ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Academic Leadership and Strategy
- Serve as the University’s senior academic strategist, providing leadership, direction, and coordination for all academic programs and academic support functions across VTSU campuses.
- Provide leadership, guidance, and direction for all VTSU academic programs, including establishing instructional delivery modalities (on-campus, online, hybrid), and scoping academic support services across VTSU campuses.
- Ensure consistency, rigor, and quality of academic standards, policies, and practices across the institution.
- Lead system-wide academic planning aligned with VTSU’s mission, VSCS priorities, state expectations, accreditation requirements, and regional workforce demands.
- Champion academic transformation initiatives that advance access, affordability, sustainability, and institutional effectiveness within a public higher education system.
Faculty Affairs, Labor Relations, and Shared Governance
•Serve as the chief academic leader of the faculty, collaborating with the President, academic administrators, and faculty leadership within the framework of collective bargaining agreements. •Seek input from and works closely with human resources and the office of general counsel on labor and employee relations matters.
- Provide executive oversight of faculty recruitment, appointment, reappointment, evaluation, promotion, tenure, and professional development.
- Support and strengthen relationships with faculty governance bodies, ensuring transparent communication, mutual accountability, and meaningful shared governance practices.
- Foster a culture of trust, collaboration, and academic integrity across campuses and disciplines.
Student Success and Academic Quality
- Advance system-wide student success strategies, including advising models, retention and completion initiatives, transfer pathways, and experiential learning.
- Ensure curricula align with clearly defined learning outcomes, assessment practices, and licensure or certification requirements.
- Serve as the senior academic officer for the resolution of academic appeals and grievances, consistent with policy and due process.
- Promote inclusive and equitable academic practices.
Accreditation, Assessment, and Compliance
- Serve as the principal officer and as liaison with regional accrediting body (New England Commission of Higher Education) and coordinate specialized/programmatic accreditations across campuses.
- Ensure compliance with VSCS policies and state and federal academic regulations.
- Oversee academic program review, institutional assessment, and continuous improvement processes.
Data Governance
- Establish and maintain a comprehensive institutional data governance framework that promotes data quality, consistency, transparency, security, compliance, and appropriate stewardship across all university operations.
- Collaborate with administrative and academic leaders to develop key performance indicators (KPIs), dashboards, and reporting structures that monitor progress toward institutional goals and support continuous improvement.
- Ensure the timely collection, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of institutional data to internal and external stakeholders, including governing boards, accrediting agencies, government entities, and higher education associations.
- Partner with information technology, enrollment management, finance, student affairs, and academic affairs leaders to strengthen enterprise data systems and advance data literacy throughout the institution.
- Champion the use of predictive analytics and assessment findings to improve student retention, completion, academic quality, operational effectiveness, and institutional sustainability.
Budget, Operations, and Resource Stewardship
- Lead academic budgeting and resource allocation in collaboration with the President, Chief Financial Officer, and VSCS system office.
- Balance academic priorities with fiscal constraints in a publicly funded, system-based environment.
- Supervise academic deans and collaborate with system-level academic leaders; evaluate performance and support leadership development.
External Relations and Partnerships
- Represent VTSU in system-level committees, councils, task forces, and external bodies as directed by the President, or Board.
- Build partnerships with K–12 systems, employers, workforce development organizations, and higher education partners across Vermont and New England.
- Support grant development and externally funded academic initiatives that advance system goals.
Organizational Relationships
- Key Collaborations: VSCS System’s Office, the Community College of Vermont, Faculty Unions and Governance Bodies
- Serve as the chief executive officer of the university in the President’s absence.
- Perform other duties as delegated by the President.
SUPERVISION RECEIVED
General supervision is received from the President.
SUPERVISION EXERCISED
Direct supervision of academic administrators and staff; indirect administrative managerial oversight of their teams.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- Earned doctorate or equivalent terminal degree from a regionally accredited institution.
- Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible academic administrative experience including at least 5 years of teaching experience and 3 years in a Chair, Dean, or comparable supervisory academic leadership role, with a strong record of teaching excellence.
- Demonstrated success leading academic innovation, managing complex budgets, and guiding collaborative, system-level initiatives.
- Demonstrated commitment to shared governance, faculty development, and student-centered education.
- Proven experience working within a collective bargaining environment.
- Deep understanding of higher education accreditation standards and requirements, assessment practices, and academic quality assurance.
- Demonstrated commitment to equity, inclusion, and student success in a public higher education context.
- Excellent communication, negotiation, and consensus-building skills.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience in a multi-campus or system-based higher education environment.
- Experience leading academic initiatives or institutional transformation.
- Experience with online learning, academic program alignment, or workforce-responsive curriculum design.
- Familiarity with New England and/or Vermont for higher education accreditation standards, policy, and funding structures.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES
- Ability to lead complex, system-based academic organizations in a multi-campus environment with diplomacy, integrity, and strategic vision.
- Strong labor relations acumen and skill navigating unionized, shared-governance environments.
- Commitment to transparency, accountability, public service, and continuous improvement.
- Proven commitment to academic excellence and continuous improvement, evidenced by a strong work ethic and a record of advancing high-quality teaching, learning, and scholarly or professional practice.
- Distinguished academic leadership experience that includes innovation, program development, data-informed analysis and decision making, and systematic evaluation at the course, program, and institutional levels.
- Comprehensive knowledge of nationally recognized higher education reform initiatives, including instructional and curricular innovation, Guided Pathways, developmental education reform, and evidence-based practices supporting student retention, persistence, and enrollment development.
- Thorough understanding of state and federal laws, regulations, and accreditation standards governing public higher education, with demonstrated ability to ensure institutional compliance while advancing academic priorities.
- Demonstrated expertise in academic assessment and institutional effectiveness, including outcomes assessment, accreditation processes, and the use of qualitative and quantitative data to inform planning, decision-making, and resource allocation.
- Demonstrated experience in college-level teaching with clear evidence of a sustained commitment to teaching and learning and to advancing the mission and vision of a student-centered, equity-minded institution that serves diverse learners.
- Fluency in emerging technologies and educational innovations, including the ability to evaluate and advance future-focused academic programs, instructional modalities, and workforce-aligned credentials.
- Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and influence skills, including the ability to engage effectively, both verbally and in writing, with faculty, staff, students, trustees, union leadership, system partners, and external stakeholders across diverse backgrounds and organizational levels.
- Demonstrated understanding of the complexity of advancing emerging opportunities in a public university setting, with the ability to work productively and effectively within the framework of shared governance and collective bargaining agreements.
- Prior supervisory and senior leadership experience, with demonstrated ability to recruit, develop, mentor, manage, and inspire academic leaders, faculty, and staff.
- Proven ability to exercise sound judgment and discretion, including maintaining confidentiality, navigating complex and sensitive situations, and providing thoughtful, principled recommendations that support institutional integrity and strategic goals.
Budgeted Compensation: $180,000 to $230,000
Location: This position may be based on any of the five Vermont State University’s campuses, with frequent in-state travel expected.
Physical Requirements: Duties performed cause light fatigue of eyes, fingers, or other faculties due to repetitive motion and/or prolonged periods of standing or sitting. Duties require little physical effort in work with light to moderate (up to 25lbs) easy-to-handle materials.
Working Conditions: Job is performed in general office or comparable working area with many and frequent distractions such as noise and interruptions. Work schedule may vary during high volume periods. Willingness to work flexible hours, including occasional evenings and weekends, required. Travel to all VTSU campuses is required.
This general outline illustrates the type of work which characterizes the job classification. It is not an all-encompassing statement of the specific duties, responsibilities, and qualifications of individual positions assigned to the classification.
Scheduled Hours Weekly:
40
Budgeted Wage for this Position:
$180,000 to $230,000
Exempt Status:
Exempt
Grade:
UCE
Job Posting Responsibilities:
Unit Determination:
Non Bargaining - Administrators
