Executive Vice President and Provost

Santa Clara University•Santa Clara, CA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Santa Clara University seeks a visionary and entrepreneurial leader to serve as its first executive vice president and provost. The EVP/Provost will be a student-centered academic leader with a deep commitment to excellence and to the values of a Jesuit Catholic education. Santa Clara offers an education that invites students to develop every dimension of their humanity, to work toward social justice and a more humane, just, and sustainable world, and to engage with the high-tech innovations of the surrounding community. Founded in 1851, Santa Clara University is located in the heart of Silicon Valley. The University is home to more than 6,100 undergraduate students, 3,050 graduate students, 900 faculty, 1,050 staff, and 104,000 alumni worldwide. President Julie Sullivan, appointed in July 2022, has redefined the role of provost as executive vice president and provost (EVP/Provost), reflecting the centrality of both the academic and student life activities of the University, and also signifying the vital role this new leader will play in partnering with her to develop an integrated, holistic vision for academic life and student life, in accord with the distinctive tradition of cura personalis—educating each person to flourish in mind, body, and spirit. The new EVP/Provost will be an exceptional executive leader who will empower other campus leaders, allocate resources to support fulfillment of the University’s ambitions, champion a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, and inspire innovation across the University. The EVP/Provost will bring several key characteristics, including the ability to galvanize the community around a common vision for the future of a nationally ranked university distinguished by the teacher-scholar model and the holistic formation of students, and by its Jesuit Catholic mission. The EVP/Provost will have experience in an institution of similar complexity and commitment to excellence, a creative and entrepreneurial spirit, and a substantial record of advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Requirements

A doctoral degree or equivalent is required.
A record of professional accomplishment sufficient to be appointed as a tenured full professor.
Successful record of providing leadership within a large, complex organization through holding positions such as provost, associate provost, dean, associate dean, or in other university roles.
Willingness to serve as an engaged leader to inspire the community and build consensus.
Successful track record of recruiting, developing, supporting, and retaining strong leaders.
Demonstrated experience building bridges across an institution and creating a culture of mutual trust and respect.
Experience making difficult decisions that call for creativity and courage.
Familiarity and engagement with the Jesuit Catholic intellectual tradition.
A profound commitment and eagerness to embrace the Jesuit Catholic vision, mission, and core values.
Unwavering commitment to diversity and inclusion and ensuring the campus community is welcoming to all.
Comfort participating in and leading conversations about social issues.
Successful track record recruiting, mentoring, and retaining diverse leaders.
Experience working with, supporting, and retaining students from low-income and underrepresented backgrounds.
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, as well as the ability to solve problems and make timely decisions about complex issues.
A genuine respect for and appreciation of faculty and staff.
Gravitas to represent and act as a spokesperson on behalf of Santa Clara.
Commitment to cura-personalis - the development of the whole person.
Leadership that considers, for all key decision, the potential impacts on and benefits to students.
Recognition that the student experience is shaped both within and outside the classroom.
Genuine enjoyment of students and their company.
Demonstrated ability to build academic excellence across the broad range of academic areas represented at Santa Clara.
The ability to encourage cross-disciplinary collaborations.
All Santa Clara University students, and employees are required to be vaccinated against COVID -19 or request a medical or religious exemption.

Nice To Haves

Experience in an institution of similar complexity and commitment to excellence.
A creative and entrepreneurial spirit.
A substantial record of advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Responsibilities

Provide visionary and entrepreneurial leadership for all aspects of academic activities, student life, and enrollment management, and ensure that these programs are fully integrated to create a holistic educational experience that supports the University's Jesuit Catholic vision, mission, and values.
Define a compelling and distinctive vision for the future of the academic enterprise at Santa Clara grounded in its Jesuit Catholic mission and values.
Work in close partnership with the president and campus leaders to define an academic vision for the future of Santa Clara, reflecting priorities such as enhancing access to education, creating and expanding academic and scholarship programs, enhancing the teacher-scholar model, overseeing the reimagination of the core curriculum, fostering interdisciplinary collaborations, and extending Santa Clara's connections with Silicon Valley.
Shape a student experience that integrates all areas of university life to develop the whole person and propel students towards flourishing lives of meaning, purpose, and connection.
Develop an expansive vision for student life that more fully integrates the curricular and co-curricular experiences and expands students’ participation in meaningful high impact practices.
Advance Santa Clara's commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
Help to identify opportunities to advance Santa Clara as a university that exemplifies inclusive excellence, creating partnerships with Silicon Valley companies and organizations to maximize resources.
Provide executive leadership to enable Santa Clara to reach its ambitions.
Partner closely with the president to achieve Santa Clara's ambitions, assessing structures and resources, identifying ways to increase efficiencies, and creating processes and practices to support the work.
Have ultimate authority for allocation of the academic budget, by far the largest component of the University’s total budget.
Develop an integrated, holistic vision for academic life and student life.
Empower the deans and center directors to lead their respective units in alignment with the University's strategic vision.
Collaborate with other vice presidents.
Facilitate the work of the vice provosts and directors in overseeing dozens of offices and programs.
Establish strong linkages across campus to facilitate effective communication, coordinate and deploy the appropriate resources, and ensure the successful implementation of initiatives.