Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Texas A&M University-Kingsville (Texas A&M-Kingsville) is conducting a national search for its next Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs (Provost). Texas A&M-Kingsville is committed to being a renowned, diverse community of learners and innovators. Texas A&M Kingsville strives to enrich lives through education, discovery, and service in South Texas and beyond.

POSITION

The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs provides leadership, vision, and guidance for the university in all aspects of academic and faculty affairs. The Provost is a key member of the university’s leadership team, overseeing the institution's academic mission and priorities including curriculum and program development, student learning and success, advising, student retention, assessment, accreditation, academic support services, faculty development, academic innovation, etc. The following units report directly to the Provost: the Colleges of Agriculture & Natural Resources; Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; Education & Human Performance; Engineering; Graduate Studies; and Honors College. Also reporting to the Provost are Student Success; Academic Technology; Registrar; and Library.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPECTATIONS

The Provost will be an accomplished academic leader with a terminal degree in an appropriate discipline and a record of professional and scholarly achievement commensurate with the rank of full professor with tenure and recognition by peers as an effective educational leader. The preferred candidate will be a leader for higher education and have an appreciation of the role and mission of a public research university.

Other preferred qualifications include:

  • A proven record of success as an academic administrator with record of successful and progressively responsible administrative experience including the leadership of academic divisions, departments, or major programs
  • Demonstrated commitment to excellence in teaching, learning, scholarly endeavors, and service
  • Strong background in data-driven decision-making used to guide academic planning of undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and on-line programs
  • Evidence of fostering a diverse and inclusive environment for students, faculty, staff, and administrators
  • Demonstrated commitment to the university’s role as a Hispanic-serving Institution (HSI)
  • Demonstrated experience in fostering a shared vision amongst a wide diversity of stakeholders
  • Ability to promote interdisciplinary and cross-college initiatives that build on areas of existing strength
  • Passion for administrative oversight of the instructional, scholarly, and academic service missions of the university
  • Significant experience and demonstrable skills in strategic planning, budgeting and financial management, and the management of human capital
  • Commitment to shared governance and respect for differences of opinion and points of view
  • Skills and experience supervising and managing senior personnel-hiring, team building, leadership development, performance management, and problem-solving
  • Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills including evidence to facilitate collaboration among diverse faculty, staff, administrators, and students across the university
  • Ability to supervise and mentor deans and other administrators reporting to the Provost and develop mechanisms for direct reports to work as a team to further the institution’s academic mission
  • Leadership to complete, update, evaluate, and maintain an active Institutional Effectiveness divisional/unit plan(s)
  • Skills to provide evaluation strategy/strategies which link to the university strategic plan and the unit budget
  • Ability to provide for the documentation of the use of assessment results for continuous quality assessment and improvement
  • Ability to think both long-term and strategically with a shared vision, be adept at identifying priorities, and make decisions that reflect established priorities
  • Excellent communication skills, personal authenticity, availability, and a commitment to transparency and shared governance
  • Familiarity with institutional accreditation and both knowledge and experience in best practices associated with planning, assessment, and quality enhancement
  • Commitment to student success
  • Commitment to become part of the Kingsville community and executing the president’s agenda and university’s mission related to academic affairs

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY

Chartered in 1917 but not opened until 1925 because of America's entry into World War I, the University is the oldest continuously operating public institution of higher learning in South Texas. Shortly after beginning life as South Texas State Teachers College, its role was expanded to embrace a wider array of programs. As its mission has expanded, its name has changed to reflect its wider scope. Its first name change, to Texas College of Arts and Industries, came in 1929. In 1967 the name changed to Texas A&I University. The University became a member of the Texas A&M University System in 1989 and in 1993 changed its name to Texas A&M University-Kingsville to reflect that membership.

Texas A&M-Kingsville is South Texas' greatest university, offering more academic programs and degrees, providing better learning and living facilities, doing more research, awarding more scholarships and producing more successful graduates than any other college or university in the region.

Texas A&M-Kingsville seeks to provide quality undergraduate and graduate programs for students of all ages through a judicious blend of liberal and career education programs. The emphasis is on providing an intellectually challenging education reflecting high standards of academic performance. Texas A&M-Kingsville is dedicated to serving an ethnically and culturally diverse population. The University is committed to its mission of teaching, research, and service in South Texas for the advancement of knowledge and of regional development.

Most of Texas A&M-Kingsville's approximately 6,357 students come from South Texas, but there is wide diversity in the population, with students from 40 states and 35 countries. The student body is split almost equally between men and women. About 80 percent of students are undergraduates. Ethnically, the campus reflects the demographics of the area, with 69 percent of the students Hispanic, 15 percent white, and 4 percent African American. About 7 percent are international students.

Texas A&M-Kingsville recently instituted a new 2022 – 2027 strategic plan. This strategic plan was carefully created by cross-sections of the university community through multiple focus group meetings with faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the Texas A&M University-Kingsville Foundation Board. Student Success serves as the guiding principle for Strategic Plan 2027. It should be the mission of everyone at the university that every student who walks into our front door leaves with a diploma or certificate in hand. To that end, every goal and objective in Strategic Plan 2027 is rooted in tangible target strategies which will assure that Student Success will be an achievable objective, and not just a pipe dream. More information on the strategic plan can be found on the Texas A&M University-Kingsville website.

APPLICATION PROCESS

The Provost Search Committee invites letters of nomination, applications (letter of interest, complete CV, and references) or expressions of interest to be submitted to the search firm assisting the University. Confidential review of materials will begin immediately and continue until the appointment is made. It is preferred, however, that all nominations and applications be submitted prior to February 15, 2023. For more information, please contact Parker Executive Search:

Porsha Williams, Vice President

Jacob Anderson, Senior Principal

Jack McGrew, Executive Recruiting Coordinator

Parker Executive Search

Five Concourse Parkway, Suite 2875 Atlanta, GA 30328

janderson@parkersearch.com || jmcgrew@parkersearch.com

(678) 775-4564

Texas A&M University-Kingsville is committed to providing an educational and work environment that is conducive to the personal and professional development of each individual student and employee. It is our firm commitment to ensure that equal employment opportunity, equal treatment, and equal access to programs and activities will be provided to Texas A&M University-Kingsville's students, employees, prospective employees, and the public. To achieve this goal, discrimination based on a person's race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status or genetic information is strictly prohibited as defined by federal law and state statute. These protections extend to employment and admissions decisions.