Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a preeminent public research university and the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system, seeks a Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost who will embrace the opportunities and challenges associated with maintaining and expanding excellence at a premier land-grant institution in the 21st Century. 

The Provost, who oversees all of Illinois’ academic programs, policies and priorities, as well as the campus budget, will be an innovative academic leader who is deeply committed to the mission of ensuring a top-quality educational experience, and sustaining and encouraging a highly supportive environment for scholarly discovery and distinction.  The Provost will also be a key partner with the Chancellor in all major campus initiatives and priorities. 

The Provost is the chief academic officer for the campus and is responsible for developing and assessing academic programs, managing a budget of over $2 billion, and supervising academic personnel policies and academic administration. Deans and directors of academic units report to the Provost.  The Provost in turn reports to the Chancellor and serves as the campus’s chief executive when the Chancellor is absent.

Founded in 1867 as one of the nation’s original public land-grant institutions of higher education, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign offers transformative undergraduate and graduate education, conducts ground-breaking research, engages in significant extension and public outreach activities, provides unique continuing education and online learning opportunities, and promotes a diverse learning environment that welcomes, cultivates, and respects the contributions of all.

The campus community includes approximately 32,000 undergraduate students; 12,000 graduate and professional students; 3,000 tenure-system, specialized, clinical and visiting faculty members; 3,900 academic professionals; and 4,300 staff members. The campus is home to 16 colleges and schools that address a variety of disciplines and arenas, including: Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences; Applied Health Sciences; Business; Education; Engineering; Fine and Applied Arts; Graduate College; Information Sciences; Labor and Employment Relations; Law; Liberal Arts and Sciences; Media; Carle Illinois College of Medicine; Social Work; the University Library; and Veterinary Medicine. With over 450,000 alumni from around the world, Illinois fully embraces its global presence while remaining committed to its land-grant heritage.

The successful candidate will have a distinguished record of research, teaching, and scholarly accomplishments; a strong commitment to diversity and inclusive excellence and the academic and inclusive social values appropriate to the University’s missions of teaching, research, scholarship, and public engagement; and the ability to articulate these values in a variety of settings.

Also essential will be a demonstrated capacity for sound judgment and leadership effectiveness in academic and fiscal matters and other functions related to higher education; the determina­tion and ability to foster and sustain an environment of intellectual excellence and openness that attracts and retains faculty and staff of the highest caliber and encourages superior teaching, scholarship, and creativity; demonstrated success in managing a large and complex operation; and the passion and dedication needed to help lead and advance Illinois in its continued pursuit of academic excellence.

For additional information about the Office of the Provost, please visit: https://provost.illinois.edu/. 

Inquiries, nominations, and applications are invited. Review of applications will continue until the position is filled. For fullest consideration, applications should be received by August 1, 2017. Candidates should provide a CV/resume and a letter of application that addresses the responsibilities and requirements described in the leadership profile available below. These materials should be sent electronically via e-mail to Witt Kieffer consultants John K. Thornburgh and Elizabeth K. Bohan at email address IllinoisProvost@wittkieffer.com. The consultants can be reached by telephone care of Donna Janulis at 630-575-6131.

The University of Illinois conducts criminal background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer.

Illinois is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, or status as a qualified individual with a disability, or criminal conviction history. Illinois welcomes individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and ideas who embrace and value diversity and inclusivity. (www.inclusiveillinois.illinois.edu).