Provost VP Academic Affairs

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$460000 annually

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Opportunity and Summary of the Position

Santa Clara University seeks a new provost and vice president for academic affairs to serve as its chief academic officer. The provost will drive academic innovation lead with strategic and inclusive vigor and create a compelling vision for all aspects of academic life at the University. This will include ensuring highquality academic programs enhancing teaching and research and making certain all educational programs reflect a social consciousness grounded in the Jesuit and Catholic tradition of educating the whole person mind body and soul and preparing students to create a more just humane and sustainable world.

President Kevin OBrien S.J. was appointed in July 2019 and this will be the first senior appointment to his leadership team. The new provost will join Santa Clara at a pivotal and transformational time in the Universitys history. Santa Clara is at the final stage of Santa Clara 2020 its integrated strategic plan and will soon begin work on a new plan. It is in the midst of a $1 billion comprehensive fundraising campaign Innovating with a Mission: The Campaign for Santa Clara University that is propelling the University into the ranks as one of the leading Catholic universities in the United States. The campus is undertaking a period of tremendous capital expansion including a new athletics center residence hall and the Sobrato Campus for Discovery and Innovation the new home for the sciences engineering and mathematics. This is an exciting inflection point for Santa Clara with many accomplishments behind it and just as many opportunities that lie ahead.

The new provost will play an essential role in shaping and defining the future of Santa Clara. Harnessing the insights and energy of administration faculty staff and students and working in close partnership with the president and the trustees the provost will be expected to craft a dynamic vision for Santa Clara Universitys academic program one that redefines valuesbased education focused on ethics and social justice by leveraging Santa Claras Jesuit and Catholic identity amidst Silicon Valleys culture of innovation and entrepreneurism. This vision will be a core component of a new strategic plan; the provost will play a vital role in its creation. As a key member of the presidents cabinet the provost will work collaboratively with partners across campus to address a number of key issues of importance to the longterm health of the University and the wellbeing of its faculty staff and students. The provost will achieve these objectives while creating a culture and environment of mutual trust and respect openness transparency communication and collaboration and will demonstrate an abiding commitment to diversity equity and inclusion.

The provost will be a servant leader who will engage empower and support the academic leadership team to achieve the Universitys ambitions. Reporting directly to the president the provost will lead a group of accomplished academic leaders and senior administrators including the deans of the College of Arts and Sciences the Leavey School of Business the School of Engineering the School of Law the School of Education and Counseling Psychology and the Jesuit School of Theology whose campus is located in Berkeley. Other University leaders reporting to the provost include the vice provost for academic affairs the vice provost for planning and institutional effectiveness the assistant provost for finance and administration the assistant provost for strategic initiatives and the executive directors of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics and the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship.

The new provost must be a seasoned academic administrator with leadership experience at the level of provost dean vice provost or equivalent; have earned a doctorate or terminal professional degree; and have a record of scholarly achievement that would merit appointment as full professor. a clear sense of the diverse challenges of a university with undergraduate graduate and professional schools and the skills required to promote individual and mutual strength among schools. Extraordinary leadership communications and strategic planning skills are essential for success as is financial acumen and the ability to work collaboratively throughout the institution to foster a culture of mutual trust and respect openness and transparency. The ideal candidate will bring demonstrated leadership in improving diversity equity and inclusion.

The Role of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

The provost is Santa Claras chief academic officer with executive responsibility for overseeing all undergraduate and graduate educational programs and academic support functions. The provost works to enhance the intellectual vibrancy of the faculty student body staff and curriculum by providing leadership in matters related to academic affairs faculty affairs student life and information services.

The provost works in partnership with the president to imbue the life of the University with Jesuit and Catholic principles including cura personalis (respect and care for each individuals mind body and spirit) magis (striving always for more or better) finding God in all human experience supporting students exploration of questions of faith and meaning both inside and outside the classroom and encouraging dialog between faith and culture science and religion and among different religions and beliefs.

The provost reporting directly to the Universitys president has had primary responsibility for guiding the implementation of Santa Clara 2020 a bold blueprint for advancing Santa Clara that integrates the Universitys enrollment facilities and strategic aspirations. Honoring the Universitys historical mission while building upon its current strengths and emerging opportunities Santa Clara 2020 has six main goals:

Imparting a transformational Jesuit and Catholic education
Fashioning a more humane just and sustainable world
Fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in service to humanity
Advancing contemporary theological studies education and ministry
Increasing diversity access and affordability
Enhancing Santa Clara Universitys reputation and national visibility

With the completion of Santa Clara 2020 on the horizon the new provost will play an active role in formulating the next institutional strategic plan.

The provost sits on the presidents cabinet along with the vice provost for student life vice president for finance vice president for university relations vice president for enrollment management vice president for information technology chief operating officer and senior legal counsel athletics director and chief of staff. The cabinet serves as an advisory board to the president on matters of strategic importance.

In collaboration with a dedicated team of deans vice provosts and directors the provost also oversees dozens of offices and programs including faculty development research initiatives core curriculum and assessment of student learning. In addition the provost currently oversees the following:

Global Engagement Office
Drahmann Academic Advising Center
Career Center
Honors Program
Diversity and Inclusion
Registrars Office
de Saisset Museum
University Library
Residential Learning Communities
Cowell Health Center
Summer Sessions
Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship
Institutional Research
Information Technology
Student Life
Campus Recreation
LEAD Scholars
Markkula Center for Applied Ethics
Writing Center

Santa Clara Universitys six deans College of Arts and Sciences Leavey School of Business Jesuit School of Theology School of Education and Counseling Psychology School of Engineering and School of Law all report directly to the provost. Recent transitional arrangements impact two reporting relationships. The vice provost for student life currently reports to the chief operating officer with a dotted line reporting relationship to the provost. The provost must work with the vice provost for student life to ensure that curricular and cocurricular programs are aligned resulting in a student experience where education inside and outside of the classroom is fully integrated. The vice provost for information technology to whom the University librarian reports currently reports to the Universitys chief operating officer. The president will consult with the new provost regarding the longerterm reporting relationships for these roles.

Opportunities and Expectations for Leadership

In collaboration with the president vice presidents deans department chairs and faculty the provost will advance Santa Claras academic distinction leading the academic community in its efforts to innovate realize the Universitys ambitions and build upon the character of Jesuit and Catholic higher education. Specifically the new provost will be expected to address the following critical leadership issues among others:

Develop and support a compelling academic vision for Santa Clara University that is grounded in its Jesuit and Catholic mission and values.

The new provost will arrive at an important inflection point for the University. A new president will be one year into his tenure and the campus will be concluding a period of major capital expansion. This is an opportunity for focus on academic vision and programs. The president will look to the provost to be a strong visible and engaged leader and will put his full support behind the provost to lead the academic enterprise. The academic units and programs benefit from their respective visions and directions. Building on this foundation there is an opportunity for the new provost in collaboration with academic leadership and faculty to develop a stronger cohesive institutional academic vision. The academic vision will play a significant role in guiding the creation of a new strategic plan for Santa Clara.

The campus community has a strong desire to reaffirm its valuesbased education in alignment with its Jesuit and Catholic identity amidst Silicons Valley culture of innovation and entrepreneurship especially as technological advances beg for a more humanistic perspective. The campus is also at an inflection point because of its new Carnegie classification among Doctoral/Professional universities. This creates the opportunity to examine what the new classification means for Santa Clara and raises the question of the potential of increased expectation and support for faculty scholarship.

Many believe that it is time for a review of Santa Clara Universitys core curriculum that has been in place since 2009 ensuring that it incorporates creative and innovative approaches to education while continuing to prioritize the student experience that integrates education inside and outside of the classroom. The provost will need to lead on innovation in pedagogy to meet the needs and learning styles of this generation of students. This includes an openness to online education and blended learning. Likewise interdisciplinary opportunities abound and there is an eagerness to more fully realize that potential on campus the Universitys STEM initiative is a prime example. Santa Clara is home to three centers of distinction: the
Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship and the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics which report to the provost and the Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education which reports to the president. These distinguished programs support and enhance Santa Claras academic vision and extend its mission. The centers provide a compelling opportunity to further advance Santa Claras social justice mission and forge stronger connections to the Silicon Valley community. Expanding these relationships will be a major priority for the University. In that vein the president expects the provost to partner closely with him and others to shape the Universitys vision and goals for a more robust relationship with Silicon Valley lead in creating entrepreneurial opportunities grounded in the Jesuit charism and play a visible and active role engaging with leaders in the Valley. The provost will also partner with the president trustees and others to participate actively in and support the Universitys fundraising efforts by building relationships and working closely with Santa Claras donor community.

A number of important planning exercises are underway that will help shape the academic vision and strategic plan. Santa Clara is going through the accreditation process which it anticipates will be complete by the time the new provost arrives. The new provost will lead the implementation of any recommendations that come through the accreditation review. In addition Santa Clara will join all 27 of the Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States in embarking on an important selfstudy the Mission Priority Examen to reflect on who it is and who it wants to become as a Jesuit and Catholic university. The campus climate study described in the section below is yet another of Santa Claras selfstudies reflecting an institution that is trying to understand itself better as it considers and sets the course for its future.

Work with faculty administration and trustees to address critical issues facing Santa Clara University

The new provost will need to effect inclusive and decisive leadership in working with faculty administration and trustees to make significant and timely progress on a number of issues facing Santa Clara. Among them:

The Universitys business model: Major shifts in the educational landscape driven by technology combined with changes in the kinds of preparation that employers expect from college graduates are presenting substantial challenges to higher education. They are requiring higher education to adjust its traditional models. As such Santa Clara must think critically about a number of complex issues regarding the academic programs that impact the Universitys financial model. While these issues are not the exclusive purview of the provost the new provost must be an active participant in shaping the conversation and resolving issues on various topics. These include among others: the role of online education the decline of humanities programs and curriculum nationally the development of new degree and certificate programs relevant for Silicon Valley companies incentivizing and supporting innovation engaging with Silicon Valley investment in cocurricular programs to further strengthen an integrated education enrollment growth the short and longterm impact of demographic shifts nationally and within California the composition of the student body including the international student population a significant portion of Santa Claras graduate student population and the percentage of students who receive Pell grants and needbased financial aid. The provost must explore new ways to diversify the Universitys revenue streams and participate actively in fundraising for new initiatives that will support its evolving academic model. Decisions made on all of these issues will impact the curriculum and academic culture and must be considered thoughtfully.

Compensation and housing: The full range of compensation issues is also an area of concern that will impact the Universitys financial model. The noncontinuing faculty (academic year adjunct lecturers and quarterly/semester adjunct lecturers) are considering unionization and the provosts office team is working collaboratively with them to address their important concerns. The University regularly evaluates offerings to faculty and staff to ensure competitive compensation and benefits as well as rewarding professional opportunities. This year Santa Clara implemented a number of important enhancements including equity adjustments in salaries funding for promotions and the first phase of adjustments to staff compensation to make salaries more competitive. Santa Clara is located in one of the most appealing but most expensive regions in the world. This results in a high cost of living particularly for housing for faculty and staff. In recent years the University has made considerable progress in developing more affordable housing opportunities. This effort has included expanding transitional rental housing options rolling out an enhanced rental assistance program and introducing a sharedequity downpayment program. There is more work to do in this important area and it will remain a high priority for the Universitys next provost. Santa Clara deeply values faculty and staff and their essential contributions to the campus community. The next provost will play an essential role in ensuring that all of the Universitys talented faculty and staff continue to receive the recognition respect and appreciation they deserve.

Diversity and inclusion: Santa Clara seeks out faculty staff and students with a wide range of backgrounds beliefs and viewpoints so that the institution may continue to learn and grow. Santa Clara is continually striving to improve the Universitys culture of diversity and inclusion which is central to the Jesuit and Catholic mission. That ongoing effort includes working to ensure the campus community is welcoming to those of all races religions socioeconomic backgrounds gender identities and sexual orientations. The University appreciates that it can and must do better. To that end in 2016 former President Michael E. Engh S.J. convened a Blue Ribbon Commission on Diversity and Inclusion charged with creating an aspirational vision and recommending strategies for transformational change. One outcome of this work was the administration of a recently completed Campus Climate Survey. Currently and following the recent completion of the Campus Climate Survey there are ten priority areas under three primary goals: cultivate and enhance a culture of respect and belonging grounded in Santa Claras mission and values; promote and advance diversity and inclusion initiatives; and review and improve policies and processes to address concerns in the campus climate survey. The provost will be expected to bring both a personal and professional commitment to ensure steady and real progress working with partners across campus.

STEM strategy: The successful implementation of the Universitys STEM strategy is most visibly represented by the construction of the new Sobrato Campus for Discovery and Innovation slated to open in fall 2021. Built to support collaboration across traditional disciplinary divides the Sobrato Campus will be an inviting home to engineering sciences and mathematics and will foster convergence and collaboration among these STEM disciplines and beyond. The provost will help guide and support the development of new foundation STEM curricula integrative projectbased courses capstones senior design projects undergraduate research opportunities and other highimpact forms of experiential learning with the support of interdisciplinary faculty communities. The new facility the costliest in Santa Claras history along with the Universitys recent Carnegie reclassification as a Doctoral/Professional university puts Santa Clara at a pivotal moment. The new provost will help define the vision for the future of teaching and research within the STEM departments and bring innovation as Santa Clara continues to elevate its status in cuttingedge science innovation and education. The bringing together of departments and programs from different colleges and schools a process that has been controversial difficult and complex requires the development of new financial and resource models to leverage the colocation of these units. The provost will be expected to support the deans of engineering and arts and sciences to manage the transition thoughtfully and skillfully toward a new shared service model establish new policies and procedures create strategies that facilitate crossdisciplinary collaboration and work creatively with faculty to imagine and execute a new STEM vision for the future.

Create a campus culture grounded in mutual trust and respect transparency communication and collaboration

There is a tremendous opportunity for Santa Clara through leadership of its president provost and others to reinvigorate the campus culture creating one that is grounded in mutual trust and respect and to strengthen relationships among faculty staff and administration. This requires a willingness to engage with stakeholders in a truly consultative way listen thoughtfully with a deep desire to understand various viewpoints make careful and thoughtful decisions in a timely manner clearly communicate those decisions and the rationale for them and put those decisions into action to establish and maintain a strong sense of progress and forward momentum. The provost must be willing to engage the campus in difficult conversations and lead the individuals involved and the community toward resolution through openness transparency and mutual respect. Underlying these efforts must be a steadfast commitment to collaboration and to creating an inclusive environment where a wide range of viewpoints and perspectives is sought out engaged with listened to considered respected and valued.

Build develop and empower academic leadership

While the provost will provide visible inclusive and engaged leadership in addressing the Universitys opportunities and challenges they must rely strongly on their academic leadership team to contribute to support and execute the agreedupon approaches. Selection and development of deans is key to success. Santa Clara University is currently searching for new deans of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Jesuit School of Theology. The newly selected provost will have an opportunity to provide input into the decisions on these new hires before offers are extended in spring 2020. In addition the new dean of the School of Engineering will be just one year into her tenure when the new provost arrives. There will be a significant opportunity for the provost to build develop and empower the academic leadership team and promote strong teamwork collaboration inclusion and communication to further strengthen their individual and collective impact on the University.
The Universitys shared governance system provides a structure that when engaged effectively supports these goals. The University policy committees under the auspices of the University Coordinating Committee are the final collaborative bodies with the authority to formulate and recommend new policy and major strategic changes and to review significant changes in existing policy. Policy Committees include Academic Affairs Faculty Affairs Staff Affairs Student Affairs Planning Action Council and University Budget Council. It is crucial that the provost work with and through the shared governance system in order to promote trust respect and transparency.

Professional Qualifications and Personal Qualities
The following qualifications and qualities are essential:

Academic credentials: Doctorate degree or equivalent; a record of professional accomplishment sufficient to be appointed as a tenured full professor and to provide a foundation for academic leadership of the University.

Leadership and vision: Successful record of academic leadership at the level of dean associate provost provost or a similar position working in close partnership with the other senior institutional leaders; leads with integrity and serves as a strong visible and engaged leader to inspire the community and build consensus around an innovative vision for the academic program; successful track record of recruiting developing supporting and retaining strong leaders and of developing them into successful leadership teams; demonstrated experience of building bridges across the institution and creating a culture of mutual trust and respect; a willingness to take risks and think creatively when solving problems.

Communication style: Strong commitment to transparency accountability and
responsiveness; ability to listen carefully and to invite and consider the concerns of all members of the University community; communication skills and approach that can lead to inclusive collaborative transparent problem solving and the ability to make community decisions in a clear timely and compelling way; gravitas to represent and act as a spokesperson on behalf of Santa Clara University.

Diversity and inclusion: Unwavering commitment to diversity and inclusion among faculty staff and students and ensuring the campus community is welcoming to those of all races religions socioeconomic backgrounds gender identities and sexual orientations.

Strategic planning expertise: Demonstrated ability to develop and implement academic and Universitywide strategic plans; the academic and institutional vision to address the challenges and opportunities in Santa Claras new Carnegie classification; the ability to engage deep stakeholder consultation and to work effectively with faculty staff administration and trustees.

Financial sophistication: Knowledge of and experience in academic financial management; ability to ensure transparency around the generation and allocation of resources as well as an appreciation for new and emerging budget models.

Commitment to Jesuit and Catholic mission: Familiarity with and an intuitive grasp of the Universitys Jesuit and Catholic character; engagement with the Catholic intellectual tradition which explores novel questions across disciplines boldly engages new realities wrestles with questions of faith and meaning in our time connects education with the promotion of justice and care for the marginalized and encourages dialogue between faith and reason and which welcomes members of the community from all faith traditions and humanistic commitments.

External presence: Demonstrated capability to serve as the public voice of the academic mission of the University internally and externally; innovative and entrepreneurial spirit to further advance Santa Claras relationship with Silicon Valley; natural relationship builder with the experience or willingness to work with the donor community.

Disciplinary breadth: Demonstrated ability to understand the broad range of academic areas represented at Santa Clara at undergraduate graduate and professional levels and to encourage crossdisciplinary collaborations especially within STEM.