Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

San Diego State University (SDSU) seeks a seasoned leader with deep administrative and academic experience to serve as its next provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.

Founded in 1897, San Diego State University began operating as the San Diego Normal School, a training facility for elementary school teachers. A member of The California State University system since its inception in 1960, SDSU has grown to become a leading public research university. With over 34,500 students, SDSU is committed to providing its students with a transformational college experience. Faculty and staff are deeply invested in creating social mobility pathways and providing resources that help graduate a largely first-generation, underrepresented student population who go on to become future global citizens, compassionate leaders and ethical innovators around the world.

Over the past six years, San Diego State University has risen in the U.S. News & World Report's rankings to No. 60 among public schools and No. 127 among national universities overall, up 30 spots from its position as No. 165 in 2012. Additionally, in 2018 U.S. News ranked San Diego State's graduation rate performance – which measures actual graduation rates against predicted graduation rates – as first in the nation. U.S. News also placed SDSU as No. 45 nationally among "most innovative schools." With strong roots in the San Diego community, SDSU is consistently recognized as one of the top institutions in the nation by supporting more than 4,000 military-connected students each term. A Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) since 2012, recipient of a 2017 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award, and ranked among the top 25 LGBT-friendly campuses in the nation, SDSU is sincerely committed to diversity and inclusion in all forms. These rankings underscore the University’s unwavering commitment to student success over many decades. SDSU is a model for what dedicated public universities can do by creating inclusive academic environments that marry student success with access, diversity with innovation and leadership with transformational change.

The incoming provost will be a key advisor and thought partner to President Adela de la Torre, who joined the San Diego State University community in June 2018 as its ninth permanent president and the first woman to serve in the role. The provost will play an integral role in the continued transformation of the campus as the University develops a vision that will inform a future strategic plan. Of critical importance, the provost will serve as leader and mentor to a team of relatively new deans and a motivated and innovative faculty. The incoming provost and senior vice president should be someone who brings a spirit of partnership, transparency and passion toward enhancing more than a century of achievement in education, research and service to the campus. The ideal candidate should understand and respect the unique shared governance structure of SDSU that equally incorporates faculty, staff and student voices in the decision-making process. The next provost should be a strong, decisive and present leader who is willing to engage and collaborate with the entire SDSU community while thoughtfully and purposefully leading the campus. Student learning and success should be at the forefront of the new provost's priorities, while she or he also supports an increase in research activity and scholarship. A demonstrated commitment to diversity, access, equity and inclusion will be critical to the incoming provost's success.

 The next provost should have earned academic credentials that merit appointment as a tenured full professor, including a distinguished academic record in teaching, scholarship and research. A proven record of broad, progressive and substantive administrative leadership at the level of dean, associate provost, provost or similar position will be important. The provost should be a collaborative, transparent and student-centered leader who is willing to engage the entire SDSU community. For more information on this search, please visit www.wittkieffer.com.

Inquiries, nominations and applications are invited. For fullest consideration, applicant materials should be received by February 1, 2019. Candidates should provide, as three separate documents, a curriculum vitae, a letter of application that addresses the responsibilities and requirements described in the Leadership Statement and references. These materials should be sent electronically via e-mail to the San Diego State University’s consultants Zachary A. Smith, Ph.D., Jen Meyers Pickard, Ph.D. and Julia Venetos, at SDSUProvost@wittkieffer.com. Questions may also be directed to the consultants through the office of Francine Heymanson at 949-797-3503.

The San Diego State University values diversity and is committed to equal opportunity for all persons regardless of age, color, disability, ethnicity, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status or any other status protected by law.