Dean of the Graduate College and Vice Provost for Graduate Studies

Do not apply directly to this posting. Instead, please follow the application instructions included at the end of this posting.

The Opportunity

The University of Cincinnati, a nationally ranked and internationally renowned R1 research university, invites nominations and applications for the next Dean of the Graduate College and Vice Provost for Graduate Studies.

The University combines the scale and ambition of a major research institution with a distinctive commitment to academic excellence, urban impact, and innovation — the three platforms of its strategic direction, Next Lives Here.

The next Dean/Vice Provost will lead the Graduate College at an important moment in the University's continued evolution as a premier urban research university. The University has achieved national recognition and strengthened its position as a major research and anchor institution, and graduate education will be central to advancing its academic and research ambitions. The next Dean/Vice Provost will also have the opportunity to strengthen graduate education as a university-wide enterprise by connecting the work of the Graduate College with the University's colleges, research units, and other partners.

The successful candidate will bring scholarly credibility, innovative leadership, strategic judgment, and a demonstrated ability to execute effectively. The next Dean/Vice Provost must be an effective advocate for graduate education, a strong partner across the University, and an engaged representative of the Graduate College to alumni, funders, government leaders, community partners, and other external constituencies. The successful candidate will be an exceptional connector and bridge-builder who works effectively across organizational boundaries and builds strong partnerships with academic and administrative leaders.

About the Graduate College

The Graduate College serves graduate students and graduate education across the University of Cincinnati and works in partnership with the University's colleges, schools, academic units, faculty, staff, and students. The Dean/Vice Provost provides university-wide leadership for graduate education, with responsibility for advancing the educational opportunities and success of graduate students and promoting a culture of scholarly excellence. The Graduate College serves a diverse graduate student population across research, doctoral, professional master's, online, and other educational pathways, creating an opportunity for the Dean/Vice Provost to ensure that graduate students' varied experiences and needs are represented throughout the University.

The Graduate College plays an important role in the University's research enterprise and in preparing students for academic, professional, and civic leadership. Its work includes graduate student recruitment and success, faculty support, academic planning, programmatic innovation, financial stewardship, revenue generation, and partnerships across the University and surrounding community.

The Graduate College helps establish and communicate university-level policies and requirements for most graduate programs and guides students as they navigate those policies and procedures. It supports graduate students throughout their journey, from entering their program through graduation and professional development, by providing resources, programming, and opportunities that advance their success.

The Graduate College also serves as an important connection between the University and Cincinnati's dynamic community. Through research dissemination, interprofessional collaboration, community engagement, and partnerships across sectors, the Graduate College can contribute to the educational and professional landscape of the region and beyond. The University's breadth of academic programs, regional reach, and connections across Cincinnati and beyond provide significant opportunities to develop new partnerships and pathways for graduate education, research, experiential learning, and career development.

The Role of the Dean/Vice Provost

The Dean of the Graduate College and Vice Provost for Graduate Studies reports to the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost and serves as the chief academic and administrative officer of the Graduate College. The Dean/Vice Provost is responsible for the Graduate College's academic vision, graduate student success, faculty engagement, financial resources and budgets, strategic and operational planning, external partnerships, and long-term institutional advancement. The Dean/Vice Provost will work closely with the Provost, Vice President for Research, University deans, and other leaders to develop a shared vision and strategy for graduate education and to strengthen connections across the University's academic and research enterprise.

The Dean/Vice Provost works closely with University deans, faculty, staff, students, alumni, administrative leaders, external partners, state legislators, business and community leaders, and private funders. The role requires visionary and collaborative leadership, paired with the ability to build strong relationships and translate ambitious goals into measurable results. The Dean/Vice Provost must be a visible, approachable, and transparent communicator who listens carefully to diverse perspectives, communicates decisions clearly, and creates an environment in which faculty, staff, and students feel encouraged to contribute.

The Dean/Vice Provost will be expected to strengthen the Graduate College as a university-wide enterprise while respecting the distinct needs and cultures of the University's colleges and academic units. The next Dean/Vice Provost must build trust across the institution and advance graduate education in ways that support student success, scholarly excellence, research growth, innovation, financial sustainability, and the University's role as an urban public research institution. The successful candidate will recognize and build upon the University's existing strengths while bringing a forward-looking perspective to graduate education and creating continuity around priorities that are important to the institution.

Leadership Profile

The next Dean/Vice Provost will be expected to:

Advance a strategic vision for graduate education. The Dean/Vice Provost must articulate an ambitious and innovative vision for the future of the Graduate College that aligns with institutional strategic direction and an expanding research portfolio and translates that vision into measurable goals that motivate faculty, inspire students, and engage essential constituencies across and beyond the University.

Strengthen graduate student recruitment, success, and professional development. The Dean/Vice Provost will also be expected to develop and implement innovative recruitment and enrollment strategies that respond to changing student demographics and market conditions while strengthening pathways between undergraduate and graduate education.

Lead a student-first Graduate College. The Dean/Vice Provost will champion programmatic innovation that responds to student needs and prepares graduates to excel in academic, professional, and other environments. This includes developing new partnerships and opportunities that build on the University’s commitment to cooperative learning and experiential education.

Support faculty excellence and inclusive scholarly environments. The Dean/Vice Provost will support the attraction and retention of high-caliber faculty and promote an inclusive environment conducive to faculty development, scholarly excellence, and collaboration.

Build partnerships across the University and community. The Dean/Vice Provost will strengthen relationships among the Graduate College, colleges and schools, academic units, and external partners. The role will also require developing relationships across sectors to expand opportunities for graduate education, research, and community impact.

Generate new resources and revenue. The Dean/Vice Provost will take a leading role in pursuing private funding for the Graduate College in partnership with the University of Cincinnati Foundation. The Dean/Vice Provost will also identify opportunities to strengthen revenue streams and secure foundation and other resources that advance the role and scope of graduate education.

Strengthen the Graduate College’s regional and community impact. The Dean/Vice Provost will work with internal and external constituencies — including state legislators, business leaders, and community organizations — to strengthen the Graduate College's ability to impact and transform the educational and professional landscape of Cincinnati, the region, and beyond.

Build a high-performance culture. The Dean/Vice Provost will foster a culture based on teamwork, partnership, accountability, and shared purpose. The successful candidate will be an effective and collaborative leader who can establish ambitious but attainable objectives and develop plans that move the Graduate College from ideas to measurable results.

Lead with integrity and decisive execution. The Dean/Vice Provost must combine decisive execution with the highest standards of personal and professional character and ethical conduct.

Qualifications and Experience

The successful candidate must possess a distinguished scholarly record and be eligible for tenure at the rank of full professor in one of the University’s academic units. The successful candidate must also demonstrate progressive administrative and leadership experience in a complex academic organization. In addition, the successful candidate will demonstrate the following preferred qualifications:

• Distinguished record of scholarly achievement or outstanding contributions to their field or profession through leadership, research, or other accomplishments
• Compelling vision for the future of graduate education at an urban public research university
• Track record of leading through influence, collaboration, and sound strategic judgment
• Experience advancing graduate student recruitment, retention, success, and professional development, including innovative approaches to enrollment and new program development in response to changing student and market needs
• Demonstrated capacity to lead faculty in curricular and pedagogical reform and academic planning
• Successful experience with budgetary and financial management
• Demonstrated ability to pursue fundraising and develop new revenue and resource opportunities
• Experience building productive relationships with entities and constituencies outside academia
• Extensive knowledge of the challenges and opportunities facing higher education and graduate education
• Understanding of the opportunities and advantages presented by an urban university setting
• Commitment to and understanding of the principles and practices of academic assessment
• Experience developing innovative approaches to graduate recruitment, enrollment, and new program development in response to changing student and market needs
• Demonstrated ability to develop partnerships with employers and other external organizations that create experiential learning and career development opportunities for graduate students

In Addition, the ideal candidate will possess the following:

• Outstanding interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills
• Entrepreneurial orientation combined with boldness, imagination, energy, and a willingness to pursue innovative approaches
• Collaborative, effective, team-oriented, and results-driven management style
• Rigorous standards of professional achievement and ethical behavior
• Deep commitment to outstanding teaching, research, and service
• A collaborative, approachable, and transparent leadership style, with the ability to build trust and bring diverse constituencies together around shared goals

About the University of Cincinnati

Founded in 1819, the University of Cincinnati is a nationally ranked, internationally renowned R1 research university and a leading urban public research institution. The University enrolls more than 54,400 students and includes more than 12,000 faculty and staff, with more than 360,000 living alumni. Its strategic direction, Next Lives Here, emphasizes creativity, ingenuity, invention, engagement, innovation, and impact, building on the University's past while defining its future.

UC has experienced more than a decade of continuous growth and has established itself as a major research and anchor institution. It holds the tenth-largest endowment among public universities and ranks 47th nationally in federal research funding. The University combines distinguished scholarship and research with cooperative learning environments and a commitment to accessible education. Its nationally recognized cooperative education program provides students with paid experiential learning opportunities, generating $94 million annually in student earnings.

The University’s urban setting and role as an anchor of the Cincinnati Innovation District create opportunities for meaningful partnerships with the region’s diverse cultural, business, industry, health care, social service, educational, and civic communities. UC’s academic health system and membership in the Big 12 Conference further strengthen its connections and visibility across the region and beyond. The University contributes an estimated $10.6 billion in economic impact to the city of Cincinnati and $22.7 billion to the state of Ohio.

UC is a mission-driven institution committed to student success and positively transforming the community through scholarship and service. The Dean/Vice Provost will have an important opportunity to build on the University’s momentum, strengthen regional and national partnerships, and expand the impact of graduate education throughout the University, the region, and beyond.

Application Process

The Search Committee invites letters of nomination and applications. Candidates should submit a complete resume/CV, letter of interest addressing their qualifications and fit for the position, a team culture statement, and contact information for at least five references to Parker Executive Search, the firm assisting the University with this search.

Review of materials will begin immediately and continue until the appointment is made. For fullest consideration, nominations and applications should be submitted by Wednesday, January 6, 2027.

For additional information, please contact:
Porsha Williams, Vice President and Managing Director, Higher Education
Scott Gaffney, Associate
Parker Executive Search
Five Concourse Parkway, Suite 2875 | Atlanta, GA 30328
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Questions regarding the UC recruiting process or requests for accommodations with the application should be directed to UC Human Resources at View email address on us.fitly.work.

Equal Opportunity Employer. Building a workplace where all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment, including Individuals with Disabilities and Protected Veterans.

REQ: 104287