Provost and Executive Vice President

Central Michigan University (“CMU”) invites nominations and applications for the position of Provost and Executive Vice President (“Provost”). The successful candidate will succeed Dr. Michael Gealt, who will be stepping down with the designation of Provost Emeritus at the end of June, 2019 after serving the university with distinction since his appointment in 2013. This new leader will be the number two officer of the university and a close partner of President Robert O. Davies, who began his tenure in September, 2018.

Central Michigan University is a nationally ranked research university that fosters the transformative power of advanced learning while embracing a sense of community among its students, faculty, staff and more than 225,000 alumni around the world. From its roots as a teachers' college, CMU has grown to offer nationally acclaimed programs in the arts and sciences, health professions, engineering, business, communications, and technology.

CMU’s student and faculty researchers are citizens and leaders who help preserve the earth's resources, discover new ways to treat diseases, advance innovative ways to improve teaching and learning methods, and much more. Its alumni are doctors, physical therapists and physician assistants. They are CEOs, lawyers and policymakers. They are top broadcasters and journalists, fashion designers and teachers.

Established in 1892, CMU serves more than 23,000 students on its Mount Pleasant campus, online and at more than40 locations across North America. Among just five percent of U.S. universities in the highest two Carnegie research classifications, CMU offers more than 200 academic programs at the undergraduate, master's, specialist and doctoral levels. In addition, CMU has established the nation's 137th College of Medicine to address a growing shortage of primary care physicians in Michigan. The inaugural class of students graduated in May 2017.

The university is seeking an innovative academic leader with the experiences and management qualities to build on the institution’s reputation and take it to even higher levels of academic excellence and student success. The exceptionally qualified and committed faculty and staff are proud of the institution’s accomplishments, providing students with outstanding academic and life experiences.

The new Provost will express a passion for the mission of public education, and he/she will understand and embrace the important social, cultural and economic roles public education plays in the region and state. Equally important is the need for the Provost to apply strong management skills in directing the office of academic affairs, implementing the next phase of CMU’s overall strategic plan, ensuring the long-term viability of the medical school, advancing the university’s research prominence and productivity, and championing CMU’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.

CMU’s next Provost will have the opportunity to contribute to this special and vibrant university’s future successes and will be presented with the opportunity to achieve the following professional and personal accomplishments:

  • Serve as a passionate advocate of the academic mission to enhance the university’s resources, reputation, and quality;
  • Personally oversee the implementation of the academic affairs elements of a thoughtful and comprehensive strategic plan that will further build the university’s mission, relevance and resources;
  • Partner with a new president, a cohesive and collaborate senior leadership team and a dedicated and energetic corps of faculty and staff;
  • Be an active and influential academic leader within central Michigan and across the state, and meaningfully impact the quality of life of the region and the State of Michigan.

Inquiries, nominations and applications are invited. Review of candidate materials will begin immediately with the goal of having the new Provost appointed by June, 2019.  For fullest consideration, applicant materials should be received by March 27, 2019. Review of candidates will begin in early April. Confidential first round interviews are scheduled for April 8-9 and the university will host finalist candidates to campus visits during the period of April 11-24.

A full leadership profile can be accessed online at: www.wittkieffer.com. Applicants should provide, as three separate documents, a curriculum vitae, a letter of application that addresses the responsibilities and requirements described in the profile, and the names and contact information of five references. References will not be contacted without prior knowledge and approval of candidates. These materials should be sent electronically via e-mail to the Central Michigan University consultants John Thornburgh and Elizabeth Bohan at CMUProvost@wittkieffer.com. Questions and nominations may also be directed to the consultants through that same email address.

CMU, an AA/EO institution, strongly and actively strives to increase diversity and provide equal opportunity within its community. CMU does not discriminate against persons based on age, color, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, height, marital status, national origin, political persuasion, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, race, religion, sex, sex-based stereotypes, sexual orientation, transgender status, veteran status, or weight (see http://www.cmich.edu/ocrie).