Provost & Chief Academic Officer

Overview and Role Scope

The Provost & Chief Academic Officer will:

• Act as the primary advisor to the President on matters related to academic affairs and academic support services.
• Provide strategic leadership for the University’s academic programs, curriculum development, assessment, accreditation, instructional delivery, and academic planning efforts.
• Foster a culture of academic excellence, innovation, student-centered learning, faculty development, and continuous improvement.
• Support and guide academic department heads and academic leaders in matters related to faculty recruitment, evaluation, promotion, tenure, retention, professional development, and succession planning. In consultation with the President, the Provost establishes and approves salaries for existing and new faculty members.
• Coordinate resources, personnel, and operations across academic departments and academic support offices to achieve the academic mission of the University.
• Collaborate closely with the President and University leadership to align academic priorities with institutional planning, enrollment management, budgeting, student success initiatives, and fiscal sustainability efforts.
• Work closely with the Faculty Senate and Faculty Senate Executive Committee to establish priorities and address concerns.
• Foster a culture of shared governance and transparency, ensuring faculty input on budgetary matters, academic policies, and strategic planning.
• Oversee academic operations, including instructional planning, scheduling, academic outreach activities, and the publication and delivery of instructional schedules and programs.
• Support and maintain productive partnerships with the Board of Trustees, the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, the Higher Learning Commission, and other governing and accrediting organizations.
• Work collaboratively with the Senior Vice President for Student Services, the Chief Financial Officer, and other University leaders to strengthen academic and student support functions, including recruitment, admission, advising, transfer, financial aid, and registrar services.
• Provide leadership and oversight for library services, academic support services, and instructional technologies to ensure alignment with the instructional goals and student success mission of the University.
• Provide strategic leadership and oversight for CMU Tech, in partnership with the Vice President of Technical Education & Workforce Development, to align technical education and workforce programs with regional employer needs, academic pathways, student success initiatives, and institutional priorities, while operating within the guidelines established by governing and accrediting agencies.
• Plan and oversee budgetary aspects of the academic division while monitoring expenditures and ensuring fiscal accountability and responsible stewardship of resources.
• Lead with transparency, humility, professionalism, collaboration, and accountability while fostering strong relationships across the University and broader community.
• Support a culture of data-informed decision-making by helping prioritize institutional data needs, ensuring effective use of Institutional Research capacity, and utilizing evidence to guide recommendations, planning, and institutional improvement efforts.

• Demonstrates a strong commitment to student success, academic excellence, and faculty support.
• Actively advocates for faculty and fosters an environment of trust, respect, and shared responsibility across academic and administrative units.
• Builds strong partnerships between academic and administrative departments, recognizing their distinct roles, shared service to the broader campus community, and collective contribution to the University’s mission.
• Has proven success building trust-based collaborative relationships with faculty, staff, students, community partners, and external stakeholders.
• Leads with integrity, humility, and professionalism, communicates transparently and directly, and demonstrates a growth-oriented leadership style that builds trust and shared accountability.
• Understands and actively supports shared governance, faculty engagement,…