Job description

Asheville, NC

Position Number: 001016

Recruitment Range: $148,000-$153,000

Work Schedule and Hours

Typical administrative workload. Typical office hours are Monday 8:00am to 5:00PM. Additional hours as needed to meet the needs of the department.

Months per Year: 12 Months

Position Summary

The Assistant Provost of Student Success and Engagement provides strategic leadership for all matters related to student success and engagement at the university. The assistant provost will work closely with deans, department chairs, faculty, and other internal and external stakeholders to develop, implement, and evaluate initiatives, policies, programs, services, and activities to enhance student success. They will also develop and implement inclusive and innovative strategies, services, activities, and opportunities to increase student engagement, academic progression, academic support, career planning and development, and experiential learning while fostering a sense of belonging for all students. The assistant provost will serve as a results-driven strategist and effective change agent working collaboratively with all other academic areas to facilitate a university-wide culture of undergraduate student success.

The assistant provost is a member of the Provost’s executive cabinet and a standing member of the Strategic Enrollment Management Committee. The assistant provost will also serve as the Provost’s representative on any relevant Faculty Senate committees (e.g., APC, core curriculum advisory committee, SFI committee, etc.)

The assistant provost will provide supervision over the following areas: Academic Support Center, Academic Advising, Writing Center, Career Development, Honors Program, Study Abroad, Director of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Program, the Key Center, PLACE-based core curriculum, IGNITE, First Year Experience, Director of QEP and PALS and also the STEAM studio.

VISION, CORE VALUES, AND COMPETENCIES FOR THE DIVISION OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

The Assistant Provost will align all actions, decisions, and strategic plans in alignment with the vision, core values, and competencies of the division of academic affairs. The priorities of the office of the provost include:

1. Results-based accountability: establishing clear responsibilities, setting expectations for performance, measuring results accurately, and incorporating feedback.
2. Commitment to excellence in all that we do. While staying true to our liberal arts and sciences heritage, fostering the courage to do things better, faster, and smarter than we have done in the past. We seek to foster lifelong learning among faculty to stay abreast of not only their disciplinary knowledge, but also the evolving best practices in pedagogy, research practices, instructional modalities, and fostering a sense of belonging in students, faculty, and staff in a post-pandemic world.
3. Data-informed, strategic decision making: Leveraging data and the university strategic plan to see the actions of Academic Affairs as set within the larger ecosystem of the university and community and prioritize goals and resource allocation to align with these imperatives. Have a future-facing orientation and be poised to have a campus-wide impact leveraging the diverse talents of the college in all actions and initiatives.
4. Commitment to student success and career readiness. Resolving to remove barriers that exist in academic policies or procedures that inhibit a seamless educational experience. This involves ensuring the highest-quality curriculum and teaching effectiveness in all modalities and for all learners.
5. Innovation and relevance: Academic Affairs will lead the institution by implementing an applied liberal arts and sciences ethos/mission/focus that results in career-ready graduates who can tackle contemporary challenges in an ever-changing world with solutions that require adaptability and the application of multiple perspectives. This will be accomplished through a place-based core curriculum, community partnerships, experiential learning, interdisciplinarity, and the cultivation of career-ready outcomes in all degree programs. Academic Affairs will need to expand the capacity of education programming beyond our traditional students to include increased online offerings, graduate programs, and educational opportunities that are not a traditional four-year degree (certificates, badges, micro-credentials).

EXPECTATIONS FOR ASSISTANT PROVOST

In alignment with the priorities of academic affairs, outlined above, the assistant provost will develop concrete and measurable plans that address the following expectations. These expectations will form the basis for their yearly goal-setting and evaluation by the Provost.

1. Strategic visioning and planning. The Assistant Provost will facilitate strategic planning initiatives with the academic deans that align colleges with the vision of academic affairs and the larger university.
2. Optimizing work processes. Establish robust business practices that utilize our resources (people and finances) effectively. Encourage collegiality, transparency, and accountability. The Assistant Provost will support campus partners to oversee equity and consistency in the implementation of policies.
3. Collaboration. Bringing the right people together to leverage their skills, talents, knowledge, and experience to work together toward a common purpose. Lead cross-functional teams in a matrix organization. Build relationships to influence results.
4. Builds effective teams: Provide the necessary resources for team members to be successful, whether that is financial resources, professional development, autonomy, or incentives. Foster high levels of internal and external communication.
5. Drives Vision and purpose: Align around a revised university strategic plan by painting a compelling picture. Infuse energy and motivate a campus-wide culture of student-centeredness in all considerations and decision-making.

This is a 12-month position with no teaching or research expectations. The successful candidate will have EHRA status with a right of return to the faculty and/or to a prior administrative position. This is a limited-term position of three years.

Required Education/Experience/Skills

This position requires a PhD or terminal degree.

The successful candidate should hold tenure and be an associate professor or higher.

Five to seven years of higher education experience, preferably in the area of Academic Affairs.

Prior leadership and/or supervisor experience.

Preferred Education/Experience/Skills

At least three years of higher education administrative experience.

Knowledge of high-impact practices and experiential education

Knowledge of best practices in student retention and student success

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

The Assistant Provost will exhibit the following qualities and experiences. A candidate who does not already possess these traits must demonstrate a commitment and capacity to grow into these characteristics over time:

• Provides leadership for university-wide undergraduate academic success initiatives.
• Provides leadership, administrative, and fiscal/budget oversight and policy, procedures, protocol, and process development for retention and student success.
• Provides leadership and coordination of student success initiatives across the student academic life cycle with a focus on meeting UNC System metrics, retention and graduation rates, as well as post-graduation outcomes.
• Research, develop, and coordinate high-impact practices for student success.
• Work closely with internal and external stakeholders to provide a positive, seamless experience for students from admission to graduation.
• Envisions, plans and seeks funding for student success initiatives.
• Utilize human-centered design in the creation of student services, activities, and initiatives.
• Participates in professional development opportunities to keep abreast of current best practices in the areas of retention and student success
• Develop goals and methods to assess student success initiatives, as well as utilize data for continuous improvement in this area.
• Serve as the external face of all student success initiatives, especially at Open House and potential student recruiting activities, Orientation.
• Demonstrated ability to attract extramural funding and engage in fundraising efforts.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate many projects at the same time.
• The highest standards of integrity, ethics, and transparency.
• Confidence, humility, and an attitude that welcomes challenge and feedback.
• An action-oriented focus on solutions that drive results.
• A demonstrated track record of effective cross-campus collaboration.
• Demonstrated ability to gain cooperation and support from faculty and other individuals when initiating new policies, procedures, or programs.
• Experience working in a shared governance context.
• A strategic thinker who maintains awareness of higher education trends, including learning technologies.

Posting Number: E0510

Closing date: 05/22/2025

How to apply

Apply now

he University of North Carolina at Asheville is committed to equality of educational experiences for students and is an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action employer. UNC Asheville will not discriminate against students, applicants, or employees on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation*, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation, or any other legally protected status with respect to all terms, conditions, or privileges of University-sponsored activities, employment, and the use of University facilities.

*UNC Asheville acknowledges and understands that the category of sexual orientation is not a protected category under Federal or State law and therefore can not be grieved beyond campus level.