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Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Employer
San Francisco State University
Location
California, United States
Salary
Not Specified
Date posted
Aug 8, 2017

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Position Type
Administrative, Academic Affairs, Other Academic Affairs, Executive, Provosts
Employment Level
Executive
Employment Type
Full Time

PROVOST AND VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

San Francisco State University is seeking an administrator of exceptional vision and leadership skills with an established record as a teacher and scholar to guide an excellent and innovative academic program as the University’s next Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

For more than a century, SF State has distinguished itself as an active center of scholarship, innovation, creative work, and civic involvement. Founded in 1899 as a teacher’s college, SF State is a large, comprehensive, urban university located in an unusually vibrant and beautiful city with a rich intellectual and cultural life. Recognized by the Wall Street Journal as the third most diverse university in the nation, the SF State community includes 30,000 students, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college, and 3,900 faculty and staff. As an institution, it offers over 144 degree programs, including 43 Master’s programs and 3 Doctoral programs.

SF State is passionate about academic excellence, intellectual discovery, creative and critical inquiry, and educational equity. SF State students, faculty, staff, and alumni celebrate and proudly embrace the University’s commitment to social justice through their work, scholarship, creative endeavors, and community engagement. The College of Ethnic Studies, the first and only of its kind in the nation, exemplifies how SF State’s institutional excellence aligns with university core values. Other SF State accolades include recognition with distinction on the President’s Community Service Honor Roll for the over 875,000 hours of community service SF State students participate in annually, inclusion of the Cinema Department with its Academy Award winning faculty in the list of the top 25 film schools in the nation, and the granting of NSF’s prestigious Faculty Early Career Awards to ten SF State faculty members.

SF State is also at an important juncture in its growth as an institution of public higher education. Despite diminishing state support over the last 20 years, the University’s reputation for its academic quality has increased dramatically, making SF State one of the top destination campuses within the California State University System. Under the leadership of the University’s President, Les Wong, and with the support of the Provost and Deans, the university launched its first comprehensive campaign, Bold.Thinking.  

As the University’s chief academic officer, the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs has administrative, programmatic, and fiscal responsibility for all academic programs, serves as an integral member of the President’s Cabinet and reports to the University President. The Academic Affairs budget is approximately $250 million. Reporting directly to this position are the seven College Deans (Business, Ethnic Studies, Extended Learning, Graduate Education, Health & Social Sciences, Liberal & Creative Arts, and Science & Engineering), and the University Librarian; the Deans of the Division of Undergraduate Education and Academic Planning, the Division of Graduate Studies, Faculty Affairs & Professional Development; the Associate Vice Presidents for Research and Sponsored Programs, Academic Resources, Academic Affairs Operations, and the Director of the Health Equity Institute.  

The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs partners with academic leaders, faculty, and other administrators on improving student outreach, student success, retention, and graduation rates via a shared governance structure, while providing leadership and support to faculty so that they may excel in teaching, research, and creative activities. The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs will also provide leadership and partner with the President, Deans, and Development Office in advancing the priorities of the Comprehensive Campaign. Finally, the Provost in this role represents the University at the CSU Chancellor’s Office, and is expected to participate in system-wide initiatives.

In order to be successful in executing the scope of the position and the role of a leader, a candidate should have the following qualifications:

Experience

  • An earned doctorate or terminal degree with a record of academic achievement as a teacher/scholar that meets the necessary qualifications of a tenured full professor in an academic department at San Francisco State University.
  • A strong record of success at progressively senior levels in higher education, with specific experiences in managing at a large, complex, and highly diverse institution.
  • A proven commitment to undergraduate education and student success, as demonstrated through contemporary metrics.
  • Tangible support for faculty research, scholarship and creative works, as evidenced by productive outcomes.
  • Experience with the iterative nature of the university budget planning process and prudent administration of fiscal responsibilities.

Knowledge

  • Knowledge of higher-education’s key challenges and contemporary issues, including student recruitment and retention, graduation rates, and funding.
  • Knowledge of curriculum development and pedagogical considerations.
  • Knowledge of the collective bargaining process, its constraints and its advantages; contract administration.
  • Knowledge of the donor/alumni cultivation cycle, and a demonstrated track record of fundraising and/or grant awards.

Skills

  • Skills in the full cycle of team-building and team development with the ability to foster a team-based climate and advocate upward.
  • Change leadership and change management skills.
  • Exemplary oral and written communication skills, including listening.
  • Planning and organizing skills adequate to direct one’s own work, and that of others.
  • Influencing, rather than directive skills necessary to effect changes in a team-based, shared governance structure.
  • Skills in building effective peer relationships and engaging with students.

 

Personal Attributes/Abilities

  • A meaningful appreciation of social justice and equity, particularly applied to SF State’s student population, and campus legacy.
  • High emotional intelligence necessary for managing challenging situations and ability to use a fact-based approach to problem solving.
  • The ability to inspire trust and confidence through the demonstration of integrity and trustworthy behavior.
  • Committment to creating an open and supportive campus environment that embraces discussion and debate.
  • Cognitive complexity adequate for processing ambiguous, contradictory, or incomplete information.

Cover letter and resume should be received by October 15, 2017

To apply for the position, please submit your cover letter and resume at sfsuprovostsearch@sfsu.edu.

San Francisco State University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer with a strong commitment to diversity. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or other legally protected category. We strongly encourage the application of individuals from historically underrepresented groups.

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