Job Title:
Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs
Company: SUNY Fredonia
Location: Fredonia, NY
Created: 2026-03-04
Job Type: Full Time
Job Description:
The State University of New York at Fredonia (SUNY Fredonia) seeks a collaborative, strategic, and entrepreneurial individual to serve as its Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs ("PVPAA"). The successful candidate will be joining the university at a time when the university is in a time of transformation - leaning into its strengths, aligning its personnel and program offerings with the needs of its students and the communities it serves, and strictly managing financial resources to ensure a brighter future. The university, while it is part of a strong higher education system (SUNY) must align its financial resources with its student population and projections for growth. The next PVPAA must be a champion in these efforts and drive this change. To guide these endeavors, the university recently developed a Strategic Plan and an Academic Master Plan. Reporting directly to the President, the Provost is the Chief Academic Officer for the university and the leader of the faculty. The incumbent will be a reliable, diplomatic, and trusted partner of the President in advancing the university's mission and goals. The incumbent must be an inspiring and inclusive leader who promotes empowerment at every level of the university. The PVPAA will serve as the key ambassador between faculty and administration, building effective and sustainable relationships with an eye toward student learning, retention, and success. It is expected that the successful candidate will have a strong understanding of the complex social, political, and economic changes affecting higher education today, and will bring not only creativity and vision, but also the execution to help Fredonia meet those challenges. The successful candidate will be an individual capable of engaging community stakeholders in the advancement of the university and must be passionate about Fredonia's mission, vision, and the success of its students. It is expected that the provost will have a routine and extensive community and on-campus presence, including at campus events, both in their responsible division and those of others. The PVPAA must have a distinguished track record of successes and achievements as a faculty member, scholar, and leader in higher education. They must demonstrate commitment to shared governance and ability to be a partner and a leader in this regard. As is the case with Cabinet-level Vice Presidents, this individual may be assigned Executive Officer responsibilities in the discretion of the President, should the need arise, in limited circumstances. Additional Responsibilities and Expectations of the Provost include: Advise the President and Cabinet on wide-ranging matters related to their responsible areas and standing of the university. Lead the development and management of the academic array, including curriculum development and program assessment. Find sustainable ways to build new programs, and strengthen and expand existing programs to meet student demand and grow enrollment, and prune programs in response to enrollment and for effective utilization of resources. Strike the appropriate balance of strategic building and reduction. Oversee the budgetary resources for the Division of Academic Affairs and play a critical role in the establishment of funding priorities of the university in alignment with the academic master plan and strategic plan. Work with transparency and a collaborative spirit with all divisions of the university, particularly with regard to academics, recruitment, and retention. Provide mentorship and develop leaders within Academic Affairs. Work in strategic partnership with the Chief Information Officer to leverage technology to enhance teaching and learning and expand the reach of the university. Be an engaged and personable presence on campus, including event attendance and community networking, and appearing on behalf of the President as required. Comfortable presenting to various campus constituents and speaking at events for parents, prospective students, current students, faculty and staff, and college council. Ensure success in the accreditation of all programs requiring accreditation. Oversee academic policies and priorities. Ensure the institution attracts highly-qualified, involved and diverse faculty and provides appropriate academic support services to carry out the mission of the university. Advance faculty inclusion, retention, tenure, promotion, and development. Advance instructional development and innovation in teaching and learning. Knowledge, Skills & Abilities: Demonstrated courage to make and stand behind hard decisions and explain rationale/provide appropriate transparency behind decisions. Willingness to join the President and Cabinet in cultivating necessary changes in a difficult budgetary climate, while still having an eye on growth. Efficacy in timely delivery of expected outcomes. Demonstrated deep knowledge of the trends and current forces impacting higher education and strategies to address those issues. Respectful, collaborative, approachable, and possessing high emotional intelligence. Familiar with public sector and union environments. Will participate in certain aspects of labor relations at the university and carrying responsibilities in the division out in compliance with collective bargaining agreements and local agreements. Experience with grant/resource acquisition and management. Demonstrated commitment to building international collaboration opportunities. Strong communication and diplomatic skills. Honest, reliable, diligent, and trustworthy. Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Requirements: MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Achievement of a Doctorate in their discipline Must have achieved the rank of full professor at an accredited institution and/or possesses outstanding record of accomplishments in teaching, scholarship, and service to be appointed to the rank of full professor with tenure, a concurrent appointment. Extensive high-level supervisory, management, and budgetary experience. Impactful, progressive leadership experience in higher education, minimally including service as an academic dean. Demonstrated knowledge and experience with academic array development and management, assessment, and accreditation. Demonstrated ability to achieve results and lead strategically during financial uncertainties or pressures. Demonstrated ability to cultivate, communicate, and execute a compelling vision that inspires innovation and growth. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: Demonstrated knowledge and experience in leveraging technology to advance academic instruction. Prior administrative experience in a public/unionized environment. Entrepreneurial and capable of developing opportunities to diversify sources of revenue for the university. Demonstrated knowledge and successes in strategic planning and implementation. Knowledgeable of best practices in strategic enrollment management and capable of supporting and contributing to enrollment and retention initiatives of the university. High proclivity for working across various units for problem solving and maximizing opportunities and employing interdisciplinary approaches for academic array development. Interest in, and commitment to, community engagement. Additional Information: This is a full-time on-site management confidential position. Additional Information: Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. The salary range for this role is $190,000 to $235,000 with a generous benefits package. To learn more about SUNY Fredonia's offerings, visit the Fredonia benefits website. Equal Employment Opportunity SUNY Fredonia is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. The university actively seeks to enhance diversity among its faculty, staff, and students. Candidates from underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply. SUNY Fredonia is actively recruiting diverse faculty of all backgrounds. In efforts and our commitment to the goal of building a diverse workforce we are participating in PRODiG. PRODiG ("Promoting Recruitment, Opportunity, Diversity, Inclusion and Growth") aims to increase the representation of historically underrepresented faculty at SUNY including underrepresented minority ("URM") faculty in general and women faculty of all races in STEM fields ("WSTEM"). Click this link to find out more about PRODiG. Application Instructions: Applications should include a cover letter addressing the candidate's qualifications and vision for the role and a current curriculum vitae. DSG Storbeck has been exclusively retained for this engagement, which is being led by Steve Leo and Laurie Casteen. Express interest in this role by filling out our Talent Profile or emailing the search team directly at . Nominations may be submitted here or by emailing the search team at the address above. All inquiries and discussions are strictly confidential. Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. The salary range for this role is $190,000 to $235,000 with a generous benefits package. To learn more about SUNY Fredonia's offerings, visit the Fredonia benefits website . URL: