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This position offers a base salary in the range of $450,000-$465,000

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Santa Clara University seeks a visionary and entrepreneurial leader to serve as its first executive vice president and provost. The EVP/Provost will be a student-centered academic leader with a deep commitment to excellence and to the values of a Jesuit Catholic education. Santa Clara offers an education that invites students to develop every dimension of their humanity, to work toward social justice and a more humane, just, and sustainable world, and to engage with the high-tech innovations of the surrounding community.

Founded in 1851, Santa Clara University is located in the heart of Silicon Valley. The University is home to more than 6,100 undergraduate students, 3,050 graduate students, 900 faculty, 1,050 staff, and 104,000 alumni worldwide.

President Julie Sullivan, appointed in July 2022, has redefined the role of provost as executive vice president and provost (EVP/Provost), reflecting the centrality of both the academic and student life activities of the University, and also signifying the vital role this new leader will play in partnering with her to develop an integrated, holistic vision for academic life and student life, in accord with the distinctive tradition of cura personalis—educating each person to flourish in mind, body, and spirit.

The new EVP/Provost will be an exceptional executive leader who will empower other campus leaders, allocate resources to support fulfillment of the University’s ambitions, champion a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, and inspire innovation across the University.

The EVP/Provost will bring several key characteristics, including the ability to galvanize the community around a common vision for the future of a nationally ranked university distinguished by the teacher-scholar model and the holistic formation of students, and by its Jesuit Catholic mission. The EVP/Provost will have experience in an institution of similar complexity and commitment to excellence, a creative and entrepreneurial spirit, and a substantial record of advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Opportunities and Expectations for Leadership

Santa Clara's first EVP/Provost will provide visionary and entrepreneurial leadership for all aspects of academic activities, student life, and enrollment management, and ensure that these programs are fully integrated to create a holistic educational experience that supports the University's Jesuit Catholic vision, mission, and values.

The new executive vice president and provost will be expected to focus attention on several key areas, of equal importance, including:

• Academic excellence: Define a compelling and distinctive vision for the future of the academic enterprise at Santa Clara grounded in its Jesuit Catholic mission and values.

President Julie Sullivan will charge the new EVP/Provost to create, with the community, a new vision for the University's future—one that is compelling, distinctive, and aligned with its commitment to the education of the whole person. The foundation of this vision must be the further elevation of Santa Clara's academic excellence, building on its rigorous undergraduate curriculum and professional and graduate education, and on its faculty's scholarly and creative activity, embodied in the teacher-scholar model and strengthened by its recently unionized non-tenure-track faculty. The success of the commitment to excellence is reflected in the move in the 2020 U.S. News & World Report rankings from regional to national distinction.

The current strategic planning process will lead to this new vision. The EVP/Provost will work in close partnership with the president and campus leaders—including the deans, who also serve on the President’s Cabinet—to define an academic vision for the future of Santa Clara. The plan will reflect the following priorities:

• enhancing access to education, especially for underrepresented students;
• creating and expanding academic and scholarship programs and partnerships that address societal challenges and opportunities and prepare students to become leaders of competence, conscience, and compassion;
• enhancing the teacher-scholar model that integrates teaching, learning, research, and creative activity;
• overseeing the reimagination of and implementation of the core curriculum in ways that reflect the University's Jesuit Catholic character;
• fostering interdisciplinary collaborations;
• further extending Santa Clara's connections with Silicon Valley.

• Focus on Students: Shape a student experience that integrates all areas of university life to develop the whole person and propel students towards flourishing lives of meaning, purpose, and connection.

As students continue to grapple with the implications of the global pandemic and the deep social divisions in society, Santa Clara recognizes the opportunity to reimagine a holistic student

experience that is responsive to change and that fosters broad intellectual and personal growth—cura personalis.
Working with the many leaders who contribute to the student experience, the EVP/Provost will develop an expansive vision for student life that more fully integrates the curricular and co-curricular experiences and expands students’ participation in meaningful high impact practices, such as study abroad, internships, service immersion, undergraduate research, and residential learning communities. The goal is to produce a more seamless connection between experiences inside and outside of the classroom.
The EVP/Provost will grasp the importance of fostering a sense of belonging for all students, being especially cognizant of the emotional and physical well-being of students from marginalized populations and their families. Santa Clara is committed to advancing programs that support the success of first-generation college students, students of color, and students from low-and middle-income backgrounds, and the EVP/Provost should be an active contributor and leader in that effort. Additionally, the vision for student life should address the evolving needs of undergraduate and graduate students such as enhancing and improving the residential experience, mental health and crisis support services, student health and well-being, and preparation for life beyond Santa Clara. The particular needs of students across the University may differ, but all have needs for support.

• Inclusive Excellence: Advance Santa Clara's commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Inclusive excellence is integral to Santa Clara's mission as a Jesuit university. The University aspires to create a more welcoming community marked by genuine inclusion and belonging. The EVP/Provost must demonstrate a personal and professional commitment to work collaboratively to ensure steady and real progress toward Santa Clara's goals.

Santa Clara has developed a justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion strategic plan that helps to inform and prioritize needs including faculty and staff recruitment; hiring and retention of BIPOC faculty and staff; promotion and tenure processes; student enrollment; inclusive classrooms and curricula; scholarly and creative activity; financial and programmatic resources to facilitate a greater sense of inclusion; bias incident responses; and ongoing education and training to foster an environment where all members of the community feel welcomed. The EVP/Provost should help to identify opportunities to advance Santa Clara as a university that exemplifies inclusive excellence, creating partnerships with Silicon Valley companies and organizations to maximize resources that will enable Santa Clara to take concrete action and produce tangible results that have an impact on campus, in the community, and beyond.

Increasing access and affordability are priorities for Santa Clara and is a top priority for fundraising. Enrollment Management is working on a range of initiatives, including exploring the possibility of becoming a Hispanic-Serving Institution and expanding on recent initiatives such as the SCU Latinx Leadership Incubator Project and the BEST (Black Excellence, Success and Trailblazing) Program, as well as continuing to develop existing programs such as the Summer Engineering Seminar (SES).

• Executive Campus Leadership: Provide executive leadership to enable Santa Clara to reach its ambitions.

The EVP/Provost is a key member of the Cabinet and serves in the place of the president in her absence.

The EVP/Provost will partner closely with the president to achieve Santa Clara's ambitions, assessing structures and resources, identifying ways to increase efficiencies, and creating processes and practices to support the work. This will call for a commitment to excellence, as well as the ability to inspire others to the same goal; an inclination toward innovation and an entrepreneurial approach; courage and character; and the ability to anticipate and manage change, all grounded in the University's Jesuit Catholic mission and values.

The EVP/Provost works closely with the vice president for finance and administration, is a member of the University Budget Committee, and has ultimate authority for allocation of the academic budget, by far the largest component of the University’s total budget. As such, the EVP/Provost has significant influence on the strategic allocation of resources to advance Santa Clara's mission and ensure appropriate investment to support its priorities.

Working with a broad array of University leaders, the EVP/Provost will develop an integrated, holistic vision for academic life and student life. The EVP/Provost empowers the deans and center directors to lead their respective units in alignment with the University's strategic vision; collaborates with other vice presidents; facilitates the work of the vice provosts and directors in overseeing dozens of offices and programs; and establishes strong linkages across campus to facilitate effective communication, coordinate and deploy the appropriate resources, and ensure the successful implementation of initiatives.

Professional Qualifications and Personal Qualities

Santa Clara seeks an EVP/Provost with the following qualifications and qualities:

• Academic credentials: A doctoral degree or equivalent is required, as well as a record of professional accomplishment sufficient to be appointed as a tenured full professor.
• Leadership and vision: Successful record of providing leadership within a large, complex organization through holding positions such as provost, associate provost, dean, associate dean, or in other university roles; willingness to serve as an engaged leader to inspire the community and build consensus; successful track record of recruiting, developing, supporting, and retaining strong leaders; demonstrated experience building bridges across an institution and creating a culture of mutual trust and respect; experience making difficult decisions that call for creativity and courage.
• Engagement with and support for the University's mission: Familiarity and engagement with the Jesuit Catholic intellectual tradition; a profound commitment and eagerness to embrace the Jesuit Catholic vision, mission, and core values.
• Diversity and inclusion: Unwavering commitment to diversity and inclusion and ensuring the campus community is welcoming to all; comfort participating in and leading conversations about social issues; successful track record recruiting, mentoring, and retaining diverse leaders; experience working with, supporting, and retaining students from low-income and underrepresented backgrounds.
• Relationship building and communication style: Strong commitment to transparency, accountability, and responsiveness; ability to listen carefully and to invite and consider the concerns of all members of the University community, as well as the ability to solve problems and make timely decisions about complex issues; a genuine respect for and appreciation of faculty and staff; gravitas to represent and act as a spokesperson on behalf of Santa Clara.
• Student-centered: Commitment to cura-personalis - the development of the whole person; leadership that considers, for all key decision, the potential impacts on and benefits to students; recognition that the student experience is shaped both within and outside the classroom; genuine enjoyment of student and their company.
• Disciplinary breadth and academic excellence: Demonstrated ability to build academic excellence across the broad range of academic areas represented at Santa Clara; the ability to encourage cross-disciplinary collaborations.

COVID-19 Statement

The health and safety of the university community is a top priority. All Santa Clara University students, and employees are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or request a medical or religious exemption. Please visit our COVID-19 webpage for additional information.

EEO Statement

​Equal Opportunity/Notice of Nondiscrimination

Santa Clara University is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action employer fully committed to achieving a diverse workforce and complies with all Federal and California State laws, regulations, and executive orders regarding non-discrimination and affirmative action. Applications from members of historically underrepresented groups are especially encouraged. For a complete copy of Santa Clara University’s equal opportunity and nondiscrimination policies, see https://www.scu.edu/title-ix/policies-reports/

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972

Santa Clara University does not discriminate in its employment practices or in its educational programs or activities on the basis of sex/gender, and prohibits retaliation against any person opposing discrimination or participating in any discrimination investigation or complaint process internally or externally. Information about Title IX can be found at www.scu.edu/title-ix. Information about Section 504 and the ADA Coordinator can be found at https://www.scu.edu/oae/, (408) 554-4109, [email protected]. Inquiries can also be made to the Assistant Secretary of Education within the Office for Civil Rights (OCR).   

Clery Notice of Availability

Santa Clara University annually collects information about campus crimes and other reportable incidents in accordance with the federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. To view the Santa Clara University report, please go to the Campus Safety Services website. To request a paper copy please call Campus Safety at (408) 554-4441. The report includes the type of crime, venue, and number of occurrences.

Americans with Disabilities Act

Santa Clara University affirms its commitment to employ qualified individuals with disabilities within the workplace and to comply with the Americans with Disability Act. All applicants desiring an accommodation should contact the Department of Human Resources, and 408-554-5750 and request to speak to Indu Ahluwalia by phone at 408-554-5750 or by email at [email protected].