Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Kutztown University (KU), a comprehensive public institution located in southeastern Pennsylvania, welcomes nominations and applications for the position of Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. This position serves as the chief academic officer and reports to the President of the University. The Provost is a central figure in the leadership of the University and the main advocate for student success and the pursuit of academic excellence. This position has oversight of educational, scholarly, service, and research initiatives throughout the division of Academic Affairs. In addition, the position oversees all technology efforts at the University.

The Institution: Kutztown University, a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), was founded in 1866 as Keystone State Normal School, became Kutztown State Teachers College in 1928, Kutztown State College in 1960, and achieved university status in 1983. Today, KU is a modern, comprehensive institution offering 130 undergraduate programs in the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Visual and Performing Arts, Business, and Education. There are also 31 graduate areas of study—including two doctoral programs—as well as ten certificate programs. An honors program, study abroad, internships, student/faculty research and experiential learning communities round out the academic experience. The University educates a diverse student body of approximately 7,800 and employs 467 faculty members and 513 staff who are dedicated to providing transformational and life-changing learning opportunities. Members of the University take pride in the strong sense of community that can be felt across campus and an institutional commitment to excellence that is reflected in consistent recognition by U.S. News and World Report as a “Best Regional University” and by The Princeton Review as “One of the Best in the Northeast.” The University offers a beautiful 289 acre award-winning campus complete with modern labs, studios, living-learning communities, dining options, and athletic/recreational facilities—a setting designed to nurture students’ intellectual and social development. Additionally, the University is a cultural and economic cornerstone of the borough of Kutztown and wider Berks County, and it enjoys an excellent relationship with the surrounding community. KU is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and also boasts a dozen programmatic accreditations. For more about the University, please visit www.kutztown.edu.

The Position: The Provost leads a broad portfolio that includes the University’s four academic colleges and undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs. A key member of the President's leadership team, the Provost is the steward of the University’s academic priorities, working together with the other vice presidents to achieve institutional goals. The Provost arrives at the University at a time that is both challenging and exciting, as the institution is engaging in several transformative objectives that will promote student success and expand the impact of the University on its numerous stakeholders. She or he will be a key leader of a new planning and budget process designed to support academic excellence and institutional priorities. Other priorities include continuing work on the development of new programs; new retention/persistence initiatives, a new continuing education center, and active engagement in the University’s strategic planning process. In addition to supervising the Deans of the four colleges and the Vice Provost & Dean of Graduate Studies, the Provost also supervises the Assistant to the Provost for Faculty Relations & Academic Administration, the Associate Vice President of Academic Financial Management, the Associate Provost for Retention & Student Success, the Assistant Provost for Accreditation and Assessment, the Assistant Vice President for Information Technology, the Registrar, and the Executive Assistant to the Provost. This position also provides leadership and support for Distance Education & Instructional Design, the Student Success Center, Grants and Sponsored Projects, the Rohrbach Library, the Career Development Center, and Academic Enrichment. Additionally, the Provost will prepare and monitor the divisional budget and all resource allocations and expenditures; oversee the faculty hiring process and workload assignments; conduct verification of credentials and eligibility for faculty tenure, promotion, and sabbatical leaves, and provide recommendations to the President relating to each of these requests; assist the President in other faculty retention, promotion, and tenure decisions; serve as the labor relations officer for the faculty union; resolve student issues that are referred to the Provost's office; interface with the PASSHE Chancellor's office staff and other Chief Academic Officers in the System; establish and maintain relationships with peers from both regional and other institutions to support information sharing and best practices development; work closely with and provide support to divisional vice presidents on shared initiatives; represent and act in place of the President as needed; support the University governance process by participating in or providing a designee for various committees/groups.

Qualifications: The successful candidate will possess an earned doctorate or terminal degree and a minimum of five years of demonstrated progressively responsible and successful experience as a senior-level university administrator. Crucial to this role will be creativity, vision, and an innovative spirit with the ability to gain the trust of others and inspire them to action. The next Provost will have strong executive level academic management and administrative experience with an excellent track record of valuing, fostering, and maintaining effective working relationships with students, faculty, and staff across an institution to facilitate the accomplishment of university goals. Additionally, the selected candidate must possess experience with and respect for diverse student, faculty, and staff populations and a commitment to Affirmative Action. The successful candidate will bring experience overseeing the development and implementation of university level strategic plans; gathering and analyzing complex data to solve problems and make sound decisions; using effective approaches for choosing a course of action or developing appropriate solutions; and taking action that is consistent with available facts, constraints, probable consequences, and university policies. Experience coordinating institutional reporting and assessment for internal and external parties as well as experience overseeing university accreditation is also required. The next Provost will demonstrate effective communication and interpersonal skills; an ability to successfully build teams; human resource expertise, including performance management and professional development; and effective financial management skills. The successful candidate will also possess a strong understanding of the academic environment and a commitment to collegial, consultative processes, and shared governance as evidenced by the successful development and implementation of academic initiatives in collaboration with faculty, staff, and students. They will demonstrate skills in academic program planning and budgeting, including effective use of resources and creativity in being an effective steward of university resources. They will also have experience cultivating, implementing, and maintaining academic partnerships between the University, community colleges, and other educational institutions; a proven commitment to academic excellence in teaching, research, and student experiential learning; a significant record of teaching excellence, service, and scholarship; and experience working with governing boards and a willingness to develop and foster productive relationships with the Council of Trustees. Preferred qualifications include experience in working with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education or another state higher education system. Also preferred is experience coordinating and implementing a faculty collective bargaining agreement and in matters involving faculty workload, compensation, and working conditions.

Location: Kutztown, Pennsylvania, is a quaint borough of 5,000 residents. It is located in Berks County in the heart of picturesque Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Residents of Kutztown and wider Berks County enjoy access to the natural beauty and resources of rural southeastern Pennsylvania, such as biking and hiking trails—including a section of the world-famous Appalachian Trail—and several farmers’ markets and “agritainment” venues that offer visitors agriculture-based recreational opportunities. Berks County is home to numerous wineries and breweries as well as a diverse array of restaurants. Residents also enjoy year-round entertainment in the form of seasonal festivals and performing arts and cultural venues. Kutztown is also conveniently located between the diverse cities of Reading and Allentown, which serve as economic hubs of the region. It is also only 70 miles from Philadelphia and Harrisburg, 100 miles from New York City, 120 miles from Baltimore, and 160 miles from Washington, D.C. Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE) is also only 25 minutes from campus. For more information about the region, visit www.visitpaamericana.com.

Application: Interested candidates should submit applications directly to the University using the following link: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/kutztownedu/jobs/2938877/provost-and-vice-president-for-academic-affairs

For a confidential discussion about this opportunity or to make a nomination, please contact Dana John Cohick, President, or Isaac Karaffa, Vice President and Senior Consultant, at kutztownprovost@rpainc.org. To ensure full consideration, application materials must be received no later than February 15, 2021.

Kutztown University is an AA/EOE/member of the PA State System of Higher Education and actively solicits applications from women and minority candidates.  Kutztown University does not discriminate in employment or educational opportunities on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or veteran status.  To discuss a complaint of discrimination, please contact the University's Title IX Coordinator located in the Office of Social Equity, Old Main A-Wing, Room 02, by phone at 610-683-4700 or by e-mail at pena@kutztown.edu or the Office for Civil Rights located in the Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Bldg., 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202-1100, by phone at 800-421-3481 (TDD: 800-877-8339), by fax at 202-453-6012, or by e-mail at OCR@ed.gov" OCR@ed.gov.