VP of ACADEMIC AFFAIRS & PROVOST

Plymouth State University (PSU) invites applications for the position of provost/vice president of academic affairs (VPPA). PSU serves the state of New Hampshire and the world beyond by transforming our undergraduate students through innovative cross-disciplinary educational practices that focus on engaged learning. Our graduate education programs deepen and advance knowledge and enhance professional development opportunities. With distinction, PSU connects with community and business partners for economic development, technological advances, healthier living, and cultural enrichment with a special commitment of service to the North Country and Lakes Region of New Hampshire.  

The provost/vice president for academic affairs reports to President Donald Birx and serves on his senior management team. The provost/VPAA is the chief academic officer and a senior member of the president’s cabinet, responsible for creating and sustaining an environment which promotes teaching, learning, scholarship, and service; honoring the faculty voice in important decisions; and fostering a sense of community and collegiality in support of student engagement, success, and academic excellence. The provost/VPAA will be an innovative thinker with outstanding interpersonal skills, will be flexible and inter-culturally competent; we seek a leader who can foster cohesion, community, and a sense of working together for the good of the University.  

The provost/VPAA will play a key part in advancing inclusive decision making and transparency across the entire community, engaging faculty, students, and staff in visioning and planning for the future, and communicating about key challenges, opportunities, and decisions. Recognizing the importance of both financial sustainability and academic excellence, the provost/VPAA must model outstanding judgement, transparent discernment, and principled action. The provost/VPAA will be called upon to balance the care and interest of all stakeholders while keeping open lines of communication. 

The next provost/VPAA of the Plymouth State University will have the opportunity to partner with a highly motivated community to continue our focus on PSU’s brand as a visionary institution at the hub of an ever-growing creative community where students, faculty, staff, and alumni are actively transforming themselves and the region. At this crucial time for public higher education, the future provost/VPAA must inspire and engage the faculty and staff at Plymouth State University to fulfill the academic vision for the University – a vision that honors the mission of a public institution that ensures continued success in preparing graduates for a future of life and meaningful work. The provost/VPAA will build on the visionary Integrated Cluster Learning Model to strengthen the institution’s legacy of interdisciplinary study and applied experiential learning. They will foster collaboration of student teams with faculty and partners within 7 Integrated Clusters of degree programs: Exploration and Discovery; Innovation and Entrepreneurship; Arts and Technologies; Health and Human Enrichment; Justice and Security; Education, Democracy and Social Change; and Tourism, Environment and Sustainable Development. 

Serving as an essential partner to the president, as a collaborative colleague to Cabinet members, and leading academic affairs into a period of heightened effectiveness and financial sustainability, the new provost/VPAA will attend to a number of key strategic imperatives, presented here in no particular order: 

Champion diversity, equity, and inclusion: 

As an institution dedicated to transforming and creating opportunities for a diverse student population, there is a critical need to advance diversity among the faculty and staff. The provost/VPAA will be an experienced and impactful leader of diversity and inclusion efforts, especially in acting affirmatively for the recruitment and retention of faculty and staff, in curricular planning and design, and in establishing and maintaining University-wide policies and practices that are equitable.  

Understand the Plymouth State Student: 

Plymouth State University has a long history of commitment to promising students who are the first generation in their families to attend University, students who are Pell Grant-eligible, and students who are from populations that are traditionally underrepresented in higher education. Plymouth State is proud that 40-50 percent of the first-year cohort are first generation students, and 40-50 percent are Pell Grant recipients. The provost/VPAA will work with other key units, including the Residential Life, Student Life, and Student Financial Services teams to foster a positive student academic and engagement experience. 

Foster and drive academic innovation: 

The provost/VPAA will build a strong, vibrant teaching, and learning organization. They will work collaboratively across the University and the University System to highlight, elevate, celebrate, and promote Plymouth State’s unique strengths and to deepen the focus on the student at the center of our work and success. The provost/VPAA will be invited to think laterally and innovatively, to take calculated risks, and to foster a culture where innovative ideas are encouraged and nurtured. The community would value a provost/VPAA with a record of advancing innovation in a resource constrained environment, who is willing to take prudent strategic risks, invest in well thought-out ventures and encourage innovation from the ground up. 

To view a full position description and apply, please visit our online applicaton portal at https://jobs.usnh.edu/postings/44558