Provost

DeSales University is a Catholic university sponsored by the Oblates of St Francis DeSales. Diversity and inclusion have been and will continue to be an integral component of the University’s mission. The University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and seeks candidates who understand, respect, and can contribute to the University’s Salesian mission and values (Wisdom, Humility, Gentleness, Hospitality, and Gratitude)

through collaborative and innovative leadership, a commitment to, and the ability to deliver quality educational experiences during an exciting era of change in the higher education landscape.  The provost will join a forward-thinking and energetic president and senior administrative team to effectively advance the mission of and position the University for its next era of success to promote the philosophy, goals, and academic outcomes of the University. 

Reporting directly to the president, the provost is the University’s chief academic officer.  The provost will integrate the Catholic intellectual tradition into the University’s curriculum and co- and extra-curricular student learning; develop a vision for instruction and learning that addresses essential trends in higher education; and lead a process of reinvention of the provost’s office.  The provost is responsible for empowering student and faculty achievement through effective leadership and management, strategic planning, policy development, and oversight of the academic enterprise.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

As the chief academic officer, the provost will:

  • Serve as chief advisor to the president on academic matters, bearing witness to DeSales’ Catholic, Salesian mission, philosophy, and learning outcomes as central to a culture of academic excellence at the University.
  • Initiate, design, launch, and adopt appropriate innovations for the University’s academic programs and structure. This will include a significant redesign of the University structure into school or college units from the present division-department construct.
  • Provide the advocacy necessary for enhancing excellent faculty and academic business units aligned with the University’s mission and the president’s strategic direction.
  • Collaborate with deans, faculty, staff, colleagues in finance, enrollment management, student affairs, institutional advancement, marketing, and human resources to develop and support programs that contribute to sustainable growth and high-quality learning outcomes.
  • Empower and evaluate all faculty, both undergraduate and graduate, with the assistance of the division heads, within a University culture characterized by transparency, inclusiveness, and a shared passion for educating students to contribute to society.
  • Support excellence in teaching and learning across the university’s academic programs, promoting best practices in classroom pedagogy, hybrid and online learning, and new and emerging technologies.
  • Coordinate the administration and application of criteria for the introduction of new and the transformation of existing academic programs, ensuring student learning outcomes meet societal and workforce needs.
  • Annually review and when necessary, revise, with appropriate consultation, the Faculty Handbook for recommendation to the president and the board of trustees.
  • Oversee and coordinate, with appropriate consultation and collaboration, all accreditation matters for the various academic programs of the University.
  • Represent the University at regional, national, and international meetings, when tasked by the president.
  • Advance and complete relevant goals from the strategic plans of the University.
  • Supervise the integration of General Education Core Curriculum into the University’s academic programs.
  • Perform such other duties as assigned in the Faculty Handbook and as may be assigned by the president and the board of trustees.
  • Assessment of the proper positioning of scholarship by the faculty and advocacy for the necessary resources to achieve excellence in this domain.

 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

As the chief academic officer, the provost will:

  • Possess and demonstrate outstanding communication skills: oral, written, and especially aural.
  • Display and embrace collaboration at all times.
  • Lead and manage the University’s academic enterprise.
  • Embrace and advance the Catholic, Salesian values and spirituality of the University, through the Catholic intellectual tradition and social teaching, with a commitment to preparing graduates to contribute to society and the common good.
  • Inspire conditions that facilitate strategic and operational effectiveness in supervising the following positions:  department chairs, division heads, dean of undergraduate education, dean of graduate education, library director, registrar, and director of distance education and instructional technology.
  • Nurture and monitor faculty professional activities, by working with the division heads, in a manner that is supportive of excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service appropriate to DeSales’ distinctive mission and place within private, independent Catholic higher education.
  • Coordinate the evaluation of all academic programs and systems.
  • Lead change to promote, transform, and grow DeSales’ portfolio of academic programs in a manner appropriate to our undergraduate, graduate, and non-traditional target markets delivered in campus-based and online environments.
  • Foster a learning environment that is innovative, inclusive, and focused on student and faculty success.
  • Design, in collaboration with the necessary colleagues, engagement strategies for the community to grow and deepen its understanding of Salesian spirituality.
  • Develop new and creative means to attract, foster, and retain a high-quality, diverse faculty and academic staff to the University’s Catholic, Salesian mission.
  • Collaborate with the necessary colleagues about negotiating contracts of relevant personnel.
  • Possess exemplary interpersonal and relationship-building skills to bring constituencies together to engage collaboratively and collegially.
  • As the University is growing, experience with a larger university system and one that has undergone a transition to a school structure is desirable.

 

Education and Experience

The successful candidate will possess:

  • An earned doctorate in a relevant field with demonstrated progress through faculty ranks, including significant experience in teaching, scholarship, and service.
  • Preferably at least 10 years of successful experience in administrative and educational leadership positions in higher education.
  • Demonstrated successful experience in strategic planning, fiscal management, budget and resource allocation, personnel supervision, program development, and faculty recognition and reward structures.
  • Proficiency with the assessment of student learning and program outcomes consonant with regional accreditation standards and planning for continuous improvement.
  • The ability to cultivate strategic partnerships in industry, government, and not-for-profit organizations to advance academic programs in service to local, regional, and national economies.
  • A commitment to shared governance, transparency, and an openness to listening to build trust and cooperation among faculty, administration and staff.

 

Applications accepted through September 30, 2022.  The new provost will be named by January 2023 and expected to begin work at the University as soon as possible after the announcement as the new chief academic officer.

Candidates should provide a curriculum vita, a cover letter describing their experience as relevant to the position, the names and contact information for three to five references (references will not be contacted without prior knowledge and approval of candidates), and copies of educational transcripts.  In addition, as a Catholic, Salesian institution committed to creating and enhancing our diverse and inclusive campus environment, we request applicants to submit a diversity & inclusion statement of one page or less, how you will add value to our diversity, equity, and inclusion commitment at DeSales University by articulating examples of action based on incorporating diverse and inclusive practices in your professional engagements.

  All documents should be submitted to:

 

Office of Human Resources

Provost.search@desales.edu

Please Put "Provost “in subject line

An Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V.

 

Nominations will also be accepted.  Those wishing to nominate a candidate for the position may send a letter of nomination directly to Margie Grandinetti at Margie.Grandinetti@desales.edu.  All applications and nominations will be handled with the strictest confidentiality.