Introducing Dr. Nivine Megahed, Ph.D.
It is with a lifelong love for education, an entrepreneurial spirit and a deep commitment to excellence and diversity that I am writing to express interest in the position of president of National-Louis University.
My impression is that National-Louis University has been built on a strong foundation of educational excellence and innovation within a culture that has embraced diversity and access. The university has broadened and deepened the educational landscape that it serves. It is now well positioned to develop as a strong and distinctive leader in education by continuing its focus on innovation while working to clarify and define its mission and nurturing a strong collaborative community. Moreover, its disciplined fiscal planning and accountability has allowed the college to now turn its focus on the development of external relationships and institutional advancement. I am uniquely prepared to lead, and equipped with the passion and energy to build on the college's mission and strengths while fostering new directions for growth and success.
For ten consecutive years I have led institutions that produced great educational quality and excellent financial results. I have thought deeply about, and achieved strong results in: liberal arts education, business education, adult education, online and distance education, professional education across multiple disciplines both graduate and undergraduate, and the assessment of student learning. I have had multiple opportunities to successfully lead programs through professional accreditation and programmatic certification. My leadership record includes highly effective strategic planning, start-ups, multi-campus leadership, mission driven education, all with excellence and innovation in both expectations and outcomes.
My training is in a wonderful profession that draws heavily from both the arts and the sciences: Psychology. This profession has provided the foundation from which I have been able to build strong relationships and networks in business and government locally, nationally, and internationally. It is through the lens of my profession that I have been able to facilitate open dialogue and a strong sense of community with colleagues, friends, family, and organizations. I have much appreciation for diversity of culture, ideas, and opinions. My own heritage is Egyptian, though I spent my early years in Europe, and my formative years in Western New York. My career has taken me to Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, and around the world to Asia, the Middle East and Europe. I am a product of both public schools and private universities. I care deeply about the state of education in our society today, and have been involved as a student, a teacher, an administrator, a consultant, a board member, advocate and a president.
Throughout my life and within my career, I have embraced and fostered a strong and diverse community. As an example, in 2001 I took the helm of the University of Sarasota which was undergoing a redefinition of itself. This university focused on adult education in business, education and the behavioral sciences. I led the university community as we articulated a strategy for success and created a vision for our changing future. With a focus on building a strong community, commitment to student centered learning and diversity, excellence in teaching, and student service, the university consistently achieved student satisfaction ratings in the 99* percentile against national norms and was cited nationally as one of the top programs to graduate doctoral students of Hispanic and African American heritage.
I have served on multiple boards and have been a member of the Young Presidents Organization for almost a decade, an international network of business executives. These relationships and networks have played a key role in development of business partnerships, institutional resources, and advancement.
I have been successfully engaged in fund raising through both my board work and my role as president. As an example, as a member of the board of Restoring Sight International, a Boston based foundation, we worked to raise several hundred thousand dollars and had a building donated to open a surgical and research clinic in the Philippines dedicated to preventing blindness in children. In addition, in the late 1990's I was able to secure a ten million dollar investment to open a corporate university. In my current role at Kendall College, we built a vibrant and engaged alumni network which is now very committed to the college's future. In addition, we developed several industry partnerships which yielded a variety of contributions for the college.
As a president, I have enjoyed the interaction and interface with students, faculty, and the college community, as well as building stronger institutional relationships and partnerships. I have a deep appreciation for the faculty and the faculty governance process and I view the engagement of the board as key to institutional success. In addition, whether reaching out to mayors, legislators or CEO's and diplomats, I have always strived and eagerly embraced the opportunity to represent an institution.
My career has spanned both for-profit and not-for-profit settings, and I have been highly successful in both. I have managed up to 26 independent colleges with a $500 million budget. I have gained deep knowledge of educational operations ranging from enrollment management and marketing to finance, financial aid, compliance, program development, technology, and facilities management. I am adept at building strong management teams that work together collaboratively and respectfully and have deep understanding of the interdependence of these cross-functional areas. In each of my leadership positions, metrics and accountability have been key elements of success.
My experience with enrollment management and marketing is extensive and results oriented. Throughout my career, I have been able to build enrollment in line with the expectations and mission of an institution. Accordingly, with campuses that have been in financial trouble, enrollment has been quickly doubled or even tripled. In more stable environments, enrollment has grown steadily, though generally at a more modest pace. Developing new programs and new modalities which serve new audiences and markets has been a key aspect of achieving enrollment success.
As an example, when I assumed my current role as president of Kendall College, I took the helm of an institution in deep financial trouble. I led the college through a comprehensive strategic planning process which culminated in a roadmap for the future and clear measurements of success. The college achieved financial stability, enrollment growth (enrollment was tripled in four years), and a student-centered culture coupled with educational excellence. With a commitment to diversity and innovation Kendall grew the international student body from two to twelve percent, and the college's online and hybrid population grew to 30 percent. In addition, new programs were added in business and the behavioral sciences and hybrid programming was extended across disciplines. The college strengthened its brand regionally and nationally, and received notable recognitions while preserving its strong sense of family and community. Kendall College's Culinary Arts program won the international and prestigious Cordon d'Or Culinary School of the Year Award in 2008; it was ranked as one of the top three programs that prepared hospitality students for an international career; the early childhood education program has emerged as strong regional program, and faculty have won numerous distinctions in their profession.
While I have just begun to learn about and understand the distinctive culture of National-Louis University, I view the college's mission and challenges fully aligned with my values and strengths respectively. I look forward to meeting with you in order to learn more, and perhaps to discuss how to build an exciting future together.
With a deep understanding of higher education, passion and commitment to mission-centered education and a track record of achieving highly successful institutions, coupled with strong business acumen, I would welcome the opportunity to learn more about National-Louis University.
Sincerely yours,
Nivine Megahed, Ph.D.