James H. McCormick, Ed.D., joined AGB Search in 2011. Dr. McCormick's work with over 65 searches has focused upon public higher education leadership for universities, colleges, community and two-year colleges, and state system heads, including the following:
As Chancellor Emeritus of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, Dr. McCormick began his term of office there in July 2001, and concluded service to the system in 2011. Before undertaking Minnesota leadership, Dr. McCormick was the founding chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and also holds the title Chancellor Emeritus there. He was president of Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania (1973 to 1983) and a professor and administrator for Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania in the preceding years.
International, national, and statewide leadership has seen Dr. McCormick's participation in Project Interchange with the Institute on American Jewish-Israeli Relations and as a visiting professor for Kuwait University in the "Building a World Class University" post-war project. He was chair of the Midwestern Higher Education Compact; chair of the Higher Education Advisory Council for the Minnesota Office of Higher Education; and founding chair of the Minnesota P-20 Education Roundtable/Partnership. Leadership roles with numerous organizations include the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and the National Association of System Heads, serving as national chair for the latter. He also was elected national chair of the State Higher Education Executive Officers; served on the SHEEO Executive Committee; and chaired the SHEEO Federal Relations Committee. Dr. McCormick was a member of the National Council of State Directors of Community Colleges, an affiliate of the American Association of Community Colleges.
Dr. McCormick is the recipient of several honors and recognitions, among them a citation for "model" leadership style in the publication, Shared Visions of Public Higher Education Governance. He is proud to be recipient of an Ojibwe name, Wabiska Maengun (White Wolf),
by the Fond du Lac Reservation in Cloquet, Minnesota. He also has been recognized by the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties' prestigious Distinguished Friend of Higher Education Award. Other noteworthy awards given him came from the Minnesota Association of School Administrators with the Distinguished Service Award; the Minnesota Minority Education Partnership's Ron McKinley All My Relations Award; and Minnesota's American Indian Conference Award.
Dr. McCormick has been a frequent speaker, particularly on issues addressing characteristics of leadership, governance, workforce development, higher education opportunity for the underserved and underrepresented, and the public higher education access mission in universities and community colleges.
A graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Dr. McCormick earned Master's and Doctoral degrees from the University of Pittsburgh. He completed post-doctoral study at Columbia University, the University of Michigan, and the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
