Provost and Vice-President, Academic

The University of Windsor invites nominations, applications, and expressions of interest for the position of Provost and Vice-President, Academic with the appointment to begin in late 2022 or early 2023. This is an excellent academic leadership opportunity in a community engaged, student centred, and research focused university with a mission of enabling people to make a better world through education, scholarship, research, and engagement.

The University of Windsor is a regionally focused, globally connected, comprehensive university with over 16,000 students and more than 600 faculty. With strong student-faculty relationships, exceptional award-winning faculty, and innovative staff, UWindsor provides students with a friendly and supportive learning environment. As Canada’s southernmost university, the University of Windsor overlooks the Detroit River on one of Canada’s most beautiful waterfronts and is minutes away from North America’s busiest international border crossing. This unique position has contributed to its identity as a diverse university community providing rich cultural, recreational, and educational opportunities for faculty and students. The University is a key player in a wide range of distinctive industrial, entrepreneurial, and cultural activities throughout the City of Windsor and Essex County, and an evolving network of international academic and industrial partnerships, particularly with leading universities in Michigan. Since 2011, the University has invested over $330 million in new world-class buildings and facilities, including its award-winning downtown campus expansion and a soon to be completed world-class athletic facility – the Toldo Lancer Centre.

A richly comprehensive institution, the University of Windsor offers more than 280 innovative, experience-integrated programs and certificates. With more than 70 graduate and professional programs encompassing 57% of the student body and a work-integrated learning program that has grown by over 40% in the past five years, UWindsor emphasizes community and industry engagement and invests in student success and self-development. Transferable and profession-specific expertise that allows students to successfully pursue a wide range of careers is developed through opportunities that include undergraduate research, service learning, leadership, study-abroad, and internships. The University is home to eight vibrant academic Faculties and offers a medical program through  the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry – Windsor Campus in partnership with Western University. More information can be found by visiting www.uwindsor.ca.

Reporting to the President and Vice-Chancellor as part of the senior leadership of UWindsor, the Provost and Vice-President, Academic is the University’s chief academic leader, providing direction and vision for its academic planning and administration. With oversight that includes student experience, faculty relations and support, continuing education, information and learning technologies, the Library, strategic enrolment management, academic accountability, and international development, the Provost and Vice-President, Academic is dedicated to supporting and enhancing the University’s academic mission. Working with an outstanding leadership team of Deans and Associate Vice-Presidents, the Office of the Provost is responsible for fostering a welcoming, inclusive, and equitable campus culture that inspires and challenges faculty, staff, and students to achieve high intellectual and academic standards. Central priorities include a vibrant and supportive student experience, a compassionate and engaging campus climate, and responsible stewardship of resources and the environments.

The successful candidate for Provost will be an accomplished scholar and exemplary leader with a strong commitment to meeting the diverse needs of students, faculty, and staff. An experienced senior academic administrator and future-oriented innovative thinker with a demonstrated ability to advance and transform academic programmes, goals, and priorities, the Provost will possess an open and collegial style, outstanding collaborative acumen, communication, and interpersonal capacity, and a creative approach to problem solving in collegial environments. Building on a track record of promoting excellence, candidates shall demonstrate sustained championing of equity, diversity, and inclusion, and demonstrable practice leading efforts to promote Indigeneity and Decolonization supported by meaningful community engagement. The Provost will build and sustain positive working relationships with a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders necessary to meet the University’s commitment as a signatory to the Scarborough Charter, to Black flourishing through anti-Black racism, and anti-oppression initiatives. Candidates will possess the experience, organizational ability, and vision to effectively and strategically lead a large, complex, academic and services portfolio.

UWindsor is a welcoming community committed to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in its teaching, learning, and work environments. In pursuit of the University's Employment Equity Plan, members from the designated groups (women, Indigenous/Aboriginal (First Nations, Metis, Inuit) persons, racialized persons/visible minorities, persons with disabilities, and persons of a minority sexual orientation and/or gender identity) are encouraged to apply and to self-identify.

If you need an accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify Laverne Smith & Associates at UWindsorProvost@lavernesmith.com. Should you require further information on accommodation, please visit the website of the Office of Human Rights, Equity & Accessibility (http://www.uwindsor.ca/ohrea). All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

The Search Committee will begin consideration of candidates immediately and will continue until the position is successfully filled. Applications, including curriculum vitae, a letter of introduction and the names of three references (who will not be contacted without consent of the applicant) should be submitted, in confidence, to the university's executive search consultants:

Laverne Smith & Associates Inc. 

UWindsorProvost@lavernesmith.com