Academic Career & Executive Search Spearheads Efforts to Find an Inclusion and Belonging Leader for Boise State University
April 19, 2023 – Academic Career & Executive Search (ACES) has been selected by Boise State University to lead its search for a vice provost for inclusion and belonging. This executive serves as a senior official charged with leading and coordinating the efforts in academic affairs to support a richly diverse, inclusive, and welcoming environment for all students, staff, and faculty. According to ACES, this position provides visionary and collaborative leadership, working with the president, provost, deans, other academic leadership, and human resources to facilitate an integrated vision and shared responsibility for advancing institutional goals of fostering a healthy, supportive campus culture for all.
“Through key collaborative partnerships, the vice provost’s areas of focus include high level coordination within academic affairs of initiatives related to strategic planning; training; education; research; policy development; compliance; climate issues; and communications meant to foster an equitable and inclusive environment for all,” the search firm said. “The vice provost for inclusion and belonging must demonstrate a deep commitment to improving the well-being of all the diverse populations served in academic affairs at Boise State, as well as the capacity to engage members of its academic community in improving climate and outcomes for all students, faculty, and staff in academic affairs.”
Candidates should have an employment history, scholarship or academic training in areas fostering diverse, equitable, and inclusive environments. They must have a collaborative, inclusive, engaging, and transparent leadership style. Those applying for this position should possess experience as an organizational leader guiding and facilitating diversity, equity, access, community well-being, and inclusion efforts at an institution of higher education. It is also important for candidates to have experience working in or partnering with human resources to promote truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environments.
Related: Academic Career & Executive Search Seeking CEO for Kansas State University
The successful candidate should have:
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and collegially with a wide variety of diverse constituents across the university, and to successfully develop cultural fluency across a range of audiences of varying levels of understanding.
- Evidence of sensitivity to and understanding of individuals from various backgrounds.
- Excellent diplomacy, discretion, and listening skills.
- Ability to communicate sensitive information verbally and in writing to individuals at all levels.
- Ability to appropriately respond to highly sensitive and confidential situations.
- Outstanding written and verbal communication skills with the ability to effectively convey complex information to a wide array of audiences.
Boise State University is a public, metropolitan research university providing leadership in academics, research, and civic engagement. The school has more than 24,000 students from every state and more than 60 foreign countries. Boise State is designated as a doctoral research institution by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. It offers about 200 programs of study, including 11 doctoral programs. The university is an integral part of its metropolitan environment and is engaged in its economic vitality, policy issues, professional, and continuing education programming and cultural enrichment.
Experienced Recruiters
Academic Career & Executive Search focuses on executive search services, career planning, and candidate coaching. Specializing in challenging faculty to senior administrative positions, the firm offers six a la carte services spanning full search, candidate generation, interim, multi-hire, and contingency search. Candidate support services include webinars, career planning, and candidate coaching. Its team has served in virtually every capacity in higher education including president, vice president, provost, dean, chief human research officer, and faculty members across all types and sizes of institutions.
Academic Career & Executive Search Seeks Provost for Clarkson University
Academic Career & Executive Search (ACES) has been enlisted to find the next provost for Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY. Robyn Hannigan stepped down from the role last June to become president of nearby Ursinus College. Goodarz Ahmadi, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, is serving as interim provost. “This is an exciting opportunity for a transformative, transparent leader and change agent capable of propelling Clarkson University’s academic priorities to the next stage,” said ACES. “The successful candidate will be an accomplished, student-focused leader with an established track record of visionary leadership and strategic planning to serve as the next provost.”
ACES is also nearing the end stages of recruiting a CHRO for Boise State. Reporting directly to the president, the CHRO is a senior member of Boise State’s leadership team, responsible for developing a responsive, innovative, and collaborative human resources unit that recruits, compensates, retains, and develops a highly talented and engaged workforce.
According to the search firm, candidates should have the ability to work effectively and collaboratively with executive leadership, senior management, and faculty and staff, understanding the dynamics of a world-class academic environment and the relationship between business functions and the teaching and research mission of the university. They should be skilled in providing leadership and direction for human resources services in a fast-paced environment of organizational change.
Related: Why Universities Have Stepped Up Efforts to Involve Search Firms
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
