With Dr. Michael F. Brown’s announcement that he intends to retire in July 2024 after ten years of a highly successful tenure as president, the SCHOOL FOR ADVANCED RESEARCH invites nominations, expressions of interest, and applications for the position of president.

ABOUT THE SCHOOL FOR ADVANCED RESEARCH

Founded in 1907, the School for Advanced Research (SAR) is an independent, nonprofit center supporting advanced scholarship and creative expression. SAR operates with an endowment of nearly $30 million, an annual budget of $4.2 million, and a staff of thirty-two. SAR’s flagship programs—Resident Scholar, Advanced Seminar, SAR Press, and the Indian Arts Research Center—support highly creative individuals through residencies and seminars that provide time to think, write, create, and engage in discussions with other scholars and artists. SAR’s preeminent research collection of Southwest Native American art, housed at the Indian Arts Research Center, serves as a nexus of inquiry and inspiration to artists and scholars. As one of the premier anthropological research centers in the United States, SAR is dedicated to supporting advanced study and the communication of knowledge about human culture, history, biology, archaeology, and creativity.

SAR’s historically significant adobe campus is near downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico, the oldest capital city in the United States. Santa Fe sits at an elevation of 7,000 feet and has a population of nearly 90,000. It is also home to the Santa Fe Institute, St. John’s College, the world-renowned Santa Fe Opera, and an international arts community. The vibrant cultures of northern New Mexico include, among others, Native Americans from Navajo, Apache, and Pueblo communities, as well as Hispanic populations dating to the 1500s.

ROLE OF THE PRESIDENT

The president reports to the Board of Directors and leads SAR’s programs in collaborative research and creative activity of broad significance, building on SAR’s unique academic strengths in archeology, anthropology, and Native American art. The president is responsible for general administration, as well as for supervising and managing the staff. The president is also responsible for overseeing institutional operations, programs, and fiscal affairs, including the ongoing development and maintenance of a sustainable and stable resource base.

The president works collaboratively with a diverse and engaged Board of Directors, which includes business professionals, academic administrators, scholars, artists, and philanthropists. Expectations are that the president will demonstrate leadership in philanthropic development; foster collaborative relationships among the board, staff, and other research institutes; be SAR’s public representative in international, national, and local settings; and maintain the highest standards of academic integrity and accountability. It is the president’s responsibility to oversee and ensure SAR’s compliance with all legal and regulatory obligations for a 501(c)3 organization.

QUALIFICATIONS

The successful candidate will have an earned doctorate or terminal degree in a field that is relevant to SAR and an established record of professional achievement. We seek candidates of the highest intellectual caliber, integrity, and vision. The successful candidate should be able to apply her or his experience toward shaping an institutional ethos for advancing the state of research, cultivating and nurturing the creative capacities of new colleagues, and disseminating the fruits of advanced research beyond the SAR campus into communities of impact, the general public, and specific scholarly audiences. The candidate must demonstrate a successful history of administration and fiscal management. The ideal candidate will have a reputation for cultivating a working environment of mutual respect and ethical conduct. Other qualities include an intellectual curiosity and enthusiasm for interdisciplinary scholarship, and an open, receptive, and engaged attitude toward innovative and accomplished scholars.

The ideal candidate will possess:

• A management style that acknowledges and respects the essential value of a small and cross-trained staff and an engaged and working Board of Directors
• Demonstrated willingness to play a key role in development activities and fundraising
• An understanding of and enthusiasm for ways in which administration, staff, and board work together to advance development and fundraising goals
• An ability to communicate the importance of supporting advanced research to a broad range of audiences
• An appreciation and respect for the politics and history of Indigenous peoples of the United States and the world

Salary and benefits are negotiable. The president is expected to reside in Santa Fe or its environs. Confidentiality is assured until the list of finalists is identified and interviews are arranged. Applications presented as a single PDF document should include a letter of interest; names and addresses of three professional references (to be contacted only after securing an applicant’s permission); and a complete curriculum vitae.

SUBMISSIONS

Nominations, expressions of interest, and applications should preferably be submitted electronically to: Dr. Jerry Sabloff, Search Committee Chair, c/o Carol Sandoval, Human Resources Director, at: sandoval@sarsf.org
or by U.S. Mail to:

SAR Presidential Search
School for Advanced Research
P.O. Box 2188
Santa Fe, NM 87504-2188

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

The School for Advanced Research is committed to principles of academic freedom and non-discrimination. Applications will be evaluated without regard to nationality, religion, race, gender, or sexual orientation.