Provost and Senior Vice President

The Provost and Senior Vice President serves as the University’s Chief Academic Officer and a central architect of National Louis University’s academic, student success, and institutional strategy. Reporting to the President, the Provost provides visionary, strategic, and operational leadership across the University’s academic portfolio, instructional quality, faculty enterprise, and academic operations to ensure alignment with NLU’s mission of delivering career-building, life-changing education.

The Provost is responsible for advancing high-quality, innovative academic programs and ensuring strong and equitable student outcomes, including enrollment growth, persistence, completion, and post-graduate success. This includes direct oversight of the University’s academic portfolio; instructional quality and student learning; faculty governance, hiring, and development; accreditation and compliance; and academic operations, policies, and standards. Academic oversight spans all campus locations, including Chicago, Wheeling, Lisle, and Tampa, as well as all instructional modalities, including close collaboration with the Online Education unit to ensure quality, consistency, and strong outcomes across in-person, hybrid, and online learning environments.

As a member of the University’s executive leadership team, the Provost must demonstrate the ability to think and operate at an enterprise level. This includes working collaboratively across academic and administrative units to shape and advance institutional priorities, align strategy and resources, and ensure coordinated execution of the University’s strategic plan.

The Provost will play a critical leadership role in advancing key institutional priorities, including the continued development of a robust College of Healthcare Professions, expansion of STEM programming, growth and scaling of the University’s workforce initiative, Accelerate U, and the introduction of new and innovative academic models that challenge traditional higher education conventions.

The Provost oversees college deans and a team of vice provosts responsible for the University’s academic enterprise, and directly supervises the Vice President of Student Affairs to ensure a cohesive, student-centered experience that includes strong wraparound supports, student engagement, and leadership development opportunities.

The Provost also serves as a key external ambassador for the University, representing NLU in academic, professional, and community settings. This includes cultivating strategic partnerships, supporting fundraising and resource development efforts, and elevating the University’s reputation through thought leadership and engagement with external stakeholders.

The successful candidate will be a collaborative, data-informed, and results-oriented leader who can balance innovation and academic rigor with disciplined execution in a complex and evolving higher education landscape.

Strategic Leadership and Institutional Execution

• Serve as a primary partner to the President in shaping and executing the University’s strategic plan.
• Align academic and student success strategies with institutional priorities, including enrollment growth, student outcomes, and financial sustainability.
• Translate strategic goals into measurable objectives and ensure accountability across academic and administrative units.
• Lead and advance priority institutional initiatives, including the expansion of healthcare and STEM programs, scaling of workforce-aligned education through Accelerate U, and the development of innovative academic models that improve access, affordability, and student outcomes.
• Work collaboratively across colleges and administrative units to shape institutional strategy and ensure coordinated execution of University priorities.

Academic Portfolio

• Provide strategic leadership for the development, evaluation, and continuous improvement of the University’s academic portfolio.
• Ensure programs are aligned with workforce needs, student demand, and institutional priorities.
• Lead new program development, program review, and program optimization efforts.
• Identify opportunities for growth, including new modalities, locations, and partnerships.
• Partner closely with the Vice President of Marketing and Enrollment to support enrollment goals, including alignment on program positioning, new program launches, and coordinated planning to ensure strong integration between academic strategy and enrollment execution.

Instructional Quality and Student Learning

• Ensure high standards of instructional quality, curriculum design, and student learning outcomes across all programs.
• Advance innovative, student-centered teaching and learning models, including online and hybrid delivery.
• Oversee assessment of student learning outcomes and continuous improvement processes.
• Promote the use of data and evidence-based practices to enhance teaching effectiveness and student success.

Faculty Governance, Hiring, Retention, and Development

• Provide leadership for faculty affairs, including recruitment, development, evaluation, and retention.
• Foster a culture of shared governance, collaboration, and accountability.
• Support faculty excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service.
• Provide leadership and oversight to college deans and vice provosts, ensuring alignment, accountability, and high performance across the academic enterprise.
• Partner with academic leaders to build strong, high-performing teams across the institution.
• Work closely with the Faculty Senate, including Executive Faculty Senate, and Adjunct Council to establish faculty governance priorities and charges, and meet regularly with faculty leadership to address concerns, provide clarity, and support effective shared governance practices.

Accreditation and Compliance

• Ensure institutional and programmatic compliance with all accreditation, regulatory, and reporting requirements.
• Lead accreditation strategy, including reaffirmation and substantive change processes.
• Maintain academic integrity and uphold institutional standards across all programs.
• Oversee coordination of accreditation activities across colleges and academic units.

Academic Operations, Policies, and Standards

• Oversee academic operations, including scheduling, faculty workload, and instructional resource planning.
• Ensure clear, effective, and consistent academic policies and standards across the University.
• Drive operational efficiency and alignment between academic strategy and execution.
• Partner with institutional leaders to ensure systems, processes, and infrastructure support academic success.

Scholarship and Thought Leadership

• Promote a culture of scholarship, innovation, and thought leadership among faculty and academic leaders.
• Support research, grant activity, and applied scholarship aligned with the University’s mission.
• Serve as a visible thought leader, representing the University’s academic vision, innovation, and student success outcomes in external forums.
• Elevate the visibility and impact of faculty and institutional work through external engagement and dissemination.

Academic Student Support and Experience

• Provide strategic oversight of the University’s student affairs function, ensuring alignment between academic and co-curricular experiences.
• Ensure a cohesive, student-centered experience that includes advising, wraparound support services, student engagement, and leadership development opportunities.
• Partner with enrollment and student affairs leadership to improve student persistence, completion, and overall success.
• Advance strategies that support all learners and close gaps in student outcomes.

External Engagement and Institutional Advancement

• Serve as a key ambassador for the University, representing NLU at external events, convenings, and professional forums.
• Cultivate and sustain partnerships with industry, community organizations, and educational institutions to expand opportunities for students and strengthen institutional impact.
• Support institutional advancement efforts, including fundraising, donor engagement, and partnership development aligned with strategic priorities.
• Identify and pursue opportunities to enhance the University’s brand, visibility, and reputation at the regional and national levels.

Financial Stewardship and Resource Alignment

• Oversee academic budgeting and resource allocation to ensure alignment with strategic priorities and financial sustainability.
• Serve as one of the senior leaders responsible for reviewing the institutional budget, hearing budget requests, and providing strategic input to shape budget priorities that support fiscal sustainability, operational efficiency, and long-term growth.
• Partner with finance and enrollment leadership to align academic planning with revenue and expense goals.
• Ensure responsible stewardship of institutional resources and a strong return on academic investments.
• Drive efficiency in academic operations while maintaining quality and student outcomes.

Institutional Leadership and Governance

• Serve as a member of the President’s Cabinet and University Leadership Team and provide leadership across the University.
• Advance shared governance through active engagement with faculty and institutional committees.
• Promote a culture of transparency, collaboration, and accountability.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives that strengthen institutional effectiveness and organizational alignment.
• Perform other duties and strategic initiatives as assigned.

Board Engagement and Academic Affairs Committee Support

• Serve as the lead administrative liaison to the Board of Trustees’ Academic Affairs Committee, working closely with the Committee Chair to set agendas, priorities, and meeting cadence.
• Prepare and present materials for the Academic Affairs Committee, including reports, analyses, and recommendations related to academic strategy, program performance, and student outcomes.
• Develop and manage consent agenda items, including faculty policy updates, sabbatical leave recommendations, promotion and tenure decisions, and other academic actions requiring Board approval.
• Provide regular, data-informed reports on the health and performance of the University’s academic portfolio, including enrollment trends, student success outcomes, program viability, and areas for growth or improvement.
• Attend full Board of Trustees meetings and deliver academic updates, ensuring alignment between academic strategy and institutional priorities.
• Partner with the President and executive leadership team to ensure clear, consistent, and transparent communication with the Board on academic matters.

Required Qualifications:

• Earned doctorate or appropriate terminal degree in an academic discipline.
• A record of progressively advancing higher education leadership responsibilities, positions, and success.
• Demonstrated ability to manage financial resources, complex budgets, and personnel.
• Demonstrated experience with and commitment to shared governance in a higher education setting.
• Demonstrated commitment to student success.
• Ability to work in an entrepreneurial fast-paced environment.
• An ability to engage with all University constituents in a way that respects their roles and responsibilities, demonstrates open and timely communication, and seeks diverse perspectives collaboratively.
• Ability to use qualitative and quantitative information in decision making.
• An appreciation of a wide variety of performance measures as appropriate in different disciplines.
• A sustained record of high integrity and ethical behavior, creativity, energy, and the ability to inspire others.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience in and enthusiasm for teaching, applied research, and creative scholarship.
• Experience in internationalized curricula and global initiatives in higher education.
• Experience with undergraduate and graduate, domestic and international recruitment and retention.
• Experience with budget models that reward productivity, effectiveness, and entrepreneurship.
• Experience developing or scaling programs in high-demand fields such as healthcare, STEM, or workforce-aligned disciplines.
• Experience building partnerships with industry, community organizations, or other external stakeholders.
• Experience supporting or leading fundraising and resource development efforts.
• Experience working in institutions serving diverse, first-generation, and adult learner populations.

Competencies: 

• Strategic Thinking: Formulates vision and strategy for the future of the organization, while weighing diverse inputs, identifying innovative opportunities, and courageously pursuing change in service of impact. Able to get up to speed quickly on new, complex strategic challenges and contribute immediately to solving them. Ability to implement strategic plans, including performance management goals and objectives, data-informed decision making, project and change management, and proven human resource management.
• Data-Driven: Able to use and analyze data to identify trends, solve problems, inform differentiated faculty and staff professional development, guide student interventions, and drive overall programmatic continuous improvement including student outcomes.
• Results-Oriented: Develops and executes action plans – including roles, resources, and timelines needed to drive intended impact – and engages stakeholders and adjusts course as needed to ensure on-time and high-quality results within budget. Manages multiple priorities at a given time, able to balance competing priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Team Leadership: Sets clear goals and works to integrate team and program needs into cohesive actions. Delegates, coaches and develops team members while inspiring them. Recognizes individual strengths and builds community through recognizing success. Handles sensitive or difficult issues with grace and confidence. Remains clear-headed, focused, and inspires others to do the same. Remains objective in the face of strong emotions. Can acknowledge strong emotions without being unduly influenced by their intensity. Exudes a collaborative management style that builds strong teams within, between, and across organizations.
• Equity and Growth Mindset: Understands and demonstrates commitment to the goals of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Consistently brings an equity mindset to the organization’s work and workplace; considers the impact of equity related issues on students, staff, faculty, and external partners.
• External Awareness: 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. Is seldom surprised by external factors that affect the organization. 
• Executive Presence: Demonstrates confidence, composure, and credibility when engaging with a range of internal and external stakeholders, in particular executive-level colleagues; Communicates clearly and concisely, and tailors messages to achieve buy-in of diverse audiences; Connects with others as an active, empathetic, and responsive listener and visionary.

ABOUT NATIONAL LOUIS UNIVERSITY

National Louis University is a private not-for-profit university offering career-building, life-changing educational programs through the doctoral level. NLU serves a diverse student body and is recognized as both a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and Minority-Serving Institution (MSI). Noted for its achievements in educational access, the Washington Monthly ranked NLU fourth on its Social Mobility list and first on its Best Bang for Your Buck – Midwest category. Money Magazine featured NLU on its “Colleges Whose Graduates Say They Make the World a Better Place” top 10 list.

At NLU, undergraduate tuition averages about $13,000, meaning that students who qualify for the maximum federal and state grants can attend the university for zero dollars out-of-pocket. As such, NLU is recognized as a national leader in closing the post-secondary completion gap, and students completing an undergraduate degree from NLU enter the workforce earning an estimated $46,000 per year after graduation, ranking NLU among the top five of all Illinois post-secondary schools.

The University offers more than 80 undergraduate and graduate degree programs through seven academic units: the Undergraduate College, Kendall College of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management, the College of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, the National College of Education, the School of Business and Leadership, the School of Nursing, and Accelerate U, the University’s workforce development division. NLU is one of the most diverse universities in the Midwest, helping students of all ages and backgrounds achieve their personal and professional goals. Its network features three campuses in the Chicagoland area: Downtown Chicago, IL; Wheeling, IL; Lisle, IL, and one campus in Tampa, FL. The University offers programs through various modalities including face-to-face, blended, online, synchronous, and remote learning in which courses can be supplemented with well-planned and meaningful on-campus experiences.

After significant enrollment growth in recent years, including a 23% increase in new, degree-seeking student enrollment in AY23-24, NLU’s community is composed of nearly 13,000 students (6,300 of whom are undergraduates, and 6,700 are graduate students) and 775 full-time personnel across the four campuses and online programs. Among degree-seeking undergraduates, 60 percent are eligible for federal Pell grants and 58 percent are first-generation college students. Its average undergraduate age is 28 and graduate age is 37. Its students are from 50 states and 48 countries.

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.

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 Opportunities. Additional information regarding full-time staff benefits can be found here.

The salary range of the grade for this position is $250,000 to $280,000 annually.  Compensation decisions are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of each position and candidate.  Offers are based on multiple factors permitted by law, including but not limited to: budgetary considerations, job-related knowledge/skills, experience, market considerations, tenure and standing with the university (applicable to current employees), and internal equity. 

Please Include the following along with your application:

• Resume (Required)
• Cover Letter (Required)
• Current NLU employees please also submit an Internal Posting Form