Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost

Vermont State Colleges System•Castleton, VT

2d•$180,000 - $230,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost serves as the University’s senior academic strategist, providing leadership, direction, and coordination for all academic programs and academic support functions across VTSU campuses. This role involves leading academic transformation initiatives, overseeing faculty affairs and labor relations, advancing student success strategies, managing accreditation and assessment, establishing data governance, leading academic budgeting and resource allocation, and representing VTSU in external relations and partnerships. The Provost collaborates closely with the President, academic administrators, and faculty leadership, and serves as the chief executive officer of the university in the President’s absence.

Requirements

Earned doctorate or equivalent terminal degree from a regionally accredited institution.
Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible academic administrative experience including at least 5 years of teaching experience and 3 years in a Chair, Dean, or comparable supervisory academic leadership role, with a strong record of teaching excellence.
Demonstrated success leading academic innovation, managing complex budgets, and guiding collaborative, system-level initiatives.
Demonstrated commitment to shared governance, faculty development, and student-centered education.
Proven experience working within a collective bargaining environment.
Deep understanding of higher education accreditation standards and requirements, assessment practices, and academic quality assurance.
Demonstrated commitment to equity, inclusion, and student success in a public higher education context.
Excellent communication, negotiation, and consensus-building skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a multi-campus or system-based higher education environment.
Experience leading academic initiatives or institutional transformation.
Experience with online learning, academic program alignment, or workforce-responsive curriculum design.
Familiarity with New England and/or Vermont for higher education accreditation standards, policy, and funding structures.

Responsibilities

Serve as the University’s senior academic strategist, providing leadership, direction, and coordination for all academic programs and academic support functions across VTSU campuses.
Provide leadership, guidance, and direction for all VTSU academic programs, including establishing instructional delivery modalities (on-campus, online, hybrid), and scoping academic support services across VTSU campuses.
Ensure consistency, rigor, and quality of academic standards, policies, and practices across the institution.
Lead system-wide academic planning aligned with VTSU’s mission, VSCS priorities, state expectations, accreditation requirements, and regional workforce demands.
Champion academic transformation initiatives that advance access, affordability, sustainability, and institutional effectiveness within a public higher education system.
Serve as the chief academic leader of the faculty, collaborating with the President, academic administrators, and faculty leadership within the framework of collective bargaining agreements.
Seek input from and works closely with human resources and the office of general counsel on labor and employee relations matters.
Provide executive oversight of faculty recruitment, appointment, reappointment, evaluation, promotion, tenure, and professional development.
Support and strengthen relationships with faculty governance bodies, ensuring transparent communication, mutual accountability, and meaningful shared governance practices.
Foster a culture of trust, collaboration, and academic integrity across campuses and disciplines.
Advance system-wide student success strategies, including advising models, retention and completion initiatives, transfer pathways, and experiential learning.
Ensure curricula align with clearly defined learning outcomes, assessment practices, and licensure or certification requirements.
Serve as the senior academic officer for the resolution of academic appeals and grievances, consistent with policy and due process.
Promote inclusive and equitable academic practices.
Serve as the principal officer and as liaison with regional accrediting body (New England Commission of Higher Education) and coordinate specialized/programmatic accreditations across campuses.
Ensure compliance with VSCS policies and state and federal academic regulations.
Oversee academic program review, institutional assessment, and continuous improvement processes.
Establish and maintain a comprehensive institutional data governance framework that promotes data quality, consistency, transparency, security, compliance, and appropriate stewardship across all university operations.
Collaborate with administrative and academic leaders to develop key performance indicators (KPIs), dashboards, and reporting structures that monitor progress toward institutional goals and support continuous improvement.
Ensure the timely collection, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of institutional data to internal and external stakeholders, including governing boards, accrediting agencies, government entities, and higher education associations.
Partner with information technology, enrollment management, finance, student affairs, and academic affairs leaders to strengthen enterprise data systems and advance data literacy throughout the institution.
Champion the use of predictive analytics and assessment findings to improve student retention, completion, academic quality, operational effectiveness, and institutional sustainability.
Lead academic budgeting and resource allocation in collaboration with the President, Chief Financial Officer, and VSCS system office.
Balance academic priorities with fiscal constraints in a publicly funded, system-based environment.
Supervise academic deans and collaborate with system-level academic leaders; evaluate performance and support leadership development.
Represent VTSU in system-level committees, councils, task forces, and external bodies as directed by the President, or Board.
Build partnerships with K–12 systems, employers, workforce development organizations, and higher education partners across Vermont and New England.
Support grant development and externally funded academic initiatives that advance system goals.
Serve as the chief executive officer of the university in the President’s absence.
Perform other duties as delegated by the President.