Provost

Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science•North Chicago, IL

10d•Onsite

About The Position

The Provost serves as the University's Chief Academic Officer and strategic academic leader, responsible for advancing academic excellence while positioning Rosalind Franklin University to anticipate and respond to the evolving future of healthcare, biomedical science, and graduate health professions education. Reporting directly to the President, the Provost works closely with the President, deans, faculty, senior leadership, students, staff, and external partners to advance the University’s mission, vision, values, and strategic priorities. The Provost provides strategic leadership for academic affairs, faculty affairs, academic planning, accreditation, assessment, student success, interprofessional education, academic innovation, and the continued development of high-quality academic programs. The Provost also plays a central role in aligning academic strategy with strategic enrollment management, campus space planning, technology-enabled learning, AI integration, and the University’s long-term financial and operational sustainability. The Provost ensures that RFU’s academic enterprise is rigorous, mission-aligned, financially sustainable, responsive to workforce needs, and positioned to prepare health and biomedical professionals and researchers for a rapidly changing healthcare landscape. The Provost is expected to lead through collaboration, shared governance, transparency, data-informed decision-making, and a deep commitment to academic excellence.

Requirements

Earned doctorate or other terminal degree from an accredited institution.
Record of academic achievement, scholarship, and professional accomplishment appropriate for appointment as a senior academic leader.
Progressively responsible senior academic leadership experience in higher education.
Demonstrated success leading academic programs, colleges, schools, departments, or academic units in a complex institution.
Experience working effectively with faculty, deans, students, staff, senior administrators, and shared governance bodies.
Demonstrated accomplishment in academic planning, accreditation, assessment, program development, curricular review, and academic quality improvement.
Experience with academic budget planning, resource allocation, and operational stewardship.
Demonstrated commitment to student success, faculty success, academic excellence, and institutional mission.
Reputation for personal and professional integrity, sound judgment, transparency, and accountability.
Strong understanding of graduate and professional education, preferably in health sciences, biomedical sciences, healthcare education, or a related field.
Knowledge of accreditation principles, academic assessment, program review, institutional effectiveness, and regulatory expectations.
Ability to lead through collaboration, shared governance, influence, and trust.
Ability to formulate, communicate, implement, and evaluate academic policies and priorities.
Strong strategic thinking, organizational leadership, and change management skills.
Ability to identify and resolve complex academic, operational, personnel, and institutional issues with sound judgment and discretion.
Demonstrated ability to use data and evidence to support planning, decision-making, assessment, and continuous improvement.
Strong financial and operational acumen in an academic setting.
Excellent communication, interpersonal, facilitation, and relationship-building skills.
Ability to work effectively across disciplines, professions, colleges, and administrative units.
Ability to support innovation in teaching, learning, research, simulation, interprofessional education, and emerging technologies.
Commitment to maintaining a respectful, inclusive, and mission-driven academic environment.
Ability to represent the University effectively with external partners, accrediting bodies, clinical partners, community organizations, and other stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

Senior academic leadership experience in an academic health sciences, medical, biomedical, or health professions education institution.
Experience leading academic strategy across multiple colleges, schools, or professional programs.
Experience supporting research growth, interdisciplinary scholarship, translational research, or educational research.
Experience advancing interprofessional education, simulation, clinical education, or health systems science.
Experience developing or sustaining clinical, community, industry, or institutional partnerships.
Experience with new program development, academic portfolio review, enrollment strategy, and workforce-responsive academic planning.
Experience supporting faculty development, leadership development, mentorship, and academic career progression.
Experience using emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence or advanced simulation, to support teaching, learning, research, or academic operations.
Experience leading through institutional change in a complex regulatory, financial, or policy environment.

Responsibilities

Provide Academic Leadership and Advance Institutional Strategy: Provide strategic leadership for the University's academic enterprise by working collaboratively with the President, deans, faculty, and senior leaders to advance academic excellence, institutional priorities, and long-term sustainability.
Lead academic planning, portfolio management, and program development while ensuring that academic offerings remain rigorous, mission-aligned, financially sustainable, anticipate workforce needs, and positioned to prepare health and biomedical professionals for the evolving future of healthcare and biomedical science.
Lead and Align the University's Academic Enterprise: Provide leadership and support to college and school deans and other academic leaders while fostering collaboration across colleges, programs, and administrative units.
Strengthen alignment among Academic Affairs, Faculty Affairs, Strategic Enrollment Management, Student Success, Institutional Effectiveness, Research, Technology, and other university functions to promote high-quality academic operations, shared accountability, continuous improvement, and institutional effectiveness.
Cultivate Faculty Excellence and Strengthen Shared Governance: Advance a culture of faculty excellence by supporting the recruitment, development, retention, advancement, and recognition of outstanding faculty and academic leaders.
Promote shared governance, academic freedom, leadership development, mentorship, scholarly engagement, and respectful dialogue while ensuring that faculty policies and practices align with institutional priorities, academic quality, and student success.
Advance Student Success and Prepare the Future Healthcare Workforce: Lead university-wide academic strategies that promote student learning, progression, well-being, and career readiness.
Advance innovative approaches to teaching and learning through interprofessional education, simulation, experiential learning, artificial intelligence, data-informed decision making, and other evidence-based educational practices.
Partner closely with enrollment management, student success, faculty, and academic leaders to ensure students are well prepared for practice, research, leadership, and lifelong learning in an evolving healthcare environment.
Strengthen Research, Scholarship, and Discovery: Partner with research leadership, deans, faculty, and senior administrators to strengthen the integration of education, discovery, clinical practice, and community impact.
Foster interprofessional scholarship, translational research, educational innovation, and faculty and student engagement in scholarly activity while supporting the continued growth and excellence of the University's research enterprise.
Ensure Academic Quality and Institutional Effectiveness: Provide leadership for institutional and programmatic accreditation, assessment, academic accountability, and continuous improvement.
Promote evidence-informed decision making by strengthening the use of assessment, outcomes data, and institutional effectiveness processes to guide academic planning, resource allocation, program review, and strategic decision making while ensuring compliance with accreditation and regulatory expectations.
Build Strategic Partnerships for Workforce and Community Impact: Develop and strengthen partnerships with health systems, clinical affiliates, community organizations, industry, governmental agencies, and educational institutions that advance RFU's educational, research, and service missions.
Expand workforce development initiatives, experiential education, academic pathways, and community engagement opportunities that improve health, strengthen the healthcare workforce, and position the University as a trusted academic partner responsive to evolving healthcare needs.
Provide Strategic Financial and Operational Stewardship: Collaborate with the President, Chief Financial Officer, deans, and senior leadership to align academic priorities with responsible financial stewardship, operational effectiveness, and institutional sustainability.
Promote strategic investments in academic programs, facilities, simulation environments, research infrastructure, instructional technology, and space planning while ensuring that resources are aligned with institutional priorities and long-term success.
Serve as a Collaborative University Leader: Serve as a trusted member of the President's Cabinet, contributing to university-wide strategy, governance, Board relations, institutional planning, and organizational leadership.
Represent the University's academic enterprise with integrity, professionalism, transparency, and sound judgment while communicating effectively with faculty, students, staff, trustees, accrediting bodies, health system partners, and external stakeholders.
Serve as Acting President when designated by the President.