Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), one of the nation’s preeminent public institutions, invites inquiries, applications, and nominations for the position of vice president and chief financial officer (VPCFO).

A comprehensive college committed to excellence, TCNJ offers its undergraduates over 50 major programs located in its seven undergraduate schools.  An equal number of master’s degrees and graduate certificates is offered by the newly-formed School of Graduate, Global, and Online Education.  Liberal learning, however,  forms the foundation of a TCNJ education at any level.  Since 2006, the College has been the home of a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.   

TCNJ currently enrolls 7435 undergraduates and 709 graduate students.  It boasts a 13:1 student/faculty ratio and an average class size of 23.  Nearly half of its students come from the top 20 percent of their high school class.  Ninety percent of TCNJ students persist from the first year to the sophomore year, and 86 percent graduate within six years—among the highest success rates in the nation.  

The College’s 289- acre Georgian campus is located in suburban Ewing, New Jersy, near Trenton and within an hour’s drive of New York City and Philadelphia. Roughly half of its students live in college housing.  Over the past 20 years, TCNJ has invested $450 million in facilities expansion and enhancement.  In its first public/private partnership, the College created Campus Town, consisting of housing for 600 students as well as “The shoppes at 31 & Main” which includes retail stores, professional services, and restaurants for both the College and the local community.    

The success of TCNJ’s commitment to excellence is demonstrated by the many college rankings in which it appears prominently.  U.S. News and World Report has consistently ranked TCNJ as the top Regional University North.  Washington Monthly ranked TCNJ as 10th in the nation among master’s level colleges and universities.  The Chronicle of Higher Education has included the College in its honor roll of “Great Colleges to Work For.”  

The Office of the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer interacts with every department, employee, and student on the campus, as well as with three of the College’s volunteer boards: the TCNJ Board of Trustees, the TCNJ Foundation Board of Directors, and the Trenton State College Corporation. In addition, the VPCFO  and staff monitor the College’s investment portfolios and debt load. Critical interactions with rating agencies and outside financial audit professionals are coordinated and managed by the Vice President.  The leadership expected of the new vice president requires trust and transparency which are essential to the community’s understanding of the College’s financial status and of the role each member plays in the collective stewardship of institutional resources. 

The ideal candidate for the new VPCFO will:

• be a seasoned CFO with successful experience working in higher education in an environment of shared governance and collective bargaining.
• have successful financial experience outside of higher education.
• have a mastery of the basic tools of the trade: accounting, financial analysis, making financial projections,  financial planning and budgeting, and working with computer systems. 
• have a baccalaureate degree; further education in business, finance or accounting; and the ability to learn  new processes, methods, and analytic tools.
• have a record of successful innovative and entrepreneurial activity.
• be able to work collaboratively and collegially with a wide range of faculty and staff in a way that is respectful  and aware of all that they can contribute to the success of the college.
• practice transparency and be comfortable working in an environment of public scrutiny.
• have experience working with human resources.
• have a strong commitment to the centrality of the student experience and the mission of TCNJ. 
• be a person of high integrity with great communication skills and a sense of humor.

A complete leadership prospectus may be found above along with additional information about the College.

Nominations and Applications

For best consideration, applications should be received by January 27, 2025.

Applicants must provide:

• A letter of interest that specifically addresses the qualifications outlined in the prospectus. 
• A current curriculum vitae/resume.
• A list of five professional references with the candidate’s relationship to each referee, as well as telephone numbers and email addresses for future contact. References will not be contacted without prior authorization from the applicant.

Applications should be in PDF format and submitted through the AGB Search portal at TCNJ - VPCFO Application Portal. 

The search is being assisted by AGB Search. Nominations and expressions of interest are encouraged and should be directed to: 

Robert Holyer, PhD
Executive Search Consultant
robert.holyer@agbsearch.com
804.402.6736 (c)

To enrich education through diversity, TCNJ is an Equal Opportunity Employer. TCNJ has a strong commitment to inclusive excellence; to achieving diversity among faculty, staff, and students; and to creating a climate that is inclusive and respectful to everyone on campus. We strongly encourage a host of diverse, intersectional populations and cultures to apply, including but not limited to identities based on race, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, national origin, and veteran status. The College of New Jersey does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, nationality, ancestry, age, sex/gender (including pregnancy), marital status, civil union status, domestic partnership status, familial status, religion, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, atypical hereditary cellular or blood trait, genetic information, liability for service in the Armed Forces of the United States, or disability.