Vice Provost & Dean/Vice President for Online Learning

Executive Summary

The Vice Provost/Vice President (VP) for Online Learning will create and implement a transformative vision for online education programming at The Ohio State. Reporting directly to the Executive Vice President and Provost, the VP will provide oversight and strategic leadership for the growth and expansion of the University’s online and hybrid learning programs. The position directs online learning collaboratively across academic programs to provide students with holistic learning opportunities and equitable educational and career outcomes.

The incumbent oversees and leads a university-wide operational infrastructure that aligns excellence in teaching and learning, student-focused course and program development, faculty training and development, and faculty and instructional staff support for student academic achievement. The Vice Provost/Vice President for Online Learning provides leadership and guidance across the university to develop a comprehensive service delivery philosophy and operating model through multiple accessible modalities and ensures the delivery of an Ohio State student experience for fully online students.  The Vice Provost/Vice President leads an ongoing planning process that includes specific objectives, activities, and time frames, assists in the development of the distance learning annual budget, develops annual goals and action plans.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy and Advisory

• Define and guide a strategic plan to improve current online offerings and launch new programs that support increased annual revenue.
• Collaborate with colleges to develop new degree and certificate programs.
• In an environment of increasing competition across higher education organizations and alternatives, remain current on state-of-the-art developments in online learning nationally and worldwide to gain and sustain an advantage in the market.
• Effectively collaborate with key stakeholders, including employers, higher education leaders, and higher education institutions, to understand the workforce and industry needs

Service Model and Operations

• Design, create, and lead an internal team to achieve economies of scale in marketing, course design and production, delivery, and exemplary student support services associated with undergraduate and graduate-level online degree and certificate offerings.
• Lead online marketing strategy working closely with admissions regarding prospective student needs/lead program alignment, student counseling to ensure the success of programs and student retention, and consistency of branding efforts
• Improve the quality of online student experience at Ohio State University through increased student satisfaction, retention and graduation, affordability, and diversity of program offerings.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to closely integrate the academic departments and administrative units that will contribute to the success of online learning, including Undergraduate Education, Graduate School, Office of Technology and Digital Innovation, Marketing and Communications, Strategic Enrollment Management, and Student Affairs.
• Work with colleges to successfully integrate all pertinent departments and offices supporting the delivery of fully online programs, including academic departments and academic support units in the colleges
• Effectively engage the university community to support online programs and students, including faculty, academic administration, and senior leadership.

Compliance and Assessment

• Ensure compliance with regulations (international, federal, and state) that may impact online learning in conjunction with the appropriate business support functions.
• Successfully launch fully online degree programs, non-degree programs, and credentials that meet all quality assurance measures and high retention rates in fully online programs.

Service Line Management

• Establish specific, measurable goals and other performance expectations, implement a systematic review process to evaluate objectives, progress, and outcomes.
• Define and manage service levels
• Lead financial and cost analysis to support online programs and operations
• Increase positive results on quality assurance measures.

Required Education and Experience

• Ph.D. or equivalent for professional area of study
• If Faculty member, tenured professor eligible
• Visionary leader in online learning
• Demonstrated ability to envision, develop, and implement ambitious plans for online education
• Demonstrated credibility and effectiveness in interacting across the university with administrators, faculty, and staff
• Demonstrated capabilities of a business line leader who combines business savvy, change leadership, a deep understanding of new offering development, and the ability to lead cross-functional teams around business goals and objectives.
• Entrepreneurial leader with experience developing product offerings, strategic road maps and/or new programs that drive growth for the organization. A strategist and doer comfortable working in a matrixed organization; adept at setting direction, establishing a process for his/her organization, and ensuring flawless delivery.
• An understanding of shared governance and collaborative decision-making is essential as it relates to consensus-building around programs and messaging. Familiarity and comfort in a highly collaborative work environment, willing to contribute by building internal partnerships with faculty, staff, students, and alumni. Inspires creative thinking and fosters problem-solving.

How to Apply

Please visit https://osujoblinks.com/8b4r to find out more and apply online for the job opening R71114.

Applicants should submit the following:

1. A current and comprehensive curriculum vitae
2. A letter of interest describing why you are interested in the role of Vice Provost/Vice President for Online Learning, why you are a good fit for the position based on your experience, why now is a good time for you to consider the opportunity, and an overview of your commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

All inquiries and nominations should be submitted to Julian Tunno at Tunno.3@osu.edu. For priority consideration, please submit all application materials as soon as possible.

The Ohio State University

Founded in 1870 as a land-grant university, The Ohio State University is one of the nation’s finest higher education institutions, with annual research expenditures of over $1 billion. Ohio State’s Columbus campus sits within the nation’s 14^th largest city, which has been recognized not only as the fastest-growing city in the Midwest but also as an emerging hub for high-tech companies and a center for education, healthcare, and the arts. Approximately 6,500 students attend Ohio State’s regional campuses in Lima, Mansfield, Marion, and Newark, and the Agricultural Technical Institute co-located with the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster.  In addition to its regional importance, Ohio State has a national and global impact. Many graduates remain in Ohio, but alumni are found throughout the world. The Ohio State University boasts 550,000 living alumni, and its endowment stands at $5.2 billion. 
 
The university has an astonishing intellectual range with 15 academic colleges and a wealth of disciplines. All the colleges are on the Columbus campus, which opens the possibility of working across units. The institution has enormous ambition; through its strategic planning efforts, Ohio State aspires to be the absolute model of a 21^st-century land-grant university, enabling people from ordinary backgrounds to achieve the extraordinary. Students are exposed to a vast array of ideas, experiences, and cultures at Ohio State; inclusive excellence is a central tenet of the institution. 
 

It might be expected that size would be an impediment to innovation at such a comprehensive institution. Not so at Ohio State. The university is serious about taking innovation in teaching and learning to scale and achieve institutional success through multi-disciplinary and cross-university collaboration and engagement.

About Ohio State Online

Ohio State Online offers a flexible academic environment that will allow students to explore and prepare for career success. Ohio State has world-renowned faculty who prepare students to tackle the world's most pressing issues. As a graduate of Ohio State Online, you become a part of one of the largest alumni networks in the world. Ohio State Online is helping some of the best and brightest reach their dreams. Learn more about Ohio State Online.

Ohio State Online programs are top-ranked:

• #16 Top Public Schools Nationwide

U.S. News & World Report

 

• #2 Best Online Graduate Nursing Programs

U.S. News & World Report

 

• #11 Online Ranking for Undergraduate Programs

U.S. News & World Report

 

• #1 among Ohio's Public Colleges

U.S. News & World Report

 

• #17 Nation's Most Employable Grads

Times Higher Education

 

Columbus, Ohio

Columbus is one of the fastest-growing major metropolitan areas in the country, with a vibrant blend of arts and culture; inspired culinary, fashion, music, and entertainment scenes; exciting collegiate and professional sports; and an open, entrepreneurial spirit. Its diverse population — 109 languages are represented — makes Columbus a microcosm of America.

Ohio’s state capital is the 14th largest city in the U.S. and second largest in the Midwest behind Chicago, larger than Charlotte, Seattle, Denver, Boston, Nashville, and Baltimore. The population of the greater Columbus metropolitan area is more than two million. At the same time, the cost of living in Columbus is 10 percent below the national average.

Intelligent Community Forum named Columbus one of the seven most intelligent communities in the world. The city has more PhDs than the national average and the largest concentration in the Midwest, plus there are 56 college and university campuses within the Columbus region.

Columbus is within 550 miles of nearly half the nation’s population. John Glenn Columbus International Airport, 10 minutes from downtown, offers more than 150 daily nonstop departures to 35 airports. During the work week, the average Columbus commute is just 23.3 minutes and can be significantly less. Learn more about Columbus.

Closing Statement

The Ohio State University is committed to building a diverse faculty and staff for employment and promotion to ensure the highest quality workforce, to reflect human diversity and to improve opportunities for underrepresented groups and women. The university embraces human diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity, affirmative action and eliminating discrimination. This commitment is both a moral imperative consistent with an intellectual community that celebrates individual differences and diversity, as well as a matter of law. 

 

Discrimination against any individual based upon protected status, which is defined as age, ancestry, color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, military status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status, is prohibited.