Provost

Slippery Rock University, a four-year, comprehensive university and leading member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, seeks a dynamic and visionary academic leader to serve as its next Provost. 

The Position: Reporting to the University President, the Provost serves as the chief academic officer of the University and is responsible for the formulation and implementation of academic plans, policies, priorities, and information technology. The Provost is also responsible for the allocation of resources to ensure that the curriculum remains vibrant and sustains the academic standards of the University’s accrediting and licensing agencies which appropriately reflects the mission of the Campus. The Provost will serve as the chief administrator in the President’s absence and may be called upon by the President to represent the university administration at key functions. Partnering with the President’s Cabinet, the Provost serves to continue to build upon the strengths of the institution’s academic programs, promote the quality of the student learning experience, and meet the challenges the University faces in the 21st century. The next Provost will have a passion for teaching excellence, transformative learning, and innovation and will collaboratively lead the deans, associate provosts, faculty, and all academic support personnel to achieve the highest standards in teaching, scholarship, services, creative activities, and student success. The Provost apprises the President and works with the staff at the System level to achieve the goals of Slippery Rock University and the System.

Qualifications: The successful candidate will demonstrate: the ability to foster academic standards of excellence; strong communication and interpersonal skills; a commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion; effectiveness in dealing with current challenges confronting higher education institutions in the 21st century; and success in academic administration leadership, including the development and implementation of academic programs, policy, and assessment. The next Provost will be a strategic thinker engaged with the campus community and support a campus culture grounded on genuine collaboration and team-oriented leadership. Highly preferred experiences include a successful history of linking strategic planning and budgeting, resource allocation, and assessment planning; fundraising; program accreditation; experience in developing international partnerships; technology integration into the educational experience and online learning; working with traditional and non-traditional students; enrollment management; and community engagement and experience with shared governance in a collective bargaining environment. The Provost must possess a progressive record of increasing academic leadership and a distinguished record of teaching, scholarly achievement, and professional accomplishments sufficient to qualify for appointment at the rank of professor in an academic department. Chosen candidates will successfully perform in an on-campus interview that includes a public presentation. An earned doctorate is required.

The Institution: Slippery Rock University opened in 1889 as Slippery Rock State Normal School with the original purpose of training teachers. Since that time, the institution has dramatically expanded and now serves as one of the 14 institutions in Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education and has 70,000 current alumni. Today, SRU serves to transform the intellectual, social, physical, and leadership capacities of students in order to prepare them for life and career success. Nearly 8,500 Slippery Rock students have an opportunity to pursue more than 150 undergraduate programs and 40 graduate programs in four colleges: the College of Business, the College of Education, the College of Liberal Arts, and the College of Health, Engineering and Science. The University employs 950 faculty and staff, and 92% of SRU professors hold a Ph.D. or terminal degree and enjoy a 24:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Slippery Rock University holds full institutional accreditation with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and 19 other accrediting bodies for its programs. 

SRU consistently places in the top two on the System’s financial dashboard, which assesses a variety of metrics across the areas of market demand, operating efficiency, and financial performance. The University has received high ratings for stewardship of its physical assets. To learn more about the University, please visit https://www.sru.edu/.

Location: Slippery Rock University’s campus comprises more than 660 rolling acres in one of western Pennsylvania’s most beautiful areas. Slippery Rock offers historic charm in a small town setting. The borough is home to approximately 3,500 residents. The University offers an abundance of cultural enrichment opportunities throughout the school year, and the region provides numerous year-round outdoor activities. Slippery Rock is also a convenient drive to major metropolitan centers such as Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Erie.

Application: Interested candidates should submit only a cover letter and resume to RPA Inc. at SRUProvost@rpainc.org. For a confidential discussion about this opportunity or to make a nomination, please call Amanda O’Donnell, Vice President and Senior Consultant, or Dana John Cohick, President, at 570-321-6111. The review of candidates will begin on September 12, 2019, and first-round interviews will commence thereafter. 

Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, religion, age, disability, age/or veteran status in its programs or activities in accordance with Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other applicable statutes and University policies.