Vice Provost for Academic Affairs

Overview

Primary Responsibilities

As a key partner to the Provost, the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs coordinates and supports the successful development and progress of academic initiatives, particularly those that cut across units and have broad strategic importance to the University and the potential for significant impact. While the ongoing portfolio of the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs will have a broad focus, a substantial emphasis of the position's efforts in the first two to three years will center on the development and implementation of an initial set of seed initiatives related to academic outreach.

Responsibilities
Academic Outreach Project

Identify new opportunities to leverage Princeton's mission, advantages and resources to address the specific needs and aspirations of non-traditional students, with a particular focus on adult learners, in the local, regional, and national communities.

Shepherd initiatives through internal University processes and approvals, including socializing new ideas and directions with leadership and other key stakeholders. Ensure that promising new ideas excel through timely and successful implementation, by providing management oversight, fostering accountability, securing adequate resources and trouble-shooting obstacles.

Partner with other institutions serving non-traditional students to seek creative opportunities to support faculty and students at these institutions through collaboration, exchanges, and complementary educational experiences and mentoring.

Convene regularly the leaders of non-traditional educational offerings at Princeton to consider opportunities for collaboration, shared services and support; develop solutions to common problems or hindrances; and brainstorm on pathways for expanding impact of existing programs.

Network, liaison, and represent Princeton's interests with external partners, such as other educational institutions colleges, foundations, and non-profit organizations, on program development, delivery, and coordination.

Other Academic Initiatives

Monitor and enable progress on major academic initiatives, particularly cross-cutting projects that do not have a natural, single academic home. Surface challenges and other issues needing attention to the academic officers for consideration. Trouble-shoot and resolve issues impacting progress on key initiatives.

Provide support and guidance to faculty and academic units in the planning and development of new initiatives and programs, helping to ensure alignment with broader goals, surfacing and resolving issues, and ensuring that proposals are actionable.

Ensure that academic proposals, initiatives and plans have been coordinated across the appropriate offices (e.g., Dean of Faculty, Dean of the College, Dean for Research, and Dean of the Graduate School, etc.); that key questions and concerns have been surfaced and addressed; that the opportunity has been connected to the appropriate context(s), principles, or long-term planning assumptions; and that alternatives and recommendations are framed effectively to support effective decision making.

Coordinate and foster effective information flow and context-setting with academic units, working closely with partners in the Dean of the Faculty, Dean of the College, and Graduate School offices. Connect with the leadership of academic units in formal and informal ways to maintain an awareness of emerging opportunities and challenges facing particular units and to anticipate necessary intervention or support. Ensure a consistent, complete and coordinated response to complex issues and requests touching the purview of multiple offices. Prepare briefing materials for the Provost in advance of meetings with academic unit chairs, program directors and others.

Collaborate with the Deputy Provost for Resource Planning and Deputy Deans to inform frameworks, analysis, and recommendations related to the continued enhancement of the university's academic programs, such as the multi-year faculty growth and hiring plan, implications of undergraduate expansion for academic units, etc.

Staff the Academic Planning Group (APG), working with the academic officers to identify and provide background materials on agenda items, and to ensure follow-up and execution on decisions reached by APG.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in liberal arts discipline or other relevant field.
• Seven or more years of experience developing and administering academic programs at a college or university.
• Demonstrated success shepherding and launching major projects, including strategy setting and stakeholder engagement and collaboration.
• Passion for serving non-traditional population of students.
• Networking, relationship-building, and persuasion skills, characterized by the ability to lead and contribute through ideas and influence rather than exerting hierarchical authority.
• Extraordinary listening skills and humility necessary to be an effective ambassador with external groups and institutions as well as key campus partners.

Princeton University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. EEO IS THE LAW

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