Provost & Chief Academic Officer

Reporting directly to the President, the Provost & Chief Academic Officer serves as the University’s Chief Academic Officer and a key member of the President’s Executive Council of the Cabinet. The Provost provides visionary leadership for the University’s academic enterprise and partners with the President, faculty, and senior leadership to advance academic excellence, student success, institutional transformation, and long-term sustainability in support of the University’s mission and strategic priorities. The Provost leads the development and execution of the University’s academic strategy by fostering innovation, shared governance, interdisciplinary collaboration, and continuous improvement while positioning the University to respond to the evolving landscape of higher education. Representative DutiesExecutive Leadership and Institutional StrategyServe as a strategic partner to the President, shaping and advancing the University’s academic vision, institutional priorities, and long-term strategic direction.Lead the University’s academic enterprise by aligning academic priorities, institutional resources, enrollment strategy, and institutional initiatives to advance the University’s mission, strategic plan, and long-term sustainability.Lead institutional transformation by anticipating emerging trends in higher education, positioning the University to respond to changing student expectations, workforce needs, technological innovation, and demographic shifts.Cultivate a culture of trust, transparency, collaboration, and shared governance by engaging faculty and academic leaders in meaningful dialogue, building consensus around institutional priorities, and fostering timely, informed decision-making.Champion organizational excellence by fostering innovation, adaptability, evidence-informed decision-making, and continuous improvement across Academic Affairs.Partner with the President, Executive Council of the Cabinet, Cabinet, Board of Regents, faculty leadership, and administrative leaders to advance institutional priorities and achieve strategic institutional goals.Serve as a visible ambassador for the University by cultivating strategic relationships with accrediting agencies, governmental organizations, educational associations, community partners, donors, and other external stakeholders to advance the University’s academic reputation, mission, and strategic priorities. Academic LeadershipProvide executive leadership for the University’s colleges, schools, academic departments, libraries, academic support units, and other areas reporting to Academic Affairs.Shape the University’s academic vision by leading the strategic evolution of its academic portfolio, ensuring programs remain mission-centered, academically rigorous, responsive to evolving student and workforce needs, and aligned with institutional priorities and long-term sustainability.Position the University’s academic enterprise to strengthen its academic distinction, institutional reputation, and long-term competitiveness within an evolving higher education landscape.Guide strategic decisions regarding the growth, redesign, consolidation, and discontinuation of academic programs to strengthen academic distinction, enrollment competitiveness, and long-term institutional sustainability.Champion excellence in teaching, scholarship, creative activity, research, and service that advances the University’s academic distinction and student success.Advance interdisciplinary collaboration, emerging instructional models, and innovative educational practices that strengthen student learning and institutional competitiveness.Recruit, develop, empower, and retain a high-performing faculty while fostering a culture of academic excellence, innovation, accountability, and professional growth.Ensure compliance with accreditation standards, academic policies, and applicable federal and state regulations. Student Success and Educational ExcellenceChampion a student-centered academic culture that promotes student success, persistence, graduation, career readiness, and lifelong learning.Provide strategic leadership for the University’s academic support functions, including academic advising, registrar services, academic accessibility, global education, and undergraduate research.Promote equitable access to educational opportunities and support services that enable students to achieve their academic and professional goals.Advance experiential learning, internships, undergraduate research, global engagement, service learning, and other high-impact educational experiences.Utilize institutional assessment, performance metrics, and predictive analytics to improve student outcomes and guide continuous improvement.Partner with Enrollment Management and Student Affairs to align academic strategy, enrollment planning, and student success initiatives across the University. Academic Innovation and Strategic GrowthLead the University’s academic innovation strategy by advancing new academic programs, instructional models, certificates, microcredentials, executive education, lifelong learning, and online and hybrid educational opportunities that support institutional priorities.Advance the thoughtful integration of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, to enhance teaching, learning, scholarship, and administrative effectiveness.Align academic planning with enrollment strategy, workforce needs, and emerging market opportunities to strengthen institutional competitiveness and long-term sustainability. Strategic Partnerships, Research, and External EngagementAdvance faculty scholarship, research, creative activity, and sponsored programs in ways that enhance the University’s academic distinction and public impact.Cultivate strategic partnerships that advance academic excellence, workforce development, innovation, philanthropy, community engagement, and institutional reputation.Develop partnerships with K-12 schools, community colleges, employers, healthcare organizations, nonprofit organizations, and community partners to expand educational pathways and strengthen regional impact.Partner with University Advancement to cultivate philanthropic investments that advance academic priorities, faculty excellence, student success, and institutional growth.Represent the University in regional, national, and international academic partnerships that enhance institutional reputation, influence, and strategic opportunities.Leverage strategic partnerships to expand experiential learning, applied research, workforce development, community engagement, and opportunities that advance the University’s mission and regional and national impact. Financial Stewardship and Organizational EffectivenessProvide executive leadership for Academic Affairs budgeting, financial planning, resource allocation, operational effectiveness, and long-term sustainability.Ensure responsible stewardship of the University’s financial, human, physical, technological, and academic resources.Align academic investments and resource allocation with institutional priorities by evaluating academic initiatives, organizational performance, and financial, enrollment, and assessment data to support strategic decision-making and continuous improvement.Identify, evaluate, and pursue opportunities to diversify revenue through grants, strategic partnerships, philanthropy, continuing education, research, and innovative academic initiatives.Recruit, develop, mentor, and evaluate senior academic leaders while fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, and high performance.Perform other related duties as assigned. Minimum QualificationsAny combination equivalent to: An earned doctorate or terminal degree from an accredited institution; qualifications sufficient for appointment at the rank of full professor; and ten (10) years of progressively responsible senior academic leadership experience in higher education, including experience as a dean, associate provost, provost, or equivalent, with demonstrated success in strategic planning, organizational transformation, faculty affairs, academic program development, accreditation, institutional effectiveness, budgeting, and student success leadership.