from outside Michigan.
The University offers more than 150 undergraduate majors in eight degree-granting colleges: Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Education and Human Development, Engineering and Applied Sciences, Fine Arts, Haworth College of Business, Health and Human Services and Merze Tate College. In addition, the Lee Honors College offers a small setting with student support for approximately 2,000 talented undergraduates. The Graduate College supports more than 160 graduate and advanced academic programs, while WMUx offers professional development programs through its online and lifelong education units. Through formal affiliation, the University is home to the Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine.
Western’s Strategic Plan covers a span of 10 years and is framed around seven key priority areas: Academic Excellence; Community Building; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Internationalization; Research and Creative Scholarship; Sustainability and Well-being. The University has the state’s third-largest college-affiliated endowment, which totaled $757 million in fiscal year 2024.
The next president will join Western Michigan University in a moment of exciting advancement and growth. Firmly rooted in its service to society, Western Michigan University seeks a leader who can help the institution implement an agenda that is intellectually exciting, entrepreneurial, focused on civic engagement and student-centric; builds community and ownership; thinks strategically about the future of enrollment and curriculum; and promotes and supports faculty and student research. The next president will support, engage and lead all members of the University’s diverse community—including students; faculty; staff; leadership; alumni; friends; trustees; local community members; and business, educational and governmental partners—in an ongoing and transformative dialogue about continuous service and growth, as the University faces regional and national challenges ahead. They will be a highly visible and approachable presence both for the community on campus and for friends and donors of the University. Embodying this spirit of innovation, tenacity and inclusive excellence, the next president will create and implement a vision for higher education at Western that will move the University forward and create leaders who will positively impact the region, the country and the world.
To express interest in this role, please submit a compelling letter of candidacy that responds to the agenda for leadership and the desired attributes for the president and a CV/resume through the linked Talent Profile. All applications, inquiries, discussions and nominations will be considered strictly confidential. The estimated salary range for this position is $450,000 - $550,000. Western Michigan University has provided a compensation estimate that represents its good faith estimate of what the institution may pay for the position at the time of posting. Benefits include medical, dental, vision, 403(b) retirement, health savings account, life, STD and LTD insurance.
Inquiries and nominations may be sent in confidence to:
Jim Sirianni, Managing Director
TaJuan Wilson, Managing Director
Susan VanGilder, Managing Director and Global Education Practice Lead
Mark Halligan, Senior Associate
[email protected]