Vice Provost of Academic Programs and Accreditation

Who We Are:

National Louis is a 135+ year old university that has been grounded in the values of innovation, access, excellence, and equity from its inception. As an institution, we believe in providing access to educational opportunity and that education is our greatest lever for social and economic mobility. We are a student-focused community that is committed to continuous improvement and superior student service. We believe that through education we are able to empower change and build healthy communities. Our hard-working community is based on collaboration and respect for all team members and students.

What We Offer:

At National Louis University, we offer our employees an innovative environment to work together and inspire the ideas that will make an impact. As our external environment changes, our employees are provided the opportunities and tools needed to grow both personally and professionally to remain successful. NLU employees and dependents are offered a wide range of benefits, including but not limited to, Health Insurance benefits, Retirement benefits, Paid Time Off and Educational Benefits.

What You Will Do:

Reporting directly to the Provost, the Vice Provost of Academic Programs and Accreditation will have responsibility over a broad range of areas in academic affairs with a focus on academic programs, curriculum development, program review, assessment, accreditation, and regulatory requirements. This position provides innovative and collaborative leadership to ensure that goals and initiatives align with the University's overall mission and strategic plan. This position will lead the creation and implementation of effective quality academic programs as well as supervise the university work related to accreditation, assessment, and institutional research. The successful candidate will be a strategic, innovative, team player and results-oriented leader with a track record of success - setting clear expectations, inspiring people, collaborating across the institution, and managing effectively. This individual must show evidence of a deep appreciation for teaching, learning, and scholarship, a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as a strong understanding of the internal economics of the academic enterprise and the current challenges facing higher education.

Serves as a leader on the Provost Office team and plays an active role on the President's Leadership Team and Academic Cabinet by regularly collaborating with college stakeholders and university leaders to review and optimize the university's academic portfolio and to help shape and implement the university's strategic goals.
• Collaborates with the enrollment team and community partners to identify existing and emerging market needs for new programs and/or the transformation of existing programs. Develops and implements appropriate strategies to bring such opportunities to fruition.
• Supervises a dynamic team of professionals responsible for institutional effectiveness, research, accreditation, compliance, program review, and assessment, providing consistent levels of guidance, support, and engagement in order to maintain a strong team culture and ensure the successful achievement of both team and institutional goals.
• Works in close collaboration with the Faculty Association, through the Provost's Office, as a resource and liaison to Faculty Senate Committees to assist with committee charges and strategic priorities.
• Leads coordination and planning of annual, comprehensive program review processes by engaging academic program stakeholders (e.g., faculty academic deans, etc.) in data-informed reviews focused on continuous improvement efforts through data analysis, recommendations, and facilitation of transparent discussions.
• Leads the university's accreditation and compliance endeavors by orchestrating strategies and processes to uphold local, state (IL and FL), and federal regulatory standards, meet all institutional and programmatic accreditation requirements, and foster a culture of excellence and accountability across departments and programs through collaborative engagement and continual improvement initiatives.
• Serve as a leader and thought partner in all aspects of academic assessment, using a lens of continuous improvement to ensure effective evaluation of student learning outcomes, program effectiveness, and institutional effectiveness, while leading efforts to enhance teaching and learning through data-driven decision-making, collaboration with stakeholders, and implementation of best practices in assessment methodologies.
• Oversees the university's academic portfolio by co-leading strategic planning efforts to identify and develop new academic programs as well as monitor the performance of existing programs to recommend program actions as appropriate; manage the electronic curriculum system and workflow by serving as the Provost Office designee responsible for reviewing curriculum requests; manage curriculum planning policies, processes, website, resources, and communications to stakeholders; collaborate with a diverse group of college and university stakeholders to inform strategic curriculum decision-making.
• Manages the review process for student academic appeals and academic complaints (including academic dishonesty reviews) and ensures fair and consistent resolution while upholding institutional policies and standards by collaborating with relevant stakeholders, and maintaining confidentiality and integrity throughout the process.
• Remain flexible and nimble to support or lead emergent priorities and projects as needed.
• Maintains knowledge of current trends, issues, technologies, and processes in higher education by researching applicable literature, programs, and services, and attending various seminars and conferences.

• Masters Degree, required, Doctoral Degree preferred.
  
• Minimum of 5 years of experience higher education or related administrative experience relevant to academic programs and accreditation.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in effective management and change leadership. Demonstrated expertise in working with various internal and external constituencies.
• Continuously keeps informed about market conditions, competitive information, and political factors that may impact the goals and interests of the organization. Uses good judgment about when to share external information as well as who should be informed. Stays up-to-date on trends and projections and sees what is on the horizon.
• Understand the internal climate of the organization, including the most productive channels of communication, and make use of the appropriate communication channels to achieve goals and objectives (familiarity with Microsoft Teams and Google tools). Be thoughtful and exercise good judgment when selecting strategies for accomplishing tasks that will strengthen the long-term standing of the institution.
• Must have practical knowledge of accreditation, assessment and regulatory compliance.
• Building Team Environment: Establishes an environment that creates incentives for, and eliminates barriers to, a team environment. For example, articulates common goals, communicates how individual roles contribute to team success, and provides both clear direction and sufficient resources while removing or reducing obstacles to team success.
• Results Oriented: Achieves results within established timelines. Understands and demonstrates that intentions, activities, and results are not the same. Expects that obstacles will occur and refuses to use them as an excuse for not achieving results.
• Strategic Thinking: Analyzes organizational strengths and weaknesses and then combines these with knowledge of the industry, market, and organization to develop a long-term strategy.
• Innovative Thinking: Seeks new and innovative approaches that will improve efficiency. Embraces and champions new ideas and encourages others to do likewise. Recognizes and rewards people and teams who are creative and innovative.
• Solving Problems: Takes a proactive approach to anticipating and preventing problems. When problems occur, defines those problems, investigates obstacles, gathers relevant information, decides whether solving the problem should be a group decision, generates and analyzes alternate solutions and arrives at a workable solution.
• Flexibility: Adjusts quickly and effectively to changing conditions and demands. Discusses change as a necessary and inevitable aspect of organizational life as well as an opportunity to learn new things. Has a similar view and approach to potentially stressful situations. Invests personal energy toward accepting and adapting to change that others use toward resisting or resenting it.

NLU Inclusion Statement:

National Louis University is deeply committed to serving its community, advancing access and equity, and ensuring that all individuals are welcomed and valued. We are dedicated to fostering a culture where diversity, equity, and inclusion remain at the core of who we are. These are more than just words to us: they are truly a way of life for the NLU community. We recognize that differences in abilities, age, ethnicity, gender (identity and expression), race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and background bring richness to our work environment. We affirm diverse perspectives, innovative contributions, and authentic presentations of self from every member within the NLU community. We believe inclusion is grounded in the actions we intentionally take each day. Our goal is to inspire and empower NLU employees and community members to cultivate an environment where we collectively focus on uplifting and advancing our institutional culture.