Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

 

Florida Atlantic University (FAU) invites nominations and applications for the position of Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. The Provost provides leadership to achieve excellence in teaching, research, scholarship, and service. The Office of the Provost also guides policy development and resource allocation to support the university’s diverse colleges, campuses, and student populations, ensuring their collaborative and distinctive contributions.

 

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY

 

Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, FAU serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students across six campuses located along the southeast Florida coast. FAU is an energetic and dynamic institution, determined to propel itself to the forefront of innovation and scholarship. In recent years, the University has grown its research expenditures and outpaced its peers in student achievement rates. FAU is highly ranked by U.S. News & World Report for “Social Mobility” and a top degree producer for African American and Hispanic students. FAU is also consistently ranked as the most ethnically and culturally diverse institution in the State University System of Florida (SUS).

FAU is designated a Hispanic-serving institution, ranked as a top public university by U.S. News & World Report and a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. To enhance interdisciplinary and collaborative research, FAU has established four university-wide research institutes focused on the University’s strengths. These are dedicated to improving and addressing diseases of the brain, enhancing human health and quality of life, protecting the environment locally and globally, and using sensors to monitor the world around us.

FAU offers a transformative education that prepares students for success in a rapidly changing world. A national leader in student achievement, FAU is determined to propel itself to the forefront of innovation and scholarship. By employing big data to influence decisions, FAU more than doubled its 4-year graduation rate and achieved a double-digit increase in retention. This approach has generated achievement for students regardless of income, first-generation status or race.

 

Additionally, FAU is committed to mutually beneficial partnerships and is in pursuit of the Carnegie R1 classification. The university is actively expanding its unique honors education opportunities and its novel, nationally recognized undergraduate research program. Similarly, the institution has added accelerated pathways to graduate studies, as well as direct admission to the university’s medical school pipelines for outstanding high school students.  FAU’s research portfolio has more than doubled in the last six years and is swiftly approaching $100 million in research expenditures. This steady growth has positioned the University to soon move from its current “High Research Activity” status with Carnegie Foundation to Tier One. To achieve this significant goal, FAU is maintaining a strong focus on strategic faculty hiring, graduate student recruitment, research infrastructure investments and fostering external research collaborations. FAU aspires to pursue, with Unbridled Ambition ®, its intention of becoming the country’s fastest-improving public research university by using big data and a student-centered approach (https://www.fau.edu/ambition/). More information about the university can be found at www.fau.edu.

 

VISION

 

FAU aspires to be recognized as a university known for excellent and accessible undergraduate and graduate education, distinguished for the quality of its programs across multiple campuses and classified as a very high research institution that is internationally acclaimed for its contributions to creativity and research as well as its collaborations with regional partners.

 

FAU values:

 

  • Excellence - in teaching, research, and public service
  • Accountability - taking responsibility for actions and being outcome-based
  • Teamwork - seeking collaborative strategies to solve problems
  • Integrity - telling the truth and delivering on our commitments
  • Innovation - striving for creative solutions and continuous improvement
  • Student success - wholly committing ourselves to our students’ futures
  • Safety - providing a secure campus environment
  • Shared governance - making decisions through collaborative processes
  • Professionalism - performing our responsibilities with an ethical behavior
  • Customer service - exceeding the expectations of our clientele
  • Respect - treating people the way we want to be treated
  • Engagement - collaborating with community to benefit all stakeholders

 

THE POSITION

 

The Provost is responsible for the leadership and oversight of the university’s Division of Academic Affairs. The Division comprises FAU’s ten colleges and multiple research institutes whose approximately 1,000 faculty deliver more than 170 degree programs at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels, including the M.D. at the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. The University developed the world’s first Max Planck Honors Program with the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience located on the Jupiter Campus. Related areas, such as the Office of Undergraduate Studies, the University Registrar, the University Libraries, the Office of Information Technology and the Lifelong Learning Society, also come under the division’s umbrella. The University’s Office of Admissions and the Office of Financial Aid will be under the direction of the new Provost.

 

As part of the job duties associated with the role, the Provost will be expected to play a key role in a comprehensive fundraising campaign, as well as helping the University in the successful pursuit of becoming a Top 100 ranked U.S. News & World Report institution.

 

QUALIFICATIONS

 

  • Earned doctorate with credentials that merit appointment as full professor in an academic department at FAU;
  • Distinguished academic record in research, scholarship and teaching;
  • Proven record of broad, progressive and substantive administrative leadership at the level of Dean, Associate Provost or Provost;
  • Experience and/or deep understanding of a diverse and engaged public university;
  • Demonstrated success with budgeting and an understanding of various budget models;
  • Creative and novel approaches to program development, partnerships and revenue streams in support of academic mission and university initiatives;
  • Experience in, and commitment to, a shared governance environment;
  • Track record of working with various campus partners and fostering an environment of open dialogue and collaboration;
  • Experience working collaboratively with peers, both inside and outside of the university, as well as within the state, across the country and internationally;
  • Experience with and a deep understanding of Quality Enhancement Plan’s (QEP’s)
  • Proven record of development and fundraising;
  • Experience with and an understanding of improving national rankings, while also elevating the profiles of the University, faculty and graduate and postdoctoral fellows;
  • Demonstrated ability to be a strategic leader in building diversity among the student body, faculty, and staff, and to create an equitable and inclusive university community;
  • Experience with university-wide, cross-departmental efforts to develop, implement and execute strategic enrollment management plans to meet metrics based funding goals through the recruitment and retention of undergraduate, graduate and transfer students;
  • Demonstrated ability to advocate for academic affairs and lead in a complex organization in a diverse environment with various interests;
  • Experience in, and commitment to, student advocacy; and
  • A record of successful leadership of initiatives that support recruitment and retention of a diverse community of highly talented faculty and students.

 

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

 

The Search Committee invites nominations, applications (a letter of interest, comprehensive curriculum vitae, and the names and contact information of five or more references) to be submitted to the search firm assisting Florida Atlantic University. Confidential review of materials will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. The Search Committee prefers that all nominations and applications be submitted to the search firm website prior to September 1, 2022.

 

Porsha L. Williams, Vice President

Grant Higgison, Principal

Parker Executive Search

Five Concourse Parkway, Suite 2875

Atlanta, GA 30328

Phone: (770) 804-1996 X 109, X 118

pwilliams@parkersearch.com || ghiggison@parkersearch.com

 

Florida Atlantic University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action/equal access institution and all qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veterans status or other protected status.Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations, please call 561-287-3057.

 

FAU is committed to the principles of engaged teaching, research and service.All persons aspiring to achieve excellence in the practice of these principles are encouraged to apply.