Provost/Vice President for Academic and Student Life

Central Washington University

Provost/Vice President for Academic and Student Life

Central Washington University (CWU) announces an extraordinary opportunity to lead academic and student life at an innovative, financially stable university that provides the supportive and hands-on education students from all walks of life need to be successful. Located in the beautiful foothills of the Cascade Mountains, CWU is pivotal to serving the needs of the Pacific Northwest.  CWU invites expressions of interest, nominations and applications for the position of Provost / Vice President for Academic and Student Life (Provost).

The Provost is the leader of both Academic Affairs and Student Life divisions, with opportunities to promote both student achievement and wellness among a diverse student body. With CWU’s continued growth and diversification, the new Provost will have many opportunities for innovation and collaboration with its engaged campus community in leading the University’s efforts to continue promoting inclusion, transparency, and partnership across divisions.

CWU is one of three state-supported comprehensive universities in Washington State. Like other regional universities, CWU began as a normal school, became a College of Education in 1937, a state college in 1961, and a comprehensive university in 1977. Offering more than 135 bachelor's and master's degrees, the University enrolls approximately 12,000 students and employs about 1,800 faculty and staff. Average class size is 25, with a faculty-student ratio of 20:1. With its robust focus on inclusivity and diversity, more than a third of students are people of color. CWU enrolls and graduates the largest percentage of Hispanic/Latino/a students of any public baccalaureate institution in the state.  CWU is one of only eight institutions nationally to earn a CASE Educational Fundraising Award for exemplary development programs in 2019. For more information about CWU, please visit http://www.cwu.edu/.

The Division of Academic and Student Life

This Division is responsible for providing students educationally-purposeful programs, events, services and activities that promote academic, personal, and professional growth within and beyond the classroom. As the leader of the Division, the Provost will have the opportunity to further integrate the twin pillars of Academic Affairs and Student Life. The Provost will promote attentiveness to student recruitment and retention amongst both faculty and staff. The Provost will be able to enhance student success by continually improving curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular programs at CWU.

Position Summary

The Provost provides leadership for the Division of Academic and Student Life, fostering an engaging, inclusive, challenging, and inspirational environment for students, faculty and staff, both inside and outside the classroom. The Provost takes a leadership role in offering rigorous, high quality experiences to undergraduate and graduate students on the residential campus in Ellensburg, and at the eight learning centers in Washington, and through nationally-recognized online degree offerings. The Provost also aids the faculty in enhancing an environment that focuses on research and creative expression in the classroom and in their professional lives. 

The Provost is a responsive thinker and leader who helps guide the process of establishing priorities, building consensus and commitment, and making decisions that enhance the mission and future prospects of CWU. The Provost understands the challenges and changes affecting higher education in the United States, particularly at public comprehensive universities. The Provost is responsible for oversight of the Academic and Student Life Division with a total budget of nearly $125 million, which includes a direct operating budget of approximately $2.5 million.

Required Qualifications

The successful candidate will have a record of teaching and scholarly/creative accomplishments suitable for a tenured appointment at the rank of full professor in an academic department of the university. Candidates must also exhibit substantial administrative leadership at a regional comprehensive university or comparable setting. The most qualified candidates will also have:

• A doctorate or terminal degree from a recognized regionally accredited institution;
• Five years of senior-level administrative experience in higher education;
• Demonstrated commitment to inclusivity and diversity in hiring staff, faculty, and student populations, and program development;
• Experience leading, directing, or overseeing university or programmatic accreditations;
• Experience with academic budgeting and planning processes with a demonstrated understanding of the financial and operational drivers of performance at a comprehensive university.

Preferred Qualifications

In addition to the aforementioned list of qualifications, the most competitive candidates for the position will also possess:

• Demonstrated success in working with faculty on academic and university issues under the principles of shared governance;
• A record of managing growth, enhancing enrollment management, and increasing student retention;
• Demonstrated experience in activity-based budgeting (ABB) and/or responsibility-centered management (RCM);
• Demonstrated ability to anticipate and/or respond to the changing regulatory, demographic and political landscape of higher education;
• Superb communication skills;
• Demonstrated awareness of the needs and issues of part-time, non-tenure-track, tenured-track, and other classifications of faculty;
• Demonstrated success in data driven and well-informed decision making;
• Demonstrated success in working with international students, faculty and staff;
• A record of enhancing the quality and educational effectiveness of graduate programs;
• Experience in working in a multi-campus environment and/or experience leading and overseeing off-campus learning centers and/or satellite campuses and online learning programs;
• Experience working in a unionized academic environment and with collective bargaining.

Application Process

The Search Committee will begin reviewing applications immediately and continue to accept applications and nominations until the position is filled. Applicants must submit: a current resume or curriculum vitae and a cover letter describing relevant experience and interest in the position. Nomination letters should include the name, position, address and telephone number of the nominee. All applications and nominations will be handled in confidence. Applications and letters of nomination should be submitted by email to:

Alberto Pimentel, Managing Partner

Email:  apsearch@storbeckpimentel.com

Refer to code “CWU-Provost” in the subject line

Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates

6512 Painter Avenue

Whittier, CA  90601

562-360-1353 (FAX)

CWU is an EEO/AA/Title IX/Veteran/Disability Employer