The Walton Family seeks a visionary, creative, entrepreneurial, and collaborative leader deeply committed to innovation in STEM education to serve as the inaugural president of a new STEM Institute in Bentonville, Arkansas. The world is changing, with both the need and the opportunity to create a new, more flexible model of post-secondary education that builds a robust and globally competitive economy, while also serving as a national model for 21st century higher education.
Reflecting their unwavering dedication to excellence and improving lives through innovative solutions, the Walton family is making an extraordinary financial commitment to ensure the success of this new Institute, one that transforms the educational landscape of the State of Arkansas and serves as a national model for the future. As such, it will provide talented students with a unique educational experience that enables them to succeed throughout their careers, while responding to industry’s need for a diverse, well educated, highly skilled, and highly adaptable workforce.
This is an exciting and unrivaled opportunity to reinvent higher education, preserving the verities of proven models while addressing 21st century societal needs in creative ways. This new leader will be charged with translating the vision of this singular 21st century college, one with a novel and flexible STEM pedagogy, within the context of a business inf used, entrepreneurial ethos. Inquiries, nominations, and applications are invited.
This new Institute will initially offer bachelor’s degrees and certificate programs – through a flexible, stackable curriculum – focused on innovation and advanced technology to meet growing demands in computing, AI, and IT; entrepreneurship and technological management; automation, robotics, and logistics; and health/medicine and technology. The Institute will build strong state-wide, community, and industry partnerships that will help keep the Institute’s curriculum and degree programs highly relevant to the needs of business and on the cutting edge. It will also provide access to high quality, experiential learning opportunities for students and ensure they understand and can utilize AI to navigate, thrive in, and contribute to an increasingly digital world.
The Institute is part of the Walton family’s larger commitment to help improve the quality of life, increase access to quality of healthcare, expand high-quality education opportunities, nurture an entrepreneurial talent pipeline, develop a skilled workforce, and build a diversified economy in Northwest Arkansas for everyone’s benefit. The Institute’s curriculum tracks – particularly those related to biomedicine, health, and technology – integrate well with the Heartland Whole Health Institute and the new Alice Walton School of Medicine goals of improving both the quality and availability of healthcare. More broadly, the Institute’s n on-credit and for-credit stackable credentials and degree programs will address critical workforce shortfalls at the intersection of STEM and business.
The Institute will draw on tested ideas from other distinctive and innovative STEM-focused schools and colleges, while emphasizing hands-on learning and a flexible curriculum delivered in a highly efficient way. The Institute’s educational model is based on a s et of credit and non-credit bearing stackable credentials. Students will have the opportunity to enter programs at multiple points in the curriculum and get the education they want and need that is most relevant for their career goals. Once finished, they can leave to pursue various career options, with the opportunity to return if or when they need new skills and additional education. A defining feature of the Institute- the Crucible – will enable and support non-classroom experiential education where ideas, lessons, and individuals are tested in real time in a “build it” teaching laboratory, emphasizing the applied nature of their learning.
Initially reporting to a small group of family and advisors and soon to an independent Board of Trustees, the inaugural president is responsible for visioning, strategic planning, operations, finances, faculty affairs, academic programs, and external relations in support of the Institute’s goals, objectives, and aspirations. The inaugural president will provide leadership to develop and execute on the vision established for the Institute; recruit, develop, and retain faculty and staff; develop a leading-edge, innovative and agile curriculum, and innovative teaching practices; and engage a multitude of stakeholders and partners to develop strategic partnerships and cultivate support. The new president will support and nurture an environment of innovation where faculty, staff, and students can thrive.
In achieving these objectives, the inaugural president must be a collaborative leader who possesses the leadership skills, strategic capacity, and innovative spirit to build and advance the Institute. They will bring a founder’s mentality to the role. Additional essential qualifications include successful leadership experience – preferably both in academia and industry; the communication and interpersonal skills to engage meaningfully with a broad range of highly invested stakeholders; deep intellectual curiosity and creativity to develop and support a diverse set of programs within a new model of education; a strong record of forging partnerships; and a commitment to advancing educational access. The inaugural president must possess a record of achievement required to merit the respect, trust, and confidence of the founding faculty and staff and the reputation to signal the level of excellence the Institute and its founders expect.
Applications, nominations, and inquiries are invited. Applications should include, as separate documents, a CV or resume and a letter of interest addressing the themes in the leadership profile which can be found at the bottom of the page. WittKieffer is assisting the Walton Family in this search. Credential review will begin immediately, and the position will remain open until an appointment is made.
Applications, nominations, and inquiries can be directed to the WittKieffer consultants supporting the search – Suzanne Teer, Zachary Smith, Ph.D., and Julia Bradley – at [email protected].