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Provost Search Washington State University

Qualifications and Characteristics

 
The successful candidate for the Provost will be an experienced academic leader with a high level of energy, enthusiasm, and drive to achieve ambitious University-wide goals. 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 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 the University 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;
  • Clear understanding of leading-edge methods and instructional technologies to support faculty, staff, and students in a large public university;
  • 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.

Location

This position is located in Pullman, Washington, a close-knit, family-friendly town of more than 33,000 people located in southeastern Washington, 75 miles south of Spokane. Pullman offers the stimulation of a research university combined with a small-town living environment. Pullman is close to mountain ranges, scenic lakes, and rivers in an area that offers excellent outdoor activities. Spokane is the largest metropolitan area (with a population of over 484,000 in Spokane County) between Seattle and Minneapolis and is the state’s second largest city. Moscow, Idaho, home of the University of Idaho, Idaho’s land-grant university, is eight miles from Pullman, making the area rich in university-based activities. Travel between the campus and extension locations will be expected on a frequent basis.

Applications, inquiries, and nominations

Screening of complete applications will begin immediately 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: http://www.imsearch.com/xxxx. Electronic submission of materials is strongly encouraged.

Julie Filizetti, Lindsay Gold, Katie Pusecker
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.