Provost

Jacksonville University (JU) seeks a distinguished academic and administrative leader to serve as its next Provost. This is an exciting opportunity to join a university experiencing incredible momentum thanks to the development of innovative new partnerships, programs, schools, and colleges. JU is a private liberal arts university in Jacksonville, FL, and serves as a regional hub for business, technology, law, aviation, and healthcare education. As the chief academic officer, the next Provost will serve as an important member of the senior leadership team, helping to sustain and strengthen JU’s positioning. Over the past decade, JU has launched the Brooks Rehabilitation College of Healthcare Sciences, accredited their College of Law, and created a partnership with the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM). These efforts were achieved while still preserving the historic, mission-driven, liberal arts core and the close-knit community for which JU is known. The University seeks a collaborative and data-driven leader to guide it into the next phase of its academic journey. 

The recent growth at JU is impressive, with the enrollment of the largest incoming class in JU history and an ongoing $175M fundraising campaign. With five colleges, a new honors college, partnerships with international universities, over 100 majors available to undergraduate students, and more than 75 master’s and doctorate programs, JU is poised to be a destination University for students across the country as well as a regional base for healthcare and law. JU is home to approximately 4,250 students, with the majority of undergraduate students residing on campus and one-fifth participating in the University’s D1 NCAA athletics. JU also leans into its ideal location minutes from the beach and Atlantic Ocean, which enables the University to provide first-class programming, research, and curriculum in marine science, sustainability, natural sciences, and engineering. Further, in 2024, JU was ranked in the Jacksonville Business Journal as one of the Best Places to Work. The University has 260 full-time and part-time faculty and 400 staff members committed to student success and JU’s mission of providing a transformative education. 

The successful provost candidate will have significant administrative leadership experience, familiarity with academic budgeting and planning processes, a commitment to faculty governance and shared governance, and the capacity for strategic and well-informed decision-making and change management. An unwavering ethical compass and commitment to diversity in all forms is also crucial to this role, as is a student-centered mindset and passion for student success. 

JU has a highly interpersonal campus culture, and the Provost will possess the talents necessary to bring constituents together under a clear and informed vision for JU’s academic future. Consistent with JU’s culture, the next Provost will be a collaborative and transparent communicator who is committed to interdisciplinarity and will understand future trends and markets in higher education. The Provost will serve as a trusted and valuable advisor to institutional leadership, senior colleagues, and faculty. 

Confidential inquiries, nominations/referrals, and applications (including CVs and two- to three-page letters of interest responding to the opportunities and challenges outlined above) should be submitted below. 

Kate Barry is leading this search with Kristen Andersen.

Jacksonville University values diversity, equity, and inclusion and strives to create a welcoming community where all stakeholders feel valued and a sense of belonging. We believe in lifelong learning and preparing globally-minded citizens for the real world. We recruit students, faculty, staff, and leaders from all over the globe and respect differences in ability, age, appearance, athletic and student organization involvement, ethnicity, faith, gender, gender expression, immigration status, language, military/veteran status, nationality, political ideology, race, religion, talent, sex, sexuality, socio-economic status, and other personal identities and experiences.

Jacksonville University is an equal-opportunity institution and prohibits discrimination. We consider each stakeholder to be a key player in Jacksonville University's civic responsibility and commitment to this work.