Interim Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (Colorado Springs)

Interim Provost & Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

Position Overview

The Interim Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs is the chief academic officer for the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS), providing visionary leadership and strategic direction for all academic programs and initiatives. As the senior member of the Chancellor's executive team, the Interim Provost is responsible for ensuring the academic excellence of the university and fostering a culture of innovation that encourages growth and change. This role requires a dynamic leader who can advance the university's mission by guiding academic policy, enhancing faculty development, and overseeing curriculum and research initiatives. The Interim Provost is also expected to collaborate effectively with other university leaders, engage with external partners, and represent the university at the highest levels to support its growth as a premier comprehensive regional research university. The Interim Provost also provides executive leadership for the university's institutional accreditation activities, ensuring ongoing compliance with Higher Learning Commission (HLC) standards and continuous institutional improvement.

Essential Functions

(30%) Academic Strategy, Program Quality, and Student Success

• Serve as UCCS's chief academic officer and articulate and advance teaching, learning, research, creative work, and service as central to the university's mission and future development.
• Provide vision and leadership for the development, implementation, evaluation, review, prioritization, and continuous improvement of academic programs, including academic healthcare clinics and faculty clinical or professional practice.
• Lead the academic program reduction and discontinuance process, including evaluation, consultation, recommendations, communication, and implementation, in alignment with shared governance, Regent law and policy, university and campus policy, accreditation requirements, and applicable personnel obligations.
• Advance student success by strengthening collaboration between faculty and staff across curricular and co-curricular programs and by coordinating academic affairs with student affairs to support a cohesive student experience.
• Remove barriers to academic innovation and sustainable growth and guide the university's academic portfolio in response to changing student, workforce, community, and institutional needs.

(25%) Institutional Leadership, Planning, and Resource Stewardship

• Serve as the Chancellor's collaborative partner and principal academic advisor, contribute to executive decision‑making, and act on the Chancellor's behalf when the Chancellor is unavailable.
• Lead long‑range academic planning and align academic priorities with institutional strategy, enrollment, financial planning, fundraising, infrastructure, and student development goals.
• Allocate and steward resources to support high‑quality academic programs, teaching, research, creative work, service, and administrative operations using transparent, data‑informed, ethical, and sustainable practices.
• Navigate and influence complex budgetary, policy, operational, and programmatic decisions and establish clear priorities that support the university's mission and long‑term sustainability.
• Oversee and strategically align the colleges and key academic units, including the Office of the Provost, Undergraduate Education and Academic Planning, Research, Faculty Affairs, the Graduate School, the Kraemer Family Library, and Extended Studies and Academic Outreach.
• Provide executive oversight of the university's institutional accreditation process, including preparation for Higher Learning Commission (HLC) comprehensive evaluations, monitoring compliance with accreditation criteria, coordinating campus‑wide accreditation activities, and fostering a culture of continuous quality improvement.

(20%) Faculty and Academic Leadership

• Recruit, appoint, develop, evaluate, retain, and promote highly qualified tenure‑track and Instructional, Research, and Clinical faculty, deans, and other academic leaders.
• Provide executive oversight for faculty appointment, reappointment, promotion, tenure, annual evaluation, compensation, professional development, and other academic personnel processes.
• Lead the strategic alignment of faculty affairs structures, resources, policies, and services to support faculty across ranks and appointment types.
• Foster an academic culture grounded in integrity, accountability, inclusion, civil dialogue, learning across differences, and respect for the contributions of faculty, staff, and students.

(15%) Research, Innovation, and External Engagement

• Provide strategic leadership for the growth, quality, and impact of research and creative work, including efforts to secure funding, strengthen interdisciplinary activity, and expand community‑engaged scholarship.
• Ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of the research enterprise's administrative and operational support systems, including sponsored project processes and other infrastructure that enables faculty success.
• Build productive relationships with external partners and represent UCCS with CU System leadership, the Board of Regents, other CU campuses, the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, peer institutions, government, and community stakeholders.
• Provide forward‑looking leadership that positions UCCS to respond effectively to changes in higher education, research, technology, public policy, and the needs of Colorado and the region.

(10%) Shared Governance, Collaboration, and Academic Policy

• Lead the development, administration, and periodic review of academic policies through transparent processes that respect shared governance and support consistent, effective implementation.
• Collaborate consistently and transparently with the Faculty Assembly and Faculty Assembly Executive Committee so faculty perspectives inform significant academic, policy, budgetary, and strategic decisions.
• Work collaboratively with vice chancellors, deans, vice provosts, faculty, staff, students, and other campus leaders to integrate academic priorities across the university and resolve complex institutional challenges.

Qualifications

• An earned doctorate or appropriate terminal degree from an accredited institution and a distinguished record of teaching, research or creative work, and service sufficient to warrant appointment and tenure at the rank of full professor within a UCCS college and department.
• A proven track record of senior university academic leadership at the dean level or higher, or as the head of a central academic unit, with substantial responsibility for undergraduate education, graduate education, research or creative work, and faculty affairs.
• Demonstrated experience directing integrated academic and financial planning, resource allocation, academic program review and portfolio decisions, institutional accreditation (including regional accreditation), and complex organizational change within public higher education.
• A demonstrated record of leading faculty and academic personnel processes and working effectively within shared governance to develop policy, make consequential decisions, and build support across multiple constituencies.
• Experience in a public comprehensive research university, a multi‑campus university system, or an institution navigating significant academic portfolio change is highly desirable.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $232,095 - $315,000 annually. Compensation will be commensurate upon experience and qualifications. This position is Exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime provisions.

Work Location: Hybrid

Benefits at a Glance:

• Generous Time Off: 22 vacation days, 10 sick days, paid parental leave, 13 recognized holidays, and provisions for bereavement, jury duty, and FAMLI Leave.
• Robust Health Coverage: Comprehensive medical plans covering preventative care at no cost, including a yearly mental health visit. Affordable dental, vision plans, and competitive prescription drug prices.
• Financial & Retirement Benefits: Health savings, flexible spending accounts, life and disability insurance, and retirement options.
• Further Your Education: Twelve (12) waived credits per academic year for courses at any CU campus.
• Wellness & More: Wellness programs and various additional benefits through CU Advantage.

This position does not include new visa sponsorship for individuals outside the U.S. Candidates must already be in the United States with valid work authorization or an employment‑based visa. The University of Colorado Colorado Springs has implemented a misconduct history check program with respect to final candidates for specific appointments, specifically related to sexual misconduct, harassment, and/or discrimination.