Associate Provost

The Associate Provost is a senior academic administrator who serves as a close partner to the Provost/Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs in the leadership, coordination, and continuous improvement of OCC’s academic enterprise. Working at the intersection of faculty, academic deans, and key institutional support functions, the Associate Provost bridges analytical and process‑management work to translate institutional goals into actionable academic initiatives, ensuring that academic quality remains a consistent priority. The Associate Provost serves as the primary Academic Affairs coordinator for transfer and articulation, with a strong emphasis on building and sustaining agreements that prioritize student completion of an OCC credential first, and leads cross‑divisional coordination in support of other strategic initiatives. OCC’s academic enterprise spans both occupational/career‑technical education and a robust general education mission that serves transfer‑bound students, lifelong learners, and students pursuing broad intellectual development. The Associate Provost is expected to bring a deep commitment to and fluency in the general education mission including liberal arts, transfer pathways, and the foundational role of general education in a comprehensive community college. Responsibilities Model and champion OCC’s Culture Standards in all aspects of academic leadership, demonstrating commitment to students, honest and respectful communication, genuine collaboration, and a sense of belonging. Hold others accountable for embodying these standards in their work across all divisions and campuses. Translate Provost‑level strategic direction into division‑level guidance, working with deans to ensure that college‑wide initiatives are implemented consistently across campuses. Identify and cultivate instructional leadership capacity within the dean team, supporting deans who are newer to academic administration in developing the skills, judgment, and institutional knowledge the role requires, including OCC’s academic culture, governance structures, and expectations. Partner with academic deans to ensure that faculty hiring processes reflect institutional priorities around instructional quality, general education, and credential requirements. Supervise the Academic Scheduling Manager and serve as the Academic Affairs lead for scheduling strategy, working with academic deans to ensure that course offerings across campuses, modalities, and delivery times are driven by student completion data and equity considerations. Lead a cross‑functional committee to evaluate and adopt a scheduling platform capable of producing optimized schedules that better serve student pathway completion. Partner with the faculty‑coordinated Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) to support instructional quality across the College, serving as a resource and advocate from the Provost’s Office without displacing the faculty leadership role within the TLC; collaborate with the TLC, deans, and faculty governance to support pathways for faculty teaching credentials and certifications, with emphasis on evidence‑based pedagogy for discipline experts without formal educator preparation. Identify and facilitate partnerships with external organizations focused on community college teaching practice to provide structured professional development for OCC faculty, with particular emphasis on online and distance instruction; lead efforts to build a coordinated, college‑wide approach to online instruction quality, faculty readiness, and student experience consistency across all online and hybrid offerings. Partner with the Institutional Effectiveness Department and the Curriculum Review Committee for all curriculum review activities, ensuring strong and consistent coordination. Monitor the five‑year curriculum review schedule and proactively work with academic deans to ensure that faculty in upcoming review cycles are prepared, engaged, and well supported. Coach and support deans in providing strategic guidance to faculty completing curriculum reviews, helping faculty move beyond data reporting to developing meaningful action strategies; intervene constructively when reviews are at risk of being incomplete or low quality, working directly with the relevant dean and faculty to raise the quality of the work. Facilitate a culture of accountability around curriculum review completion and quality across Academic Affairs, in collaboration with deans and in alignment with the expectations set by the Curriculum Review Committee. Support the use of curriculum review findings to inform program planning, resource allocation, and academic improvement efforts in collaboration with the Provost and academic deans. Serve as the Academic Affairs liaison to IE and SOAC for student learning outcomes assessment, ensuring strong coordination across the Provost’s Office, deans, and faculty. Partner with IE and SOAC to monitor the utility of student learning assessment findings and work with academic deans to address patterns of non‑completion or low‑quality submissions within their areas. Provide direct outreach and support to deans to ensure faculty maintain accountability related to student learning assessment obligations. Champion a college‑wide understanding of why assessment matters through faculty forums, dean conversations, and one‑on‑one engagement, helping faculty connect the assessment process to actual improvements in student learning rather than experiencing it as a compliance burden. Participate in the annual program portfolio review and work with deans in the months following to develop realistic action plans targeting enrollment, persistence, and credential completion. Coordinate Academic Affairs’ response to HLC accreditation requirements, including evidence gathering, narrative contributions, and preparation for the 2029 comprehensive evaluation; maintain working knowledge of HLC Criteria Three and Four and help deans and faculty understand their connection to accreditation expectations. Lead Academic Affairs’ efforts to develop, expand, and maintain articulation agreements with four‑year institutions, with particular emphasis on pathway agreements that encourage students to complete a credential at OCC prior to transfer. Cultivate and sustain relationships with faculty and academic administrators at four‑year partner institutions, facilitating faculty‑to‑faculty and dean‑to‑dean conversations that lead to course‑level and program‑level articulation. Work with academic deans and faculty to identify transfer pathway gaps and develop targeted strategies for closing them; collaborate with Student Services, Counseling and Advising, and Marketing to ensure agreements are visible and actively promoted to students. Monitor the currency and accuracy of articulation agreements, coordinate updates when curriculum changes occur, and track transfer student outcomes data to evaluate agreement effectiveness and identify opportunities for improvement. Partner with the Provost to identify and prioritize academic levers most likely to drive graduation rate gains and lead cross‑divisional initiatives coordinating across Student Services, Institutional Effectiveness, Enrollment Management, and Counseling and Advising to ensure that structures support clear pathways to credential completion for all student populations. Serve as a primary Academic Affairs liaison to the College Academic Senate, representing the Provost at Senate and committee meetings, fostering productive shared governance, and facilitating college‑wide academic standards work. Serve as a senior advisor to the Provost; contribute to academic planning, resource allocation, and scheduling; ensure compliance with regulatory, accreditation, and legal requirements; represent the College at professional events as assigned; and perform other duties as assigned by the Provost. Qualifications Deep commitment to the mission of the comprehensive community college, educational equity, and student success. Strong grounding in and commitment to the general education mission of the community college, including liberal arts and transfer‑oriented curriculum. Knowledge of evidence‑based teaching practice and faculty professional development models in higher education, including familiarity with national organizations and frameworks that support pedagogical growth for discipline‑expert faculty teaching in community college and online environments. Thorough knowledge of curriculum development and review processes, student learning outcomes assessment, and academic program health evaluation in higher education. Working knowledge of Higher Learning Commission accreditation standards and processes, including Criteria Three and Four and distance education requirements. Ability to interpret and apply institutional data to program improvement, policy development, and strategic planning and to help faculty and deans do the same. Demonstrated skill in facilitating the completion of complex, multi‑stakeholder academic processes with accountability and quality, without displacing others’ roles and responsibilities. Knowledge of Michigan transfer landscape. Ability to build productive relationships with faculty governance bodies, bargaining unit leadership, academic deans, four‑year institution partners, and external agencies. Ability to work persistently and constructively with individuals and groups who are resistant or slow to complete required work, using support and influence rather than authority to drive results. Strong written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to prepare institutional reports and present clearly to diverse audiences. Ability to manage multiple complex initiatives simultaneously, set priorities, and maintain momentum across a broad portfolio of responsibilities. Education Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration, Educational Leadership, or a related field required. Doctoral degree (Ph.D. or Ed.D.) strongly preferred. Experience At least five (5) years of progressively responsible administrative experience in higher education, preferably at the community college level. Work in Academic Affairs preferred. Demonstrated experience with curriculum development, academic program review, or curriculum governance processes in a higher education setting. Demonstrated experience with student learning outcomes assessment, including supporting faculty completion of assessment work and connecting findings to instructional improvement. Experience with Higher Learning Commission accreditation processes or institutional reporting; familiarity with HLC Criteria Three and Four preferred. Experience developing or managing transfer articulation agreements, preferably in a Michigan or similarly decentralized transfer environment. Experience working with faculty governance structures and, preferably, in a unionized or collective bargaining environment. Experience in higher education teaching required; community college teaching or administration preferred. Teaching or administrative background in general education, liberal arts, or a transfer‑oriented discipline preferred; demonstrated ability to advocate effectively for and lead within the general education mission of a comprehensive institution. Experience supporting online or distance education quality initiatives, including familiarity with course quality frameworks, faculty training for online instruction, or related accreditation requirements for distance education. #J-18808-Ljbffr Oakland Community College