Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and System Provost

The State University of New York (SUNY) invites applications for the position of Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and System Provost. SUNY’s mission is to make higher education accessible to all individuals independent of financial means and background; that it should help students find their purpose; and discover how to contribute positively to a free and civil society with a high-quality, low-cost education. The Chancellor is looking for an innovator/game-changing Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and System Provost who will, during this transformative moment in higher education, work collaboratively with the campus stakeholders to modernize, build, and strengthen academic programs across the University to provide greater opportunities for students.  

 

The Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and System Provost will report directly to the Chancellor and will be a key member of the Chancellor’s senior staff. The SUNY System Administration office is located in Albany, New York. 

 

About the SUNY System:  The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States comprising four university centers, four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the state’s only college of optometry, 13 comprehensive colleges, seven technology colleges, 30 community colleges, statutory colleges, like at the Colleges of Agriculture & Life Sciences, Human Ecology, Industrial & Labor Relations, and Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University and SUNY’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and manages one U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratory.

 

More than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. In total, SUNY serves about 1.3 million students in credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide were more than $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2021, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. For more information about SUNY, visit: www.suny.edu. 

 

The Position: SUNY seeks an innovative, collaborative, and forward-thinking leader to be its next Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and System Provost. The successful candidate will be the Chief Academic Officer, working alongside the Chancellor, and will be responsible for driving academic access, success, and excellence across the SUNY System. The successful candidate will join a team of world-class academics dedicated to realizing the goal of making education affordable and individually transformational. This is an exceptional opportunity for an experienced and dynamic individual to help lead a large, diverse system of higher education committed to preparing students to address the challenges of the nation and a global society in the twenty-first century.

 

The Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and System Provost currently has executive responsibility for the staffing, operation, and management of the System’s academic affairs office. The fundamental role of the Provost is to foster academic access and excellence across the System.

 

The Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and System Provost will be responsible for: 

  • Ensuring pathways for student completion and success (the Chancellor demands that the SUNY system be student-centric);
  • Transforming academic programs and policies to meet growing research and workforce demand;
  • Fostering a culture of cooperation and continuous improvement across SUNY and within System Administration;
  • Supporting the University’s deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion;
  • Leading strategic enrollment across SUNY campuses to increase enrollment throughout the system, especially leveraging the various types of campuses into multiple pathways and transfer opportunities for students; and
  • Leading the identification and implementation of best practices at scale.  

 

Requirements:

Qualified candidates will:

 

  • Possess an earned doctorate or appropriate terminal degree from an accredited institution;
  • Have higher education administrative experience with evidenced responsibilities in a senior academic position and having been a member of a senior leadership team;
  • Demonstrate experience supervising and managing personnel and budgets; and
  • Provide evidence of scholarly achievement and knowledge of current trends and practices in higher education.

 

Professional and Personal Qualifications:  

In addition, qualified candidates must possess the following experience and abilities:

 

  • Successful experience as a forward-thinking and results-oriented academic administrator in a complex organization with a proven ability to execute large and ambitious plans;
  • A track record of dedication to diversity and the ability to promote, support, and achieve the various tenets of SUNY’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion;
  • An astute understanding of the relationships between academic policies, budgeting, and operations;
  • A strategic facilitator, able to think creatively across boundaries and committed to harnessing and facilitating the potential for collaboration throughout institutions and disciplines;
  • Demonstrated commitment to students and student success;
  • Demonstrated commitment to shared governance in planning and managing change and the ability to reduce conflict and facilitate a shared commitment to excellence;
  • Knowledge of emerging national and global educational, public policy, and cultural trends, and ability to connect with corporate, educational, governmental, and private sector leaders;
  • Excellent interpersonal skills, possessing the ability to build positive relationships, and bringing diverse constituencies together to engage collaboratively and collegially;
  • Outstanding listening and communication skills with a demonstrated ability to inspire and engage others to support the vision of the System; and
  • Integrity and a strong commitment to the vision of SUNY.

 

In addition to a strong record of scholarly achievements, the successful candidate will be a dynamic and collaborative leader who, in working with the Chancellor, serves as the primary voice and advocate for SUNY’s academic enterprise within the state, national, and international higher-education community.

 

A search committee reflecting the larger SUNY community representing college and university presidents, campus and system administrators, and trustees will review applications, screen candidates, and make recommendations to the Chancellor and the Board of Trustees.

 

Applications: Interested candidates should submit only a cover letter and resume to RPA Inc. at SUNYProvost@rpainc.org. For a confidential discussion about this opportunity or to make a nomination, please email President Dana John Cohick, or Vice President and Senior Consultant Amanda O’Donnell at the email address listed above. The first review of candidates will begin on November 16, 2021, and first-round interviews will commence thereafter.

 

 

State University of New York System Administration is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, creed, age, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, familial status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, criminal conviction, or retaliation.

 

Pursuant to Executive Order 161, no State entity, as defined by the Executive Order, is permitted to ask, or mandate, in any form, that an applicant for employment provide his or her current compensation, or any prior compensation history, until such time as the applicant is extended a conditional offer of employment with compensation.  If such information has been requested from you before such time, please contact the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations at (518) 473-3130 or via email at info@goer.ny.gov.