Vice President for Academic Affairs and University Provost

Antioch University's Vice President for Academic Affairs and University Provost (VPAA) is the senior academic officer of Antioch University (AU) and the Provost of the Antioch faculty. The VPAA works closely with the University President to lead academic visioning, positioning, and planning. The VPAA heads the Academic Affairs division of the University, ensuring it is an innovative, sustainable, and thriving part of the institution.

The VPAA is responsible for overseeing and coordinating academic programming and curriculum, assessment and accreditation, student support and services, academic personnel, and academic budget planning and fiscal management across multiple campuses and national disciplinary and interdisciplinary schools.

As AU is primarily a teaching university for adult learners, the VPAA plays a key role in ensuring the quality and effectiveness of teaching and learning, as well as the quality of the faculty across the entire system. The VPAA is responsible for balancing administrative oversight with shared governance in Academic Affairs. 

The VPAA builds and sustains academic partnerships with other higher education institutions, employers, community organizations, and industries to meet their workforce, corporate, and continuing education needs. The VPAA represents Antioch University in professional associations, accreditation meetings, and relevant academic conferences and gatherings aligned with the mission and strategic directions of Antioch University. The VPAA serves on the Antioch President’s Cabinet and engages with senior leadership on institutional positioning and planning. 

The Antioch VPAA also serves as the corporate officer/Vice President of Graduate Studies (VPGS) of the Coalition for the Common Good (CCG). As a corporate officer, the VPAA/VPGS is responsible for ensuring the academic quality of the CCG’s graduate programs, fostering inter-institutional collaborations, and expanding academic and business partnerships. The VPAA/VPGS has a significant role in the CCG’s expansion and serves on the CCG Cabinet, working collaboratively and extensively with the VPAA of Otterbein University, who serves as the CCG’s Vice President of Undergraduate Studies.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities  

1. Leadership of Academic Programs, including degree programs, certificate programs, workforce development, community education, continuing education, and all other forms of lifelong learning. 

• Provides oversight and planning for all academic programs. 
• Leads the development and recommendation of new or expanded programmatic offerings. 
• Ensures all programs and curricula are consistent with Antioch's Mission, Vision, and Values. 
• Ensures high-quality teaching and leads to demonstrable student learning outcomes. 
• Represents Antioch and its academic mission to external stakeholders and potential partners. 
• Oversees the program review process, including regular comprehensive reviews that inform academic and business planning and provide evidence of program quality, teaching quality, and student learning. 
• Oversees the coordination of university-wide student success and support services, including but not limited to library services, writing support, disability support services, prior learning assessment, career planning, international studies, registration and student records, and academic technology services. 
• Develops, maintains, communicates, and implements, across all Schools, consistent academic and student policies that ensure that the University is compliant with its own policies and with relevant state and federal guidelines and policies as well. 
• Oversees the development and monitoring of student success metrics and associated institutional strategies around persistence and completion. 
• Oversees the promotion of a culture of inquiry and evidence-based teaching and learning.

2. Leadership of Faculty and Academic Staff 

• Oversees the hiring, recruitment, development, and evaluation of a distinguished and highly qualified faculty and academic staff who are committed to the mission, vision, and values of Antioch University. 
• Works closely with the Faculty Senate, guiding a culture of shared governance and innovative teaching. Ensures effective academic governance in academic decision-making, facilitating communication and collaboration on shared governance initiatives. 
• Leads and regularly meets with the Deans, individually and as members of the Deans’ Council, as well as with Department Chairs, and academic staff. 
• Develops, maintains, communicates, and implements, consistently across all programs and Schools, faculty employment policies that align, to the greatest possible extent, with higher education best practices. 
• Along with others, represents the University in collective bargaining with the Faculty Union (SEIU); and, in collaboration with University Counsel and outside labor counsel, ensures that AU’s academic practices comply with the Collective Bargaining Agreement and with state and federal laws. 
• Ensures the roles of the Faculty Union and the Faculty Senate within University governance are well defined and well understood.

3. Leadership of Strategic and Academic Planning 

• Leads ongoing and future-focused academic planning and implementation. This includes strategically expanding the University’s academic portfolio by introducing new modalities to current programs, adding new campus locations, and launching innovative programs in fields and disciplines not currently offered by the University, some as part of CCG. In all cases, the VPAA assures that programs meet the needs of current and future learners and the communities and workplaces in which they live and work. 
• Oversees the successful transfer of accreditor- and state-approved CCG graduate programs to Antioch University. As part of this duty, create and manage pathways for CCG undergraduates to enter Antioch graduate programs. 
• Provides guidance to the Office of Strategic Partnerships, whose focus is establishing partnerships with local, regional, and national employers who help employees pave pathways to lifelong learning, and works with these partner employers to offer degree programs, certificate programs, continuing education, workforce development, and other learning opportunities. 
• Ensures that academic programs/initiatives and curricular changes include a data-driven business plan that details or projects financial impacts and opportunities. 
• Oversees the creative expansion of online, hybrid, or other distance learning opportunities.

4. Leadership in Financial and Administrative Oversight 

• In concert with the President and Cabinet, builds a destination teaching and learning institution known for offering innovative and excellent academics and for being financially sustainable. 

• Develops and manages the annual budget for Academic Affairs, including all program budgets, within the approved scope of the overall University budget goals. 
• Regularly monitors and manages the costs associated with all academic programs and offices, especially personnel costs, which comprise the vast majority of University expenses 
• In collaboration with the VP for Finance, develops and implements academic business plans, complete with performance indicators such as cost per credential conferred, instructional margins, and net contribution margins. 
• In collaboration with the VP of Enrollment Management, Deans, and others, develops enrollment and marketing strategies that support the academic programs and growth opportunities. 
• In collaboration with the VP of Human Resources, ensures the implementation of and compliance with employment, benefits, and compensation practices in alignment with University policy, employment law, and the Faculty Collective Bargaining Agreement. 
• In collaboration with VP of Institutional Advancement, develops plans to secure gifts, grants, and contracts that support academic programs and initiatives 
• Implements, oversees, and manages an efficient and effective process for faculty workload development, ensuring that faculty loads are managed in accordance with university policy, the CBA, and best practices. Make recommendations on workload process improvements, including the adoption of new technologies. 
• Oversees and manages all subcontracting, purchase orders, and check requests for academic affairs.

5. Leadership in Accreditation and Licensure 

• Leads all efforts for institutional and programmatic accreditation. Serves as, or appoints and directly supervises, the University’s Accreditation Liaison Officer. 
• Ensures that academic operations and processes align with federal and state regulations and with institutional and programmatic accreditation criteria. 
• Ensures that Antioch’s academic operations continuously align with industry-accepted practices and accreditation standards. 
• Leads the regular review and assessment of student outcomes, including the analysis of persistence and completion data. 
• Ensures the University maintains proper state authorization in all states where AU operates. 
• Leads the process for comprehensive or focused accreditation reviews, including the preparation of assurance arguments and data compilations. 
• Remains current with institutional accreditation requirements, educational trends, and best practices within higher education. 

6. Leadership of Antioch University and the Coalition for the Common Good 

• Serves as a member of AU President’s Cabinet and engages in developing and facilitating institution-wide planning and implementation. 
• Collaborates with AU Cabinet leadership on university-wide strategic initiatives. 
• Works closely with the Academic Affairs Committee of the AU Board of Governors. 
• Serves as a member of the Cabinet of the Common Good (CCG) and, in role as corporate officer, serves as the Vice President of Graduate Studies for the CCG. 

Qualifications

Education & Experience Required

• An earned terminal degree in one’s field from an accredited institution of higher education. 
• At least 10 years of progressively responsible academic leadership at more than one accredited institution of higher learning; five of those years must be at the Dean’s level or higher. 
• Faculty experience at an accredited institution, preferably at the graduate level, with a record of teaching, research, and publications, equivalent to associate professor at a minimum. 
• Leadership experience in strategic planning, program development, curriculum and instruction, and student learning, assessment, and retention. 
• Experience with developing and standing up academic programs that contribute to student success, enrollment growth, and the university’s “bottom line." 
• Experience overseeing, stewarding, expanding, and leveraging an institution's fiscal resources, and experience in budget development and management. 
• Demonstrated flexibility, self-awareness, and professional integrity. 
• Evidence of intercultural competence as demonstrated by a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. 
• Evidence of alignment with Antioch University’s mission and purpose.

Education & Experience Preferred 

• Academic leadership experience within a multi-campus environment and leading geographically dispersed teams. 
• A thorough understanding of and commitment to liberal arts, graduate, and professional education. 
• Experience building and updating education models to serve graduate and adult learners with multiple delivery options. 
• Experience in leading graduate and/or professional education programs, especially those with experiential components. 
• Experience with collective bargaining, grievance resolution, and labor law, especially in the faculty or higher education context. 
• Experience with multiple types of higher education systems (e.g., state systems, higher ed consortia, coalitions) and structures (e.g., M&A institutions, shared services). 
• A track record for academic innovation and experimentation, including the creation of workforce-aligned programs and outcomes. 

Skills, Abilities, & Aptitudes 

• A commitment to support the University's mission and the President. 
• Effective collaborative leadership skills, innovative thinking, and creative energy. 
• Outstanding written, verbal, and interpersonal skills. 
• Ability to identify, inspire, innovate, and implement 21st-century programs and pedagogies. 
• Commitment to student success, especially adults and non-traditional students. 
• Commitment to faculty development and leadership. 
• Capacity to exercise academic leadership and decision-making authority in ways that honor and advance the principles of effective shared governance. 
• Commitment to achieving institutional and programmatic diversity, inclusion, and equity; cultural competency as demonstrated by sensitivity to, appreciation of, and advancement for all forms of diversity. 
• Knowledge of the following: the challenges and opportunities of the current higher education landscape including viable institutional and academic models, teaching modalities, and academic technologies; the demographics affecting enrollment, markets, and the competitive landscape; trends in employment, careers and desired student outcomes; the political environment at state and federal levels that can impact Antioch and higher education in general; and innovations that can advance the University, its vision, and its students.
• Ability to plan and administer multiple budgets that achieve organizational goals. 
• Ability to engage collegially, professionally, and collaboratively with others, including staff, administrators, faculty, and students. 
• A track record for being an inclusive and collaborative consensus-builder who values, supports, motivates, and develops employees. 
• Proficiency with multiple technological apps such as Microsoft Office, Google, Zoom, etc.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to work daily at one of our existing campuses, or remotely from home, or from other locations. 
• Ability to travel frequently by commercial airlines, car, and public transportation, and to ambulate from the various types of work locations. 
• Ability to use and operate computers, computer software, telephones, and other common business equipment on a daily and routine basis, including the ability to read, type, and comprehend business reports, memoranda, data, spreadsheets, emails, etc. 
• Capacity to work a full-time schedule during normal business hours and beyond, as is typical of positions at this level within higher education. 
• Reasonable Accommodations for physical or other disabilities that would enable you to perform these and other essential functions of the job are available upon request. 

Additional Details

Hours and Location of Employment 

This is a full-time position serving a geographically dispersed faculty, staff, and student body. The VPAA’s office may be located at any of the University’s five campuses (Los Angeles, California; Santa Barbara, California; Seattle, Washington; Yellow Springs, Ohio; Keene, New Hampshire) and/or at a home office anywhere in the continental United States. 

Significant travel is required, as well as managing and collaborating with supervisors, peers, and direct reports across multiple time zones. A work schedule will be established in consultation with the President

Shape the Future of Higher Education

Submit Your Application

Please email a letter of application, CV, and a list of reference names and contact information to [email protected]. In the subject line of the email, please state VCAA Univ Provost. Please attach all documents including the letter of application to the email.