Harold
Alfond Director of Athletics
Leadership Profile Summer 2024
About Colby College
Founded in 1813, Colby College is the 12th-oldest liberal arts college in the nation and one of America’s most selective colleges. A residential, four-year institution serving only undergraduates, Colby offers an academic program rooted in the deep exploration of ideas and enriched by partnerships with world-class faculty scholars and institutions. Colby reimagines the liberal arts experience providing access to a global experience, research, and internships for all students regardless of their background.
This integrated educational experience prepares Colby students to be critical and imaginative thinkers; intellectually curious, proficient communicators; and responsible and active global citizens. 2,300 students represent 45 states and 70 countries; nearly 15% are the first in their family to attend college, and more than 12% are non-U.S. citizens. With 58 majors, 35 minors, and independent major options, Colby students have the flexibility to set their own course of study.
Situated in Waterville, Maine, Colby’s 714-acre campus is regarded as one of the most beautiful in the nation. With more than 225 full-time teaching faculty and over 800 staff members dedicated to supporting its mission, the College remains committed to building and nurturing a work environment in which faculty and staff can do their best work and thrive while building a strong sense of community across all areas. Colby’s operating budget is more than $300 million, and the market value of Colby’s endowment is valued at approximately $1.2 billion.
Colby’s history is extraordinary, but there has never been a more dynamic and exciting time for the College. Colby is in a period of fast-paced progress defined by ambitious institutional priorities to reimagine student opportunity and postgraduate success. The College’s reputation and resources have expanded dramatically under President Greene’s leadership over the last ten years. Applications have jumped nearly 400% since 2014 with each of the past two years’ 7% acceptance rate placing Colby as one of the top five most selective liberal arts colleges in the country; having raised more than $870 million the College extended its original $750 million campaign, which at the time when it launched was the single largest campaign at any liberal arts college, to $1 billion; through multiple partnerships the city of Waterville has been transformed and serves as a national model for other communities with more than $200 million in collective investments into the town; recently opened the more than $95 million Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts on campus; College leaders and programs has garnered substantial media attention in national, regional and local outlets; and, investments in athletics and recreation, including the opening of the single best Division III athletics and recreation center in the country in the Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center in 2020 have been unmatched at all other similar institutions.
About Colby College Athletics and Recreation
Few, if any liberal arts colleges, have made as substantial of investments into athletics and recreation as Colby over the past ten years. With a deep commitment to ensuring the student experience is highlighted by all students learning how to live a healthy, active lifestyle, the College developed a new model of an athletics and recreation program for all rather than only those who compete in varsity sports. This approach is highlighted by leading facilities, a distinctive peak performance program, new pathways for alumni engagement and philanthropy, and the ongoing support students provide to their peers.
In 2020, the College completed construction of The Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center, which garnered numerous awards and become the envy of many other institutions. The 350,000 square-foot athletics and recreation center includes an indoor track and field competition center, an aquatic center with the only 50-meter Myrtha pool in New England, squash center, the Margaret M. Crook Arena for men’s and women’s basketball as well as volleyball, the O’Neil | O’Donnell Forum, home to men’s and women’s ice hockey, the Boulos Strength and Fitness Center, a suite of training and rehabilitation facilities, coaching suites, and more.
Over a similar time period the College also opened a 70-acre-plus outdoor competition center that consists of seven gleaming new competition and recreational fields that are also among the finest outdoor venues in Division III. The outdoor competition center consists of a new softball and baseball complex, soccer pitch, and the new Bill Alfond Field for women’s lacrosse and field hockey. The College has benefits from its Central Maine location providing access to Quarry Road and Sugarloaf Mountain Resort, for its students and members of the Division I Alpine and Nordic ski teams.
In addition to investments in new facilities, the College launched the only peak performance program of its kind in Division III several years ago. Designed to optimize student-athlete health and performance by integrating sports medicine, strength and conditioning, sport psychology, nutrition, and sport science into one holistic model, the program provides a unique approach to helping student-athletes meet their full potential on the field and in the classroom.
While the peak performance program remains focused on providing the support necessary for varsity athletics to achieve competitive success, a newly developed recreation, club sports, and intramural program enables accessibility to athletics for all students, regardless of their skill level. Providing the instruction, equipment, and facilities necessary for every member of the student population to learn or enhance their athletic skills, Colby recreation program develops and educates the campus community physically, ethically, and mentally through recreational activities that encourage lifelong healthy habits. Engaging with over 1,200 total students the recreational program offers a variety of opportunities and programs for students at all skill levels.
This includes 33 student-led club sports that compete against other institutions across the country with several earning invitations to compete for national championships; an extensive intramural sports program providing students with the opportunity to compete against one another; hundreds of fitness and wellness courses for beginner, intermediate, and advanced skill levels, including such programs as learn-to-skate, learn-to-lift, and learn-to-ski to name a few; outdoor and indoor recreation with access to many of the natural resources across the state as well as Aidan’s Climbing Wall in the Harold Alfond Athletics an Recreation Center; and, ample time available for self-directed fitness conditioning, walking, lap and open swimming, as well as court sports such as basketball, volleyball, badminton, and indoor soccer.
The recreational program as well as all varsity sports teams are all now supported by distinct varsity boards of nearly 250 engaged alumni and friends. Board members work directly with head coaches and a team of Advancement professionals to enhance the experience of student-athletes while providing the necessary support for continued success and expansion. This includes philanthropic support, networking, and guidance. In addition to the individual varsity boards, the Harold Alfond Director of Athletics work closely with the Athletics and Recreation Council, a senior leadership group of alumni, parents, and friends who provide insight, professional expertise, and financial support toward strategic initiatives, capital projects, and engagement involving Colby Athletics and Recreation.
Distinctive Programs
Colby’s commitment to ensuring access for all students begins with its aggressive and generous need-based financial aid program, which meets 100% of demonstrated financial need without student loans. Families with a total household income of $75,000 or less with typical assets expect no parent or guardian contribution. Families who qualify for this policy also expect to receive a Weiland Welcome Grant, a which provides $1,250 in addition to financial aid for expenses associated with necessary school items to eligible first-year students. The Chronicle of Higher Education recently recognized Colby as having the fourth-most generous financial aid program to the neediest students of any U.S. college or university.
Through the Fair Shot Fund, families making up to $100,000 expect a parent or guardian contribution of no more than $10,000, families earning up to $150,000 expect a parent or guardian contribution of $15,000 or less, and families making up to $200,000 expect a parent or guardian contribution of $20,000 or less. This unique approach to supporting middle-income families is fully inclusive of tuition, room and board.
This comprehensive approach to financial aid provides programs with an immense competitive advantage when recruiting talented students to enroll at Colby. Few, if any, other schools have a similar model that provides students
with the resources necessary to graduate without debt while providing the financial resources necessary for a Colby education to cost less than a public, in-state institution to most families.
While this deep commitment to financial aid allows families to enroll at Colby, there are other components of a college education that can be predicated on a family’s ability to pay. Understanding this broader issue, Colby created Davis Connects, a program to ensure that all students have access to a global, internship, and research experience regardless of their finances and personal connections. This coupled with four innovative labs (The Linde Packman Lab for Biosciences Innovation, the Buck Lab for Climate and Environment, the Halloran Lab for Entrepreneurship, and the Lyons Arts Lab) provide students with the financial resources necessary to engage in academic research and innovative projects. Students and faculty also benefit from the Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence, the first cross-disciplinary institute for AI at a liberal arts college. This innovative approach ensures that students can engage across all areas of the curriculum, including Colby’s unique Jan Plan program, both in and out of season, offering substantial opportunity to recruit talented students from all backgrounds to the College.
New
England Small College Athletics Conference (NESCAC)
A member of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), Colby has 28 intercollegiate sports that compete at the Division III level and four sports that compete at the Division I level. Founded in 1971, the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) is a group of eleven highly selective liberal arts colleges and universities that share a similar philosophy for intercollegiate athletics. The Conference was created out of a concern for the direction of intercollegiate athletic programs and remains committed to keeping a proper perspective on the role of sport in higher education. NESCAC members believe intercollegiate athletic programs should operate in harmony with the educational mission of each institution. The Conference is committed to establishing common boundaries to keep athletics strong but in proportion to the overall academic mission of the member institutions.
In 1999, the NESCAC formally became a playing conference and now sponsors 27 conference championship sports (13 for men and 14 for women). Member schools offer extensive and broad-based intercollegiate as well as club and intramural opportunities for both men and women. With member institutions sponsoring an average of nearly 30 varsity programs, NESCAC provides more than 7,500 opportunities for participation in intercollegiate competition at the Division III level.
Recognized for both its scholastic and athletic excellence NESCAC teams and individuals have achieved great success on both a regional and national level. Since its founding NESCAC institutions have won 169 total national championships, including 125 NCAA DIII national championships. Furthermore, a NESCAC institution has been awarded the NACDA Directors’ Cup in 24 out of 27 years since its founding. During the 2023-24 academic year, 69 teams were selected to participate in NCAA team championships. NESCAC teams won six national team titles and student-athletes won individual NCAA Championships in women's rowing, men's and women's swimming & diving, men's tennis, and men's outdoor track & field.
Waterville, Maine
Located in central Maine, the city of Waterville sits on the banks of the Kennebec River and provides access to a range of artistic, cultural, recreational, and athletic experiences in the local area and beyond. Waterville is approximately 60 minutes from Portland, just over an hour from skiing at Sugarloaf Mountain, two hours from Acadia National Park, and three hours from Boston.
At home in Waterville, Colby has partnered with the city, individuals, foundations, as well as the state and federal government, to revitalize Waterville’s historic downtown, improving the streetscape, integrating the arts into downtown, attracting more visitors and residents, and increasing economic activity. Opened in fall 2018 and located in downtown Waterville, the Bill and Joan Alfond Main Street Commons houses 200 Colby students, faculty, and staff who are deeply engaged in the city and also serves a variety of business, civic, and community organizations. A $6.5 million arts collaborative, Greene & Block Studios, opened in fall 2021 and presents vibrant arts programming for all ages and provides space for interdisciplinary artistic collaboration. In addition to new facilities and programs, the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, which opened in late 2022, provides a distinctive hub for visual arts, performing arts, arts education, and film to children and adults downtown.
About the Harold Alfond Director of Athletics position
At a unique point in its history, Colby is seeking a dynamic and collaborative leader committed to elevating the athletics and recreation program to become one of the best in the country. The Harold Alfond Director of Athletics serves as the primary leader for the athletics and recreation program responsible for setting and implementing the strategic vision for Colby to be recognized national leader through competitive excellence and a deep commitment to all students living a healthy, active lifestyle. Reporting to the Senior Vice President, the Harold Alfond Director of Athletics oversees 32 varsity intercollegiate sports, sports medicine, peak performance, recreation services, strength and conditioning, communications and sports information, equipment, facilities, and athletics administration.
Duties and Responsibilities:
• Provide strategic leadership to achieve goals for competitive success, an outstanding student experience, philanthropic support, compliance, financial management, and community engagement that reflects the mission and values of the College as a whole;
• Support, recruit,lead, mentor, and retain talentedcoachesand administrators who are committedtoexcellence, diversity and inclusion, the welfare of the student-athletes, and professionalism.
• Support the continued enhancement of the recreation program to provide greater access and opportunities to all students;
• Broaden and enhance the national reputation of Colby Athletics and Recreation through a comprehensive, strategic communications program as well as personal interactions;
• Inspire andmotivate the entire athletics teams aswell asstudents, faculty, staff,colleagues,alumni,and friends of the College through setting challenging, aggressive, winning goals and taking calculated risks to attain superior, measurable results in support of the mission, vision, and strategic plan;
• Act as the primary fundraiser for the department while working collaboratively with head coaches and College Advancement team members to enhance resources and philanthropic support for all programs;
• Guide and mentor coaches, as well as other athletics staff members, with a steadfast commitment to enhancing the student-athlete experience and success of the entire athletics and recreation program;
• Proactively build and maintain positive and collaborative working relationships with colleagues across campus, within the local community, regionally and nationally to enhance the College mission;
• Develop, implement, and monitor policies and procedures that promote best practices, addresses personnel development, financial management, facility management, alumni and community relations, and compliance and regulatory expectations, and focuses on providing exceptional customer service and the presence of effective organizational structures and processes for assessment and improvement;
• Perform other duties as assigned.
Preferred Qualifications include:
• A bachelor’s degree is required;
• The successful candidate will have a demonstrated record of administrative leadership and accomplishment in university or college sports programs to include visionary strategic and operational leadership, successful fundraising, creative and conceptual thinking and effective resources management; or equivalent management experience;
• A managerial style that is personable, inclusive, collaborative, and demonstrates emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills; personal qualities that ensure the highest standards of honesty and integrity;
• Superior communication and relationship-building skills, strategic planning and budgeting competencies, experience in program development and assessment, including risk management, excellent problem-solving abilities, and a high degree of cultural competence demonstrating respect for the diversity of identities and experiences;
• Demonstrated ability to support the ongoing work and professional development of the administrative and coaching staffs through effectively setting, prioritizing managing multiple priorities, meeting deadlines, and working cooperatively within a team environment;
• Knowledge of the principles of intercollegiate athletics administration, budgeting and personnel management, NCAA Division III rules and regulations, Title IX compliance, gender equity, and diversity;
• An appreciation for the importance of developing student-athletes who are both outstanding performers and individuals of character;
• High political and financial acumen with the ability to navigate and manage the evolving landscape of collegiate athletics and the role it plays within higher education;
• Ability to promote the core values of the College and the role of athletics and recreation in its mission.
Meet President David A. Greene
David A. Greene arrived at Colby on July 1, 2014, as the College’s 20th president. The College is undergoing transformational change under his leadership.
Through major investments to grow and diversify the faculty, which has included adding 50 full-time faculty positions (an increase of nearly 30 percent) the College has developed new academic programs in areas such as data science, computational biology, genomics, and environmental humanities while expanding many core areas, including the study of the environment and climate change, performance studies, and creative writing. In 2021 Colby launched the Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence, the first initiative of its kind at a liberal arts college. The College has dramatically enhanced its arts programs through a historic expansion of the Colby Museum of Art’s collection; the establishment of the Lunder Institute for American Art; and the construction of the Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts, the Greene Block + Studios, and the Paul J. Schupf Art Center.
To more deeply connect Colby’s curriculum to the world’s most pressing challenges and to afford all students opportunities for meaningful global, research, and internship experiences, the College created and endowed DavisConnects, the Linde Packman Lab for Biosciences Innovation, the Buck Lab for Climate and Environment, the Halloran Lab for Entrepreneurship, and the Lyons Arts Lab. Through a partnership with the Wyeth family, Colby established a 500-acre island campus off the coast of Maine with the acquisition of Allen and Benner islands.
Investments in the broader student experience have been similarly robust, with the construction of new residence halls and the finest athletic facilities in Division III, the establishment of a comprehensive civic engagement program, and staffing and programs to ensure all students can thrive at Colby.
These initiatives, along with a new financial aid program that is among the most generous in the country for low- and middle-income families, have made Colby one of the most sought-after liberal arts colleges in the country. In 2024
Colby received more than 19,000 applications for admission, up from approximately 5,000 in 2014. The number of enrolled Pelleligible students has nearly tripled, the number of students of color has more than doubled, and Colby has reached unprecedented highs on every measure of student preparedness and academic achievement. Colby’s commitment to the community, especially to its home city of Waterville, has become a national model for partnership and reinvestment.
The College spearheaded $200 million in business, infrastructure, and community redevelopment on the city’s Main Street. Colby’s projects include two art centers, the Lockwood Hotel, a new technology center, the Bill & Joan Alfond Main Street Commons, and a wide-ranging streetscape and infrastructure improvement program. Much of this progress has been made possible by Colby’s Dare Northward campaign, which was the largest-ever liberal arts college campaign when announced in 2017 with a goal of $750 million; in 2023 the College announced it had surpassed its goal and set a new target of exceeding $1 billion by 2027.
Before arriving at Colby, Greene was executive vice president of the University of Chicago and, prior to that, served in senior leadership roles at Brown University and Smith College. He serves on the boards of the Wyeth Foundation for American Art, the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, and the Kents Hill School. He is a member of the U.S. Council on Competitiveness and the American Talent Initiative. He previously served on the World Economic Forum Knowledge Advisory Board, the City of Chicago Science Board of Advisors, the Arthur M. Brazier Foundation Board of Directors, the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools Board of Directors, the Harvard University Alumni Board of Directors, and was president of the University of Chicago’s China and India Corporations. He received a bachelor’s degree in history from Hamilton College and a master’s degree in human development and psychology from Harvard University before earning a second master’s and a doctoral degree in education and social policy at Harvard, where he chaired the editorial board of the Harvard Educational Review.
Meet Matt Proto
Senior Vice President
Senior Vice President Matt Proto oversees all aspects of admissions, advancement, athletics, communications, and first-year financial aid for the College. Prior to joining the Colby community in May 2015, he served as Assistant Dean of Admissions at Stanford University. Proto has benefited from working in multiple admissions roles, having served as Director of Scholar Selection for the Morehead-Cain Scholars program, Associate Director of Admission and College Counseling at Choate Rosemary Hall, and Assistant Director of Admission at Yale University. A graduate of Yale University, Proto earned a Master of Liberal Studies degree at Wesleyan University and a doctorate in educational leadership at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Nomination and Application Process
Colby College invites nominations and applications or expressions of interest to be submitted to the search firm assisting the College. Applications must include a cover letter, resume or curriculum vitae, and list of references. For full consideration, application materials should be submitted to Parker Executive Search’s website by July 30, 2024. Confidential review of materials will begin immediately and continue until the appointment is made.
For additional information, please contact:
Daniel Parker, Vice President and Managing Director
DeLaina Sarden, Principal Gray McGee, Executive Recruiting Coordinator danielparker@parkersearch.com | dsarden@parkersearch.com | gmcgee@parkersearch.com Parker Executive Search 770-804-1996 ext. 119 | 770-804-1996 ext. 123
Colby is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and operates in accordance with federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination.
