The Gerace Research Center on San Salvador Island in the Bahamas is searching for a new Executive Director (Job Description listed below).
http://www.geraceresearchcentre.com/ JOB DESCRIPTION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR GERACE RESEARCH CENTRE History The Gerace Research Centre, formerly the Bahamian Field Station, is located on the north coast of San Salvadorand occupies the facilities of an old U.S. Naval Base. This complex, built during the 1950’s for the purpose of tracking submarines, operated until 1969. At that time it was returned to the Bahamas Government and came under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education. The GRC leases these facilities from the Ministry of Education by providing tuition scholarships for Bahamian students to attend colleges and universities in the United States. The Gerace Research Centre was founded in 1971 by Dr. Donald T. Gerace for a consortium of colleges and universities in upstate New York called the College Center of the Finger Lakes (CCFL). The CCFL operated the Field Station until July 1988, when it divested itself of the station because of the liability involved in operating such a facility as a United States company. At that time the Bahamian Field Station Limited was formed as a not-for-profit Bahamian company. In 2003 ownership of the Field Station was transferred to the College of The Bahamas, and in honor of Dr. Gerace, the name was changed to the Gerace Research Centre. The GRC has eight acres of buildings, and is the largest institution of its kind in the Caribbean in terms of the number of students and researchers it can accommodate. We invite you to view our web site atwww.geraceresearchcentre.com<http://www.geraceresearchcentre.com/>, and our Facebook page. Program and Funding The basic philosophy of the GRC has not changed over the 44 years of its existence; that is, to provide as many students, faculty and scientists as possible the opportunity to study and do research in the unique and pristine environment of the Bahamas. To this end the program of the GRC has four facets: 1-student groups brought to the GRC by their own professors; 2-courses offered directly by the GRC; 3-individual researchers; and 4-conferences and symposia. Although the GRC does receive some indirect support from the College of The Bahamas, basically the GRC is self-sufficient and relies on student tuition and fees paid by researchers for its operation. Being a Bahamian corporation, the GRC has never had access to US funding, but recently Dr. Gerace has formed a not-for-profit corporation in the state of Florida called the Bahamas Education, Culture and Science Foundation (BECS). This foundation has received 501(c)3 status from the IRS, and has as its mission the financial support of higher education and research throughout the Bahamas. This means it can receive tax-deductible charitable donations and apply to US Government Foundations for institutions like the GRC and the College of The Bahamas. While The College of The Bahamas owns these facilities, the GRC has full responsibility for the maintenance and operation of them. Over the years extensive funds have been allocated for the transformation of the various buildings from their military purposes into accommodations suitable for academic personnel and for supporting educational and research endeavors. This process is still being undertaken as the number of participants at the GRC continues to increase. Further, it should be realized that the maintenance of these facilities involves coping with the corrosive salt air environment, the extreme age of these buildings with related electrical and plumbing problems, as well as the modernization of them. Responsibilities of the Executive Director 1. Search for and hire teaching personnel for various GRC programs. 1. Coordinate the utilization of the GRC by various college and university groups that provide their own students and instructors. 1. Coordinate research projects being undertaken by various scientists with the GRC Research Committee and the specific Bahamas Government Ministries involved. 1. Organize and assist with the planning of various conferences and symposia, and oversee the publication of the proceedings of such conferences. 1. Overall administration and daily management of the GRC through the following departments: Physical Plant (staff of four), Office (staff of two), Housekeeping (staff of four), and Cafeteria (staff of eight). 1. Coordinate the logistical support of the GRC, which includes the purchasing and transportation of supplies and the transporting of students, scientists and personnel to and from the island. 1. Overall business management of the GRC to maintain its full operation on a sound financial base. This includes the monitoring of all incoming funds and the disbursement of those funds through sound bookkeeping practices. 1. Organize one or more meetings of the GRC Board of Directors, who are appointed by The College of The Bahamas governing council. 1. Coordinate the scholarship program for Bahamian students with the Ministry of Education. Qualifications 1. PhD in any of the Natural Sciences, with the ability to involve a new generation of scientists to utilize the GRC. 1. Administrative abilities to include good organizational skills and diplomacy to be able to work with a wide range of personality types and with persons of various races and cultures. 1. A good business sense in that the operation of the GRC is based on a limited budget. 1. A good mechanical sense in order to oversee the operation of a large physical plant in a remote setting. This attribute is stressed since the Physical Plant Managers seem to be ephemeral and hard to find. If that position becomes vacant it would be the Executive Director who would have to fill the void until a new Physical Plant Manager is found. 1. Ability to promote the GRC for public relations and the obtaining of funding from outside sources. 1. Be able to fill this position immediately, but no later than June 2016. Compensation 1. Annual Salary of $60,000 (negotiable after one year of service) 1. Fully furnished apartment on campus 1. All living expenses on the island (i.e., food and utilities) and all expenses for travel on GRC business 1. Half of the cost of medical and hospitalization insurance Application If after reading this you are still interested in this position, please forward by November 20, 2015, the following to: Dr. Donald T. Gerace 3616 Peace River Drive Punta Gorda, FL 33983 (941) 743-7954 tel. & fax [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> 1. Curriculum Vitae 2. A one to two page essay describing your abilities in the areas of administration, organization, and management, and your resourcefulness in dealing with logistics, physical plant problems, and personnel 1. Three letters of recommendation that stress your abilities in the above mentioned areas.
