Recruitment for Senior Vice President and Provost (The Chief Academic Officer)
Sinclair Community College, based in Dayton, Ohio, is on the move, reaching record levels of student success, while maintaining extraordinary levels of organizational health and stability. Sinclair is searching for a Chief Academic Officer who will join the team of faculty, staff, administrators, students, and community leaders in taking Sinclair to the next levels of diversity, growth and community alignment. Interested and qualified professionals are invited to apply for this senior level administrative position at one of America's largest and notable community colleges.
ABOUT THE POSITION
Sinclair is a nationally acclaimed comprehensive community college headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, serving over 30,000 college credit students annually, with overall annual spending of nearly $200 million. More students from an eight-county region choose Sinclair for college study than any other institution of higher education anywhere. For this region of Ohio, Sinclair strives to be the college of choice, the partner of choice, an innovator of distinction, and an employer of choice. The Provost is expected to be a powerful leader and catalyst in this quest for continuing excellence.
Reporting to the college President and CEO, and serving on the President's Cabinet, the Senior Vice President and Provost is the college’s Chief Academic Officer. The Provost provides strategic leadership and oversight to all academic areas of the college to ensure that teaching and learning reflect the mission and values of the institution. The Provost serves as an advocate for all academic programs, providing leadership to faculty, academic administrators, and academic staff to ensure consistent quality standards in curriculum and programs that meet the needs of students. The Provost oversees the academic integrity of the college and provides leadership in long-range planning, budgeting, curriculum, program development, and faculty support. The Provost ensures compliance with various accrediting bodies as well as with state and federal regulations.
Sinclair works to help more students earn more education, faster, and for less money. Sinclair’s successful students will reflect the diversity across the region, and the Sinclair curriculum is continuously realigned to meet the needs of the local economy. The Provost is expected to be a powerful leader and catalyst in the shared governance environment that maintains this mission.
Qualifications and Preferred Attributes
- Earned doctorate (is required) from a regionally accredited institution of higher education.
- Strong record of successful academic administrative and leadership experience in progressively responsible higher education positions (for example, academic department chair, dean, vice president).
- Experience with managing the systems of hiring, developing, and evaluating part-time and full-time faculty (including tenure-track and tenured faculty) and academic staff.
- Experience in the range of skills needed to oversee Academic Affairs, which include working with legal issues, budgeting, public policy, and local community-aligned academic program management curriculum development, as well as high school dual enrollment programs, prison education, international programs, online learning, educational technology, and academic advising/counseling.
- Successful experience in strategic planning, accreditation, retention, and articulation agreement development.
- Demonstration of strong communication skills, transparency and experience with shared governance.
ABOUT SINCLAIR COLLEGE
Founded in 1887, Sinclair College is among the oldest community colleges in America. The college's namesake, David A. Sinclair, founded the workforce education programs to help bridge the gap between the unskilled and the emerging jobs in Southwestern Ohio. David Sinclair's credo, "Find the need and endeavor to meet it," still resonates with us today. For some 138 years, Sinclair College is integral to the Dayton, Ohio region. Sinclair serves more than 30,000 unduplicated college credit students annually, offering more than 325 college credit degree and certificate programs. In FY2024, Sinclair awarded nearly 8,500 college credit degrees and certificates.
Sinclair operates in accordance with the vision, mission, purpose, core values, and key strategy drivers set in its 2024-2027 Strategic Plan. The focus of these priorities allows the college to grow, thrive and meet the broader needs of students and the community it serves. With a team of more than 2,500 full- and part-time faculty and staff, Sinclair operates in three locations throughout the Dayton region with a $150 million annual budget.
A snapshot of Sinclair's recent successes
ABOUT THE DAYTON REGION
The Dayton Region is a racially, culturally and economically diverse community with a wonderful mix of innovation and resourcefulness. Its rich history has led to some of the world's greatest inventions.
The Dayton community enjoys a quality of life that blends big-city amenities with a small-town feel. From the community's vast outdoor recreation opportunities to its wide variety of housing choices, to abundant amenities usually found in much larger cities, the Dayton Region's diverse residents have created a place where people can build a life filled with purpose, opportunity and joy.
Affordability
The Dayton Region has hundreds of affordable communities, ranging from vibrant downtown spaces to quiet country retreats, and everything in between. With the entire 12-county region accessible within an hour's drive and the average commute time about 20 minutes, residents can pick among urban, suburban and rural communities without sacrificing their free time to their commute.
The average housing price is $137,000 for Montgomery County, and the cost of living is 10 points below the U.S. average. The region is home to some of the best school districts in the state, with partnerships such as the Dayton Regional STEM School and the Dayton Early College Academy.
Arts & Entertainment
Dayton's thriving arts community offers theater, "Broadway" shows, museums, opera, ballet and the world-renowned Dayton Contemporary Dance Company.
The second-oldest regional ballet company in the United States, Dayton Ballet, is known internationally as "The Company of Premieres." One of the top three dance companies in the nation that produces and presents new work, it is the only dance company to establish a fund designated specifically to create new full-length, 21st century ballets.
Muse Machine has been acclaimed nationally — by educators, students, families, the President of the United States and the National Endowment for the Arts — for enriching the creative and academic lives of more than 70,000 young people in Western Ohio each year.
Recreation
The region's vast network of bike trails and river ways has hundreds of parks spanning tens of thousands of acres. With 300 miles of hiking trails, 400 miles of state and nationally designated water trails, and the nation's largest paved trail network — more than 340 miles of connected, off-road bikeways — downtown workers and residents can be whitewater paddling in 5 minutes, rowing in 10 minutes, mountain biking in 15 minutes, and backpacking a 22-mile wilderness trail in 30 minutes.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Apply for the position at this link. To assure priority consideration, applications and nominations will be accepted until March 1, 2025. The search remains open until filled.
Selection Process
A screening committee, representing the constituencies of the college, will review applications and select a limited number of candidates for an initial interview. The screening process is expected to begin March 10, 2025, with initial interviews to be held the week of March 24, 2025. Candidates selected for further consideration will be invited to interview with the President and participate in open campus forums the week of March 31, 2025, and the week of April 7, 2025.
The successful candidate will be expected to be available for service within a mutually agreeable time after acceptance of an offer of employment; provide official transcripts of all higher education course work and verification of experience (if necessary); and complete a comprehensive background check prior to the first day of work. The successful candidate when hired, can start work at Sinclair at any time with July 1, 2025, being the latest expected start date.
Equal Opportunity Employment
Sinclair Community College is strongly committed to a policy of equal opportunity in its employment practices, educational programs and activities, and the many services it offers to the community. The College does not discriminate against applicants, employees, or students on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, veteran status, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, or disability.
