| Location | Santa Clara, California |
$460,000 annually
Opportunity and Summary of the Position
Santa Clara University seeks a new provost and vice president for academic affairs to serve as its chief academic officer. The provost will drive academic innovation, lead with strategic and inclusive vigor, and create a compelling vision for all aspects of academic life at the University. This will include ensuring high-quality academic programs, enhancing teaching and research, and making certain all educational programs reflect a social consciousness grounded in the Jesuit and Catholic tradition of educating the whole person — mind, body, and soul — and preparing students to create a more just, humane, and sustainable world.
President Kevin O'Brien, S.J., was appointed in July 2019, and this will be the first senior appointment to his leadership team. The new provost will join Santa Clara at a pivotal and transformational time in the University's history. Santa Clara is at the final stage of Santa Clara 2020, its integrated strategic plan, and will soon begin work on a new plan. It is in the midst of a $1 billion comprehensive fundraising campaign, Innovating with a Mission: The Campaign for Santa Clara University, that is propelling the University into the ranks as one of the leading Catholic universities in the United States. The campus is undertaking a period of tremendous capital expansion, including a new athletics center, residence hall, and the Sobrato Campus for Discovery and Innovation — the new home for the sciences, engineering and mathematics. This is an exciting inflection point for Santa Clara, with many accomplishments behind it, and just as many opportunities that lie ahead.
The new provost will play an essential role in shaping and defining the future of Santa Clara. Harnessing the insights and energy of administration, faculty, staff, and students, and working in close partnership with the president and the trustees, the provost will be expected to craft a dynamic vision for Santa Clara University's academic program, one that redefines values-based education focused on ethics and social justice by leveraging Santa Clara's Jesuit and Catholic identity amidst Silicon Valley's culture of innovation and entrepreneurism. This vision will be a core component of a new strategic plan; the provost will play a vital role in its creation. As a key member of the president's cabinet, the provost will work collaboratively with partners across campus to address a number of key issues of importance to the long-term health of the University and the wellbeing of its faculty, staff, and students. The provost will achieve these objectives while creating a culture and environment of mutual trust and respect, openness, transparency, communication, and collaboration, and will demonstrate an abiding commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The provost will be a servant leader who will engage, empower, and support the academic leadership team to achieve the University's ambitions. Reporting directly to the president, the provost will lead a group of accomplished academic leaders and senior administrators including the deans of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Leavey School of Business, the School of Engineering, the School of Law, the School of Education and Counseling Psychology, and the Jesuit School of Theology whose campus is located in Berkeley. Other University leaders reporting to the provost include the vice provost for academic affairs, the vice provost for planning and institutional effectiveness, the assistant provost for finance and administration, the assistant provost for strategic initiatives, and the executive directors of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics and the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship.
The new provost must be a seasoned academic administrator with leadership experience at the level of provost, dean, vice provost or equivalent; have earned a doctorate or terminal professional degree; and have a record of scholarly achievement that would merit appointment as full professor., a clear sense of the diverse challenges of a university with undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools, and the skills required to promote individual and mutual strength among schools. Extraordinary leadership, communications, and strategic planning skills are essential for success, as is financial acumen and the ability to work collaboratively throughout the institution to foster a culture of mutual trust and respect, openness, and transparency. The ideal candidate will bring demonstrated leadership in improving diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The Role of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
The provost is Santa Clara's chief academic officer with executive responsibility for overseeing all undergraduate and graduate educational programs and academic support functions. The provost works to enhance the intellectual vibrancy of the faculty, student body, staff, and curriculum by providing leadership in matters related to academic affairs, faculty affairs, student life, and information services.
The provost works in partnership with the president to imbue the life of the University with Jesuit and Catholic principles, including cura personalis (respect and care for each individual’s mind, body, and spirit), magis (striving always for “more” or “better”), finding God in all human experience, supporting students’ exploration of questions of faith and meaning both inside and outside the classroom, and encouraging dialog between faith and culture, science and religion, and among different religions and beliefs.
The provost, reporting directly to the University's president, has had primary responsibility for guiding the implementation of Santa Clara 2020 — a bold blueprint for advancing Santa Clara that integrates the University's enrollment, facilities, and strategic aspirations. Honoring the University’s historical mission while building upon its current strengths and emerging opportunities, Santa Clara 2020 has six main goals:
• Imparting a transformational Jesuit and Catholic education• Fashioning a more humane, just, and sustainable world• Fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in service to humanity• Advancing contemporary theological studies, education, and ministry• Increasing diversity, access, and affordability• Enhancing Santa Clara University’s reputation and national visibility
With the completion of Santa Clara 2020 on the horizon, the new provost will play an active role in formulating the next institutional strategic plan.
The provost sits on the president's cabinet along with the vice provost for student life, vice president for finance, vice president for university relations, vice president for enrollment management, vice president for information technology, chief operating officer and senior legal counsel, athletics director, and chief of staff. The cabinet serves as an advisory board to the president on matters of strategic importance.
In collaboration with a dedicated team of deans, vice provosts, and directors, the provost also oversees dozens of offices and programs, including faculty development, research initiatives, core curriculum, and assessment of student learning. In addition, the provost currently oversees the following:
• Global Engagement Office• Drahmann Academic Advising Center• Career Center• Honors Program• Diversity and Inclusion• Registrar’s Office• de Saisset Museum• University Library• Residential Learning Communities• Cowell Health Center• Summer Sessions• Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship• Institutional Research• Information Technology• Student Life• Campus Recreation• LEAD Scholars• Markkula Center for Applied Ethics• Writing CenterSanta Clara University’s six deans — College of Arts and Sciences, Leavey School of Business, Jesuit School of Theology, School of Education and Counseling Psychology, School of Engineering, and School of Law — all report directly to the provost. Recent transitional arrangements impact two reporting relationships. The vice provost for student life currently reports to the chief operating officer with a dotted line reporting relationship to the provost. The provost must work with the vice provost for student life to ensure that curricular and co-curricular programs are aligned resulting in a student experience where education inside and outside of the classroom is fully integrated. The vice provost for information technology – to whom the University librarian reports – currently reports to the University's chief operating officer. The president will consult with the new provost regarding the longer-term reporting relationships for these roles.
Opportunities and Expectations for Leadership
In collaboration with the president, vice presidents, deans, department chairs, and faculty, the provost will advance Santa Clara's academic distinction, leading the academic community in its efforts to innovate, realize the University's ambitions, and build upon the character of Jesuit and Catholic higher education. Specifically, the new provost will be expected to address the following critical leadership issues, among others:
Develop and support a compelling academic vision for Santa Clara University that is grounded in its Jesuit and Catholic mission and values.
The new provost will arrive at an important inflection point for the University. A new president will be one year into his tenure and the campus will be concluding a period of major capital expansion. This is an opportunity for focus on academic vision and programs. The president will look to the provost to be a strong, visible, and engaged leader and will put his full support behind the provost to lead the academic enterprise. The academic units and programs benefit from their respective visions and directions. Building on this foundation, there is an opportunity for the new provost, in collaboration with academic leadership and faculty, to develop a stronger, cohesive institutional academic vision. The academic vision will play a significant role in guiding the creation of a new strategic plan for Santa Clara.
The campus community has a strong desire to reaffirm its values-based education in alignment with its Jesuit and Catholic identity amidst Silicon's Valley culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, especially as technological advances beg for a more humanistic perspective. The campus is also at an inflection point because of its new Carnegie classification among Doctoral/Professional universities. This creates the opportunity to examine what the new classification means for Santa Clara and raises the question of the potential of increased expectation and support for faculty scholarship.
Many believe that it is time for a review of Santa Clara University's core curriculum that has been in place since 2009, ensuring that it incorporates creative and innovative approaches to education while continuing to prioritize the student experience that integrates education inside and outside of the classroom. The provost will need to lead on innovation in pedagogy to meet the needs and learning styles of this generation of students. This includes an openness to online education and blended learning. Likewise, interdisciplinary opportunities abound and there is an eagerness to more fully realize that potential on campus — the University's STEM initiative is a prime example. Santa Clara is home to three centers of distinction: theMiller Center for Social Entrepreneurship and the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics which report to the provost, and the Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education which reports to the president. These distinguished programs support and enhance Santa Clara's academic vision and extend its mission. The centers provide a compelling opportunity to further advance Santa Clara's social justice mission and forge stronger connections to the Silicon Valley community. Expanding these relationships will be a major priority for the University. In that vein, the president expects the provost to partner closely with him and others to shape the University's vision and goals for a more robust relationship with Silicon Valley, lead in creating entrepreneurial opportunities grounded in the Jesuit charism and play a visible and active role engaging with leaders in the Valley. The provost will also partner with the president, trustees, and others to participate actively in and support the University's fundraising efforts by building relationships and working closely with Santa Clara's donor community.
A number of important planning exercises are underway that will help shape the academic vision and strategic plan. Santa Clara is going through the accreditation process which it anticipates will be complete by the time the new provost arrives. The new provost will lead the implementation of any recommendations that come through the accreditation review. In addition, Santa Clara will join all 27 of the Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States in embarking on an important self-study – the Mission Priority Examen – to reflect on who it is and who it wants to become as a Jesuit and Catholic university. The campus climate study, described in the section below, is yet another of Santa Clara's self-studies reflecting an institution that is trying to understand itself better as it considers and sets the course for its future.
Work with faculty, administration, and trustees to address critical issues facing Santa Clara University
The new provost will need to effect inclusive and decisive leadership in working with faculty, administration, and trustees to make significant and timely progress on a number of issues facing Santa Clara. Among them:
• The University's business model: Major shifts in the educational landscape driven by technology combined with changes in the kinds of preparation that employers expect from college graduates are presenting substantial challenges to higher education. They are requiring higher education to adjust its traditional models. As such, Santa Clara must think critically about a number of complex issues regarding the academic programs that impact the University's financial model. While these issues are not the exclusive purview of the provost, the new provost must be an active participant in shaping the conversation and resolving issues on various topics. These include, among others: the role of online education, the decline of humanities programs and curriculum nationally, the development of new degree and certificate programs relevant for Silicon Valley companies, incentivizing and supporting innovation, engaging with Silicon Valley, investment in co-curricular programs to further strengthen an integrated education, enrollment growth, the short- and long-term impact of demographic shifts nationally and within California, the composition of the student body including the international student population – a significant portion of Santa Clara's graduate student population, and the percentage of students who receive Pell grants and need-based financial aid. The provost must explore new ways to diversify the University's revenue streams and participate actively in fundraising for new initiatives that will support its evolving academic model. Decisions made on all of these issues will impact the curriculum and academic culture and must be considered thoughtfully.
• Compensation and housing: The full range of compensation issues is also an area of concern that will impact the University's financial model. The non-continuing faculty (academic year adjunct lecturers and quarterly/semester adjunct lecturers) are considering unionization, and the provost's office team is working collaboratively with them to address their important concerns. The University regularly evaluates offerings to faculty and staff to ensure competitive compensation and benefits, as well as rewarding professional opportunities. This year, Santa Clara implemented a number of important enhancements, including equity adjustments in salaries, funding for promotions, and the first phase of adjustments to staff compensation to make salaries more competitive. Santa Clara is located in one of the most appealing, but most expensive, regions in the world. This results in a high cost of living, particularly for housing, for faculty and staff. In recent years, the University has made considerable progress in developing more affordable housing opportunities. This effort has included expanding transitional rental housing options, rolling out an enhanced rental assistance program, and introducing a shared-equity, down-payment program. There is more work to do in this important area, and it will remain a high priority for the University’s next provost. Santa Clara deeply values faculty and staff and their essential contributions to the campus community. The next provost will play an essential role in ensuring that all of the University's talented faculty and staff continue to receive the recognition, respect, and appreciation they deserve.• Diversity and inclusion: Santa Clara seeks out faculty, staff, and students with a wide range of backgrounds, beliefs, and viewpoints, so that the institution may continue to learn and grow. Santa Clara is continually striving to improve the University’s culture of diversity and inclusion, which is central to the Jesuit and Catholic mission. That ongoing effort includes working to ensure the campus community is welcoming to those of all races, religions, socio-economic backgrounds, gender identities, and sexual orientations. The University appreciates that it can, and must, do better. To that end, in 2016, former President Michael E. Engh, S.J., convened a Blue Ribbon Commission on Diversity and Inclusion charged with creating an aspirational vision and recommending strategies for transformational change. One outcome of this work was the administration of a recently completed Campus Climate Survey. Currently, and following the recent completion of the Campus Climate Survey, there are ten priority areas under three primary goals: cultivate and enhance a culture of respect and belonging grounded in Santa Clara's mission and values; promote and advance diversity and inclusion initiatives; and review and improve policies and processes to address concerns in the campus climate survey. The provost will be expected to bring both a personal and professional commitment to ensure steady and real progress, working with partners across campus.
• STEM strategy: The successful implementation of the University's STEM strategy is most visibly represented by the construction of the new Sobrato Campus for Discovery and Innovation, slated to open in fall 2021. Built to support collaboration across traditional disciplinary divides, the Sobrato Campus will be an inviting home to engineering, sciences, and mathematics and will foster convergence and collaboration among these STEM disciplines and beyond. The provost will help guide and support the development of new foundation STEM curricula, integrative project-based courses, capstones, senior design projects, undergraduate research opportunities, and other high-impact forms of experiential learning, with the support of interdisciplinary faculty communities. The new facility, the costliest in Santa Clara's history, along with the University's recent Carnegie reclassification as a Doctoral/Professional university puts Santa Clara at a pivotal moment. The new provost will help define the vision for the future of teaching and research within the STEM departments and bring innovation as Santa Clara continues to elevate its status in cutting-edge science innovation and education. The bringing together of departments and programs from different colleges and schools – a process that has been controversial, difficult, and complex – requires the development of new financial and resource models to leverage the co-location of these units. The provost will be expected to support the deans of engineering and arts and sciences to manage the transition thoughtfully and skillfully toward a new shared service model, establish new policies and procedures, create strategies that facilitate cross-disciplinary collaboration, and work creatively with faculty to imagine and execute a new STEM vision for the future.Create a campus culture grounded in mutual trust and respect, transparency, communication, and collaboration
There is a tremendous opportunity for Santa Clara – through leadership of its president, provost, and others – to reinvigorate the campus culture, creating one that is grounded in mutual trust and respect, and to strengthen relationships among faculty, staff, and administration. This requires a willingness to engage with stakeholders in a truly consultative way, listen thoughtfully with a deep desire to understand various viewpoints, make careful and thoughtful decisions in a timely manner, clearly communicate those decisions and the rationale for them, and put those decisions into action to establish and maintain a strong sense of progress and forward momentum. The provost must be willing to engage the campus in difficult conversations and lead the individuals involved and the community toward resolution through openness, transparency, and mutual respect. Underlying these efforts must be a steadfast commitment to collaboration and to creating an inclusive environment where a wide range of viewpoints and perspectives is sought out, engaged with, listened to, considered, respected, and valued.
Build, develop, and empower academic leadership
While the provost will provide visible, inclusive and engaged leadership in addressing the University's opportunities and challenges, they must rely strongly on their academic leadership team to contribute to, support and execute the agreed-upon approaches. Selection and development of deans is key to success. Santa Clara University is currently searching for new deans of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Jesuit School of Theology. The newly selected provost will have an opportunity to provide input into the decisions on these new hires before offers are extended in spring 2020. In addition, the new dean of the School of Engineering will be just one year into her tenure when the new provost arrives. There will be a significant opportunity for the provost to build, develop and empower the academic leadership team and promote strong teamwork, collaboration, inclusion, and communication to further strengthen their individual and collective impact on the University.The University's shared governance system provides a structure that, when engaged effectively, supports these goals. The University policy committees, under the auspices of the University Coordinating Committee, are the final collaborative bodies with the authority to formulate and recommend new policy and major strategic changes and to review significant changes in existing policy. Policy Committees include Academic Affairs, Faculty Affairs, Staff Affairs, Student Affairs, Planning Action Council, and University Budget Council. It is crucial that the provost work with and through the shared governance system in order to promote trust, respect, and transparency.Professional Qualifications and Personal QualitiesThe following qualifications and qualities are essential:
• Academic credentials: Doctorate degree or equivalent; a record of professional accomplishment sufficient to be appointed as a tenured full professor and to provide a foundation for academic leadership of the University.
• Leadership and vision: Successful record of academic leadership at the level of dean, associate provost, provost or a similar position, working in close partnership with the other senior institutional leaders; leads with integrity and serves as a strong, visible, and engaged leader to inspire the community and build consensus around an innovative vision for the academic program; successful track record of recruiting, developing, supporting, and retaining strong leaders and of developing them into successful leadership teams; demonstrated experience of building bridges across the institution and creating a culture of mutual trust and respect; a willingness to take risks and think creatively when solving problems.
• Communication style: Strong commitment to transparency, accountability, andresponsiveness; ability to listen carefully and to invite and consider the concerns of all members of the University community; communication skills and approach that can lead to inclusive, collaborative, transparent problem solving, and the ability to make community decisions in a clear, timely, and compelling way; gravitas to represent and act as a spokesperson on behalf of Santa Clara University.
• Diversity and inclusion: Unwavering commitment to diversity and inclusion among faculty, staff, and students and ensuring the campus community is welcoming to those of all races, religions, socio-economic backgrounds, gender identities, and sexual orientations.
• Strategic planning expertise: Demonstrated ability to develop and implement academic and University-wide strategic plans; the academic and institutional vision to address the challenges and opportunities in Santa Clara's new Carnegie classification; the ability to engage deep stakeholder consultation and to work effectively with faculty, staff, administration, and trustees.
• Financial sophistication: Knowledge of and experience in academic financial management; ability to ensure transparency around the generation and allocation of resources, as well as an appreciation for new and emerging budget models.
• Commitment to Jesuit and Catholic mission: Familiarity with and an intuitive grasp of the University's Jesuit and Catholic character; engagement with the Catholic intellectual tradition, which explores novel questions across disciplines, boldly engages new realities, wrestles with questions of faith and meaning in our time, connects education with the promotion of justice and care for the marginalized, and encourages dialogue between faith and reason, and which welcomes members of the community from all faith traditions and humanistic commitments.
• External presence: Demonstrated capability to serve as the public voice of the academic mission of the University internally and externally; innovative and entrepreneurial spirit to further advance Santa Clara's relationship with Silicon Valley; natural relationship builder with the experience or willingness to work with the donor community.
• Disciplinary breadth: Demonstrated ability to understand the broad range of academic areas represented at Santa Clara at undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels, and to encourage cross-disciplinary collaborations, especially within STEM.