Isaacson, Miller Leading Three Provost Searches
October 2, 2017 – With the new academic year underway, a number of colleges and universities across the country are opening searches that, if all goes to plan, will provide high-profile leaders to take them into a new era of fundraising, digitalization, sports and, more often the case, globalization. Among the latest, Seattle University, the American University of Paris and Pace University have all enlisted executive search firm Isaacson, Miller to recruit new provosts.
A nationally recognized search firm focused on recruiting transformational leaders for mission-driven organizations, Isaacson, Miller has conducted nearly 5,600 placements over 34 years. More than half of the search firm’s historical placements, some 2,800 assignments, have been in academia, involving university presidents, college chancellors and deans. The firm has filled top leadership posts at Wellesley College, Washington State University, Miami University, Howard University, Bowdoin College, Dartmouth, NYU, Virginia State University and the University of North Carolina, among others.
Seattle University
Seattle University, the firm said, is seeking an innovative leader to position the school as a model for how a university deeply rooted in its mission can respond and thrive in a complex environment, teach and connect with a highly diverse population of students and society in general.
As the chief academic officer, the provost should be a champion for academic excellence and ensure that all graduate and undergraduate students at Seattle University experience a challenging and rewarding education consistent with the mission of the school, said the firm. The role includes managing an operating budget of over $190 million.
Founded in 1891, Seattle University has matured from a small parish school to one of the premier independent universities in the Pacific Northwest. It is ranked among the nation’s leading institutions for undergraduate education by the Princeton Review. It is one of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the U.S.
Isaacson, Miller vice president and director Julie Filizetti is leading the search along with associates Sheila Bharucha and Nathaniel Brewer.
American University of Paris
The American University of Paris (AUP) is a liberal arts institution that is American by tradition, French by location and global in both intake and outlook. It is seeking an innovative, creative, and dynamic leader to serve as its next provost and chief academic officer, said the search firm. The ideal candidate would be an accomplished educator with vision, skill, international perspective and a strong record of scholarship and leadership in higher education to influence and shape the academic life of the university.
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The provost is expected to work collaboratively and closely with the faculty, president, senior leadership and the board of trustees to review and reconstitute the institution’s general, undergraduate and graduate curriculums, and have a significant impact on the future academic lives of the faculty. The provost will serve as a key member of the senior leadership team and play a pivotal role in achieving AUP’s academic, strategic and financial/institutional goals.
Developing and expanding AUP’s successful research centers – all mission-driven and centered upon faculty-mentored student research – will also be a primary focus of the new provost, said Isaacson, Miller. The executive is also expected to seek to forge partnerships with other institutions in Paris. As the chief academic officer of the university, the individual will support and develop a distinguished faculty, while shepherding a culture of trust, mutual respect and transparency among and between the administration, faculty, and staff. The provost will promote diversity and inclusion in the AUP community through all of these efforts.
Vice president and director Dan Rodas is leading this search along with executive search consultant Liz Vago and senior associate Gregg Glover.
Pace University
Pace University, a private, comprehensive New York institution of higher education founded in 1906, seeks an innovative and strategic leader to serve as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. The next provost will join the university’s new president, Marvin Krislov, as the institution leverages Pace’s distinctive mix of professional and liberal arts education to bolster its national and international visibility and reputation, said the recruitment firm.
The provost is responsible for shaping an academic vision for excellence that is consistent across the institution in quality, student experience, and alignment with Pace’s mission. With the deans of each of the academic units, the provost is charged with advancing the intellectual direction of the schools, supporting and anticipating their resource requirements, and empowering the deans to think about and achieve their respective goals for scholarly impact, enrollment, retention and student success.
The incoming leader is expected to bring scholarly distinction, rich and applicable administrative experience, a history of collaboration and creativity, and proven success in building and continuing a strong academic culture. Proven effectiveness to identify and leverage institutional assets as well as experience and knowledge of higher education trends and market force is essential.
Isaacson, Miller vice presidents Anita Tien and John Muckle are leading this search with managing associate Ben Tobin.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Will Schatz, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
