Qualifications and Characteristics

The successful candidate for Provost will be an experienced academic leader with a high level of energy, enthusiasm, and the drive to achieve ambitious university goals system-wide. While no one candidate may possess all of them, the successful candidate will offer many of the following qualifications and attributes:

Background and Leadership Experience

  • A Ph.D. or other terminal degree and a strong record of academic teaching and active research and scholarship requisite for an appointment as a tenured full professor at WSU;
  • A successful track record in academic administration with progressively responsible experience and quantifiable advancement of the organization(s) the candidate has led;
  • A passionate commitment to academic excellence, with demonstrated advocacy for faculty and implementation of innovative strategies that enhance research, grant, and contract activity;
  • A collegial, collaborative, and accessible approach to leadership, with a track record of building meaningful partnerships and relations internally, externally, and across a university or system;
  • An enthusiasm for students and an understanding of their needs and what it takes to inspire academic success;
  • Strategic and data-driven thinking with experience in assessment and outcomes measurements as well as accreditation processes;
  • A commitment to transparency in policy, strategy, and financial management, with an appreciation of and support for shared governance;
  • An awareness and respect for the core values of a land-grant institution, and the ability to operate successfully across a multi-campus environment;
  • Meaningful commitment to and demonstrated accomplishment in issues around inclusivity, equity, and diversity, incorporating them into the daily operations of the organization and embedding them as learning outcomes in academic instruction and research;
  • Ability to develop and promote positive public relationships with appropriate groups at local, state, national, and international levels, and to articulate the mission of the university to diverse public constituencies;
  • Superb communication skills, both in the written and spoken word, and the ability to collaborate and work constructively with other university leaders, developing partnerships with other divisions to further the mission of the institution;
  • Demonstrated commitment to the professional development and success of faculty and staff;
  • Excellent financial management skills and demonstrated experience working with complex budgeting models; an astute understanding of university finances and the relationships between academic priorities, budgeting, and fundraising;
  • Honesty, integrity, resilience, humility, and a sense of humor.

Applications, inquiries, and nominations

Screening of complete applications will begin in January 2024 and continue until the completion of the search process. Inquiries, nominations, referrals, and CVs with cover letters should be sent via the Isaacson, Miller website for the search. Electronic submission of materials is strongly encouraged.

Julie Filizetti, Carley Davenport, Aku Ammah-Tagoe, and Katie Pusecker Kilcawley
Isaacson, Miller
1000 Sansome Street, Suite 300
San Francisco, CA 94111
Phone: 415.655.4900
Fax: 415.655.4905

Washington State University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action educator and employer. Members of ethnic minorities, women, especially disabled veterans, veterans of the Vietnam-era, recently separated veterans, and other protected veterans, persons of disability, and/or persons age 40 and over are encouraged to apply.