Higher Education Recruitment | Colleges, Universities, and Trade Schools | Excelon Associates
2007Established
500+Schools Engaged
25+ YrsSector Experience
5.0Google Rating
Higher education recruitment — Excelon Associates
Colleges · Universities · Trade Schools · K-12 · EdTech
Placing Higher Education Leaders Since 2007

Presidents, provosts, deans, directors, and department chairs at public and private institutions nationwide. Retained executive search with a genuine understanding of academic culture.

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Excelon Associates is devoted to supporting colleges, universities, and trade schools in identifying, attracting, retaining, and placing top-tier talent in the higher education sector. We acknowledge the vital role that the academic community plays in fueling worldwide change. Given our strategic position in the industry, we are well-equipped to develop and execute a bespoke higher education recruitment strategy that syncs with your institution's distinctive objectives.
About this page: Excelon Associates is a higher education executive search firm headquartered in Asheville, NC, placing presidents, provosts, deans, department chairs, nursing program directors, and senior administrators at colleges, universities, community colleges, trade schools, and career schools nationwide since 2007. Higher education is our founding and deepest service market.

Institutions and Careers We Serve

Institutions We Work With

Who We Help

  • Colleges and Universities
  • Community Colleges
  • Vocational and Technical Schools
  • Skilled-Trade Schools
  • Proprietary and For-Profit Education
  • Charter Schools and K-12 Organizations
  • Online and Distance Learning Platforms
  • Educational Technology (EdTech)
  • E-Learning Organizations
  • Nonprofit Educational Institutions
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Roles We Place

Careers

  • Presidents and Chancellors
  • Provosts and Academic VPs
  • Administrative Vice Presidents
  • Deans (All Disciplines)
  • Department Chairs
  • Directors of Admissions and Financial Aid
  • Registrars
  • Directors of Student Affairs
  • Human Resources and Compliance Directors
  • Nursing and Allied Health Program Directors
  • Simulation and Clinical Education Directors
  • EdTech and OPM Leadership
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25+ Years of Higher Education Recruitment

Excelon Associates has over 25 years of experience delivering customized on-campus recruitment strategies and solutions for executive and administrative positions within the higher education industry. Our company has a rich history in this market segment and has developed long-standing relationships with key stakeholders across institutions of every size and type.

Through decades of trial and error, success and failure, our recruiters have developed real-world higher education recruitment experience that cannot be replicated. Colleges, universities, and trade schools utilize our services because we stay true to our word and put the interests of our clients above everything else.

Higher education was our original service market, and it remains the area of deepest expertise for our firm. View all service markets or submit a position to get started.

Higher education placement results — Excelon Associates

What Sets Our Higher Education Practice Apart

Sector Depth

Our Original and Deepest Market

Higher education is not a secondary practice area for us. It is where Excelon Associates was founded and where our relationships, knowledge, and candidate networks run deepest. We understand academic culture, shared governance, accreditation pressures, and the hiring timelines institutions actually work with.

Nursing and Allied Health

Former Nurses on Our Team

Our healthcare education practice is staffed by former nurses who are now full-time recruiters. We understand the difference between a nursing program director who manages paperwork and one who builds clinical infrastructure that allows a program to grow. That credibility matters when evaluating candidates for CCNE and ACEN-accredited programs.

Candidate Access

Passive Candidates First

The best higher education leaders are rarely applying to job boards. We identify and approach high performers in their current roles, giving our clients access to candidates that institution-only postings and general job boards will never reach.

SEO and Digital Marketing

Every Search Fully Indexed on Google

We proactively market every search opportunity online and ensure full Google indexing of all active campaigns at no extra cost to our clients. Our SEO positioning extends candidate reach well beyond the pools available to institutions posting jobs on their own.

Excelon Associates national higher education recruitment
A retained executive search firm placing higher education leaders at colleges, universities, and trade schools across the United States since 2007.

Retained Search Across the Higher Education Spectrum

Whether you are hiring a president, a nursing program director, a dean of admissions, or a campus director, Excelon Associates applies the same retained search discipline to every engagement.

Executive and C-Suite Search

Presidents, Chancellors, and Provosts

Excelon Associates places senior institutional leaders at public and private universities, community colleges, and career schools. Our executive higher education searches are confidential, thorough, and built around a deep understanding of what boards and search committees need from a president or provost.

University President Search Provost Recruitment Chancellor Search Academic VP
Dean and Department Chair Recruitment

Academic Leadership Across All Disciplines

We place deans across every academic discipline including health sciences, nursing, business, education, engineering, liberal arts, law, and fine arts. Our department chair searches cover both tenure-track academic appointments and administrative leadership roles with faculty development responsibilities.

Dean of Nursing Search Business Dean Department Chair Health Sciences Dean
Nursing and Allied Health Program Directors

CCNE and ACEN Accredited Program Leadership

Nursing program directors, directors of clinical education, simulation directors, clinical placement managers, and department chairs in physical therapy, physician assistant studies, dental hygiene, and respiratory therapy. Our former-nurse recruiters screen candidates with a level of clinical context most firms cannot match.

Nursing Program Director Simulation Director CCNE Accreditation Physical Therapy Chair
Admissions, Enrollment, and Administrative Leadership

Directors, Registrars, and Student Affairs

We place directors of admissions, directors of financial aid, registrars, directors of student affairs, and enrollment management directors at colleges, universities, and career schools. Our candidates come from both traditional four-year institutions and non-traditional education environments.

Director of Admissions Registrar Search Enrollment Management Student Affairs Director

Fields We Recruit Across

Our higher education practice covers faculty and administrative recruitment across a comprehensive range of academic disciplines.

Health Sciences

Allied Health and Nursing

  • Nursing
  • Physical Therapy
  • Physician Assistant
  • Dental Hygiene
  • Respiratory Therapy
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Kinesiology and Exercise Science
  • Healthcare Administration
  • Public Health
Business and Finance

Business Schools

  • Business Administration
  • Accounting and Finance
  • Marketing and Sales
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Human Resources
  • International Business
  • Information Systems
  • Hotel and Restaurant Management
Education and Social Sciences

Education Programs

  • Teacher Education
  • Educational Leadership
  • Curriculum and Instruction
  • Counselor Education
  • Educational Psychology
  • Special Education
  • Adult and Distance Education
  • Instructional Technology
Technical and Career

Skilled Trades and Vocational

  • Automotive Technology
  • Construction and Building Trades
  • Culinary Arts
  • Cosmetology
  • Crane Operations
  • Fire Science
  • Medical Assisting
  • Surgical Technology
Engineering and Technology

STEM Programs

  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • Computer Engineering
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Computer Science
  • Data Science
  • Information Technology
Liberal Arts and Humanities

Arts and Sciences

  • English and Literature
  • History and Political Science
  • Psychology and Sociology
  • Social Work
  • Criminal Justice
  • Foreign Languages
  • Philosophy and Religious Studies
  • Ethnic and Gender Studies

Latest Higher Education Search Campaigns

Every search we conduct is fully indexed on Google and actively promoted across our distribution network at no extra cost to our clients.

Attributes We Screen For

Excelon Associates investigates and thoroughly interviews every candidate we submit. We delve into each applicant's background going back ten years across four dimensions.

Cognitive Attributes

Intellectual Capability

  • Intelligence
  • Problem-Solving Skills
  • Critical Thinking
  • Ability to Learn
  • Absorptive Capacity
Social Attributes

Interpersonal Effectiveness

  • Communication Skills
  • Social Awareness
  • Social Judgment
  • Persuasion and Negotiation
  • Collaboration Skills
Business Attributes

Organizational Acumen

  • Business Acumen
  • Finance Management Skills
  • Organizational Management
  • Global Networking Skills
Strategic Attributes

Leadership Vision

  • Systems-Level Awareness
  • Visioning Skills
  • Complex Problem Solving
  • Organizational Change Skills
  • Innovation and Adaptability

Higher Education Recruitment Questions Answered

What types of higher education institutions does Excelon Associates recruit for?

Excelon Associates recruits for public and private universities, community colleges, vocational and technical schools, online learning platforms, proprietary schools, K-12 organizations, charter schools, and educational technology companies. Higher education is our original and deepest service market.

What higher education roles does Excelon Associates place?

We place presidents, chancellors, provosts, academic and administrative vice presidents, deans, department chairs, directors of admissions, directors of financial aid, registrars, human resources directors, compliance officers, and a wide range of senior administrative and faculty leadership roles across higher education.

Does Excelon Associates recruit for nursing and allied health programs?

Yes. Excelon Associates has deep expertise in nursing and allied health program leadership recruitment, placing nursing program directors, directors of clinical education, simulation directors, and department chairs in physical therapy, physician assistant studies, dental hygiene, and respiratory therapy at CCNE and ACEN accredited programs nationwide. Our team includes former nurses who are now full-time healthcare recruiters.

How long has Excelon Associates been placing higher education leaders?

Higher education was Excelon Associates' founding service market in 2007. With over 25 years of combined experience in this sector, our team has developed deep institutional relationships and a candidate network among the largest in the industry.

Does Excelon Associates recruit for trade and career schools?

Yes. We recruit for skilled-trade schools, proprietary education organizations, career colleges, and vocational programs, placing campus directors, associate campus directors, directors of admissions, and other senior leadership roles across the United States.

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Excelon Associates higher education recruitment

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Excelon Associates places presidents, deans, nursing program directors, and senior administrators at colleges, universities, and trade schools nationwide. Higher education is our founding service market. Retained search since 2007.