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Portland State University, College of Urban and Public Affairs · 3 months ago

Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

Portland, OR

Full-time

Onsite

Director/Executive

Portland State University (PSU), Oregon’s urban public research university, invites nominations and applications for the position of Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. The Provost will play a defining role in implementing PSU’s strategic plan and transforming the University into a national model for inclusive student success, academic innovation, and regional impact, overseeing the entire student experience and advancing academic excellence.

Higher Education

Responsibilities

Serve as the principal advisor to the President on academic and student affairs and as a collaborative partner in the implementation of the University’s Future in Focus strategic plan

Work within a shared leadership model that emphasizes collaboration with the President’s Executive Council, Board of Trustees, Academic Leadership Team (including the Deans) and senior leadership colleagues

Champion the integration of academics and student support to create clear, equitable pathways aligned with workforce needs, lifelong learning, and post-graduation success

In collaboration with the Deans, provide academic leadership across all colleges, schools, and departments, ensuring excellence in teaching, learning, research, and community engagement, and steer the academic enterprise through the opportunities and challenges of a rapidly changing higher education landscape

Lead strategic academic planning, program review, and realignment efforts to ensure PSU’s offerings remain responsive and sustainable. This includes the ability to translate multi-year institutional strategies into decisive action

Oversee all aspects of the undergraduate student experience, including admissions, enrollment management, financial aid, student affairs, academic advising, and student success programs. This includes direct oversight of student services and a strategic vision for integrating academic and student affairs

Foster a cohesive and proactive support ecosystem that ensures students receive timely, personalized guidance from entry to graduation. Promote clear academic pathways, proactive advising, and targeted interventions to support persistence, degree attainment, and career readiness

Advance PSU’s commitment to equity and inclusive excellence by aligning student-facing services to meet the needs of a diverse, transfer-heavy, and often first-generation student population

Promote high-impact practices such as undergraduate research, internships, service learning, community-based learning, and digital and technology-enhanced learning opportunities

Work in close collaboration with the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies to expand PSU’s research portfolio and strengthen its research infrastructure

Support interdisciplinary collaboration, applied scholarship, and research addressing local, regional, and global challenges

Co-lead efforts to enhance and grow graduate programs, ensuring alignment with labor market needs and academic excellence

Advance graduate student recruitment, retention, and success, especially among diverse and historically underserved student populations

Support a dynamic, inclusive, and intellectually rigorous academic community by recruiting and retaining exceptional faculty

Provide leadership for faculty hiring, development, tenure, and promotion processes that reflect excellence, fairness, and transparency

Engage constructively with Faculty Senate and shared governance bodies, upholding academic freedom and faculty voice in institutional decisions

Promote innovation in curriculum and pedagogy, including hybrid learning, interdisciplinary teaching, and digital delivery. The Provost should also demonstrate comfort with technological innovation, including AI, and strategically leverage academic technology to advance student learning

Provide university leadership in bargaining with faculty and academic staff unions

Advance PSU’s role as a steward of place, building partnerships that support Portland’s economic, cultural, and civic vitality

Strengthen ties with employers, government agencies, K–12 districts, community colleges, non-profit organizations, and alumni to create seamless educational pipelines and work-based learning opportunities

Represent PSU’s academic mission to external stakeholders, including accreditors, legislators, foundations, donors, alumni, and community leaders

Partner with the University President and the President of the PSU Foundation to align academic priorities with fundraising goals and foster a culture of philanthropy that supports students, faculty, and programs

Serve as a senior leader in PSU’s budgeting process, aligning academic and student support investments with institutional goals. This requires close partnership with the Vice President for Finance and Administration and the ability to analyze financial data for strategic decision-making

Promote data-informed decision-making and continuous improvement across all academic and student affairs functions

Support administrative innovation and streamline academic operations to ensure financial sustainability and organizational effectiveness

Qualification

Academic leadershipEquityInclusionFinancial acumenCollaborative leadershipInstitutional assessmentStudent success frameworksInterdisciplinary teachingPeople managementStrategic planningCommunity engagementCultural competency

Required

Terminal degree from an accredited institution and academic qualifications for appointment at the rank of full professor

A distinguished record of academic and administrative leadership, including responsibility for academic affairs, student success, and resource management

Demonstrated commitment to equity, inclusion, and access, with tangible outcomes in support of diverse learners and communities

Proven success in collaborative leadership, institutional planning, and academic innovation within a complex higher education environment

Demonstrated financial acumen and ability to develop strategic, sustainable, mission-aligned responses to funding challenges

Experience leading in alignment with shared governance values and working with faculty, staff, and students to build consensus and drive progress

Strong people management skills, including the ability to guide, affirm, and hold accountable a large number of direct reports

Expertise and experience with institutional assessment and regional and/or disciplinary accreditation processes

Senior-level leadership experience at a research university

Preferred

Demonstrated academic leadership experience at a public, urban, research university serving a diverse, non-traditional, and transfer-inclusive student population

A sustained record of fostering interdisciplinary teaching and research, innovative curriculum design, and leading academic transformation in response to institutional mission and societal needs

Deep understanding of and demonstrated success with institution-wide student success frameworks, including proactive advising, guided academic pathways, momentum-building strategies, early alerts, and interventions that close equity gaps in retention, progression, and graduation

A commitment to and experience in cultivating a culture of academic rigor and belonging, ensuring that student achievement is supported by intentional and equitable structures across academic and student affairs

Experience advancing high-impact learning practices, such as undergraduate research, internships, service learning, and experiential education, with attention to broad access and impact across student demographics

Knowledge of graduate education, research development, and strategies to support both emerging and established research faculty and graduate student success

Demonstrated ability to represent the academic mission to a range of external stakeholders, including employers, state and federal agencies, accreditors, philanthropic organizations, and community partners

Experience serving in a unionized academic environment