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Job Description:
SEARCH FOR PROVOST AND CHIEF ACADEMIC AND ENROLLMENT OFFICER Dillard University
New Orleans, Louisiana
THE SEARCH Dillard University, a selective, coeducational, residential, private university located in the heart of New Orleans, seeks a Provost / Chief Academic and Enrollment Officer who is visionary, strategic, collaborative, and inspirational. The Provost/ Chief Academic and Enrollment Officer will serve as a Senior Vice President of academic affairs and enrollment management member of the President’s Cabinet. The Provost will be charged with leading and advancing the academic enterprise, fortifying enrollment, and increasing graduation and retention rates at this University with a storied legacy as one of the country’s leading historically black universities, as it continues to fulfill its mission of cultivating leaders who live ethically, think and communicate precisely and act courageously to make the world a better place. The Provost will also work alongside Dillard’s President, faculty, staff, industry advisory boards, and administrators to create a more holistic student experience through advancing Dillard’s living, learning, and serving the community.
This position is an exciting and challenging opportunity to help transform Dillard into an even more effective and efficient enterprise in partnership with Rochelle L. Ford, Ph.D., APR, appointed in July 2022 as the University’s eighth president.
Dillard University is known for its highly personalized and learning-centered approach. Dillard’s students can meet the competitive demands of a diverse, global, and technologically advanced society. In 2023, the University had a 73% career placement rate at graduation. Since Dr. Ford’s becoming President, the University sharpened its focus on retention with an all-campus employee approach resulting in a 4% increase in returning students and an increase in students registering for the next academic year. U.S. News & World Report ranked Dillard among the top HBCUs, #14 in 2023, #33 in the nation for social mobility, and #156 among liberal arts colleges. Among its academic achievements, Dillard boasts a renowned 80-year-old nursing program and a prodigious physics program, ranked third in 2020 by the American Institute of Physics in producing African American physics graduates. Its pre-law program is also well known: in 2023, 100 percent of its students who applied for law schools were accepted.
Founded more than 150 years ago in the aftermath of the Civil War in 1869, Dillard is located on a historic 55-acre campus in the Gentilly neighborhood of New Orleans. The University is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church, receiving funding from members of the Louisiana Conference and individual churches alike. Dillard’s distinguished faculty are dedicated to teaching, scholarship, internal and external service, and innovative academic programs. It enrolls approximately 1,200 students at the undergraduate level in its four colleges with 22 academic degree programs. Students come from 33 states and 12 countries.
Reporting to the President, the Provost serves as the chief academic and enrollment management officer of the University and shepherd of the institution’s mission. The position provides an outstanding opportunity for a talented and thoughtful individual to lead a new student-centered, data-informed, outcomes-focused team making expedient strategic changes in a vibrant academic community.
The next Provost must have a track record of success at a four-year college or University and a working knowledge of HBCUs (or minority-serving institutions), with a deep respect for the critical role that they play in the lives of historically underrepresented and marginalized students of color. To sustain that legacy and its impact on global society, Dillard’s next leader must understand the existential threats facing many higher educational institutions and how they are especially challenging for HBCUs. The Provost must be a collaborator who works closely with faculty to make strategic and expedient changes to enhance academic programs to ensure the marketability of graduates, create new graduate, certificate, and professional development programs, and increase graduation, retention, and persistence rates. The Provost will be highly visible, engaging with students, faculty, and staff while deepening meaningful partnerships with feeder high schools, community colleges, and graduate and professional schools to enhance Dillard’s enrollment.
Dillard’s President has charged a search committee composed of University stakeholders to review application materials and vet potential candidates for final selection by the President. All applications, inquiries, and nominations will remain confidential and should be directed to the vice president of human resources as indicated at the end of this document.
MISSION
As a historically black institution, Dillard University cultivates leaders who live ethically, think and communicate precisely and act courageously to make the world a better place. MOTTO
Dillard University’s motto is “Ex Fide, Fortis,” which has been interpreted as “From Faith, Strength” and “With Courage, Confidence.” It is this faith that keeps our vision clear, our hearts full, and our actions confident and deliberate as together; we transform the world into the world that it should be.
VISION Dillard strives to be a “communiversity” dedicated to cultivating leaders who further develop healthy, safe, and innovative communities. Dillard would attract students from diverse socio-economic levels committed to understanding and advancing Black Americans and other lives. Dillard strives to ensure students engage in high-impact practices, ground in the liberal arts, and provide transferable skills that will prepare them for leadership roles. CURRENT PERSPECTIVE
President Ford created the role of the Provost in the fall of 2022 by combining the Vice President of Enrollment and the Vice President of Academic Affairs to have a more cohesive, seamless, integrated experience from being recruited to and showing interest in a Dillard University education, enrolling and matriculating through Dillard and becoming an alum. When the previous vice president of enrollment management left the University in the Spring of 2022, and the vice president of academic affairs accepted another role and sequentially became a university president, President Ford appointed a retired college president and former Provost to serve as an interim provost to help assess the culture and practices of the University. During this interim year, President Ford and the Board of Trustees have aligned their vision for Dillard’s future and have further developed a university strategic plan that aims to stabilize enrollment; maintain accreditations; improve student outcomes related to graduation, job placement, retention, and persistence; strengthening financial stability; enhance quality academic programs; and enhance institutional brand recognition. The interim Provost is committed to remaining in the role through the transition to the new Provost. The University’s strategic plan has five pillars related to value proposition, academic excellence, enrollment, facilities, and cultural climate. The University’s plan is grounded in “sprints” that allow for focused, strategic, cross-disciplinary efforts executed within three years to see a meaningful outcome. The University’s strategic plan aims to make Dillard more agile and responsive to the changing landscape of higher education and the world outside academia by offering innovative academic programs and curricula that align with societal needs and workforce demands. The plan calls for the University to take thoughtful, calculated risks that bolster innovation and balance while maintaining Dillard’s unique voice.
A UNCF member institution, Dillard participates in academic research, policy planning, and philanthropy dispersed to community members. The University has been deeply engaged in UNCF’s Transformation Project, sponsored by the Blue Meridian Group. This project has infused significant funding to bolster enrollment management and student graduation outcomes. Ideally, the new Provost will begin in the late second quarter of 2024 and by August 1 at the latest. ACADEMICS
Dillard University is a private four-year liberal arts institution with a robust academic tradition that embodies a commitment to the intellectual and personal development of its students. The faculty is dedicated to teaching and research, promoting comprehensive student development, ethical decision-making, leadership, and service. Dillard offers 22 degree programs, professional certificates and master’s degree in nursing with specializations in entrepreneurship, administation and education., all within four colleges. Dillard University is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges. Currently, the University has four Colleges, each with a Dean. The Provost will play a central role in ensuring the University maintains its accreditation, continually improves student outcomes, and operates academic affairs more efficiently and effectively. Each College is led by a Dean who reports directly to the Provost. In addition, the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences serves as the Associate Provost. The University College provides a foundational academic experience to support Dillard’s mission of cultivating precise thinkers, communicators, and leaders. To deliver the University’s signature academic and social support to entering students, the University College provides a robust menu of resources, including The Academic Center of Excellence, where students will find First Year Experience, Academic Advising, Service Learning, the Daniel C. Thompson/Samuel DuBois Cook Honors Program, the Emerging Scholars Program and the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge Team. The University College also houses the General Core Curriculum.
The College of Arts and Sciences offers students an array of liberal studies options, ranging from public health to the arts to natural sciences. True to its liberal arts identity, Dillard’s College of Arts and Sciences boasts intellectually and well-rounded alumni. The College comprises four schools: Health and Wellness, Humanities, STEM, and Social Sciences.
The School of Health and Wellness prepares students for positions in health systems management, community health education, and health sciences (pre-professional) through practical experience and education. Dillard Health and Wellness provides the highest quality of undergraduate education based on excellence in teaching, applied research, and services. The school emphasizes service to Louisiana while serving students throughout the United States and other countries.
The School of Humanities concerns the systems of thought based on the nature, dignity, interests, expressions, ideas, and values of humankind. The Humanities Program encompasses ancient philosophical foundations and modern modes of inquiry from a global perspective, as expressed in literature and the creative arts. The School of Humanities develops graduates who are critical thinkers, skillfully creative, and well-prepared for the academy and the workplace.
The School of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), in the tradition of liberal arts education, strives to offer students a broad spectrum of courses and experiences. The program’s hallmark has long been its commitment to providing quality education for biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, and physics students.
The School of Social Sciences is committed to producing graduates who are grounded in the finest traditions of the liberal arts. The school prepares students to understand themselves and others within regional and global contexts shaped by the African-American commitment to social justice and community empowerment. Each major in the school strives to teach students critical thinking and writing skills and the latest research-based practices to successfully compete in graduate school or the workplace.
The College of Business enables students to apply acquired knowledge in solving problems and participating in civic engagements. Business practitioners and eminent scholars are invited to share their insights, expertise, and experience with students. Business seminars allow students the opportunity to interact with executives on local, state, national, and global platforms. Students participate extensively in service learning, such as Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA). The Applied Business Laboratory Executives Program (ABLE) allows students to put learned theoretical skills to work by engaging the community and learning to operate a for-profit business. Students develop holistic business acumen to enable their success in a competitive global environment. The College is accredited by the Accreditation Council of Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). The College of Nursing has traditionally been one of Dillard’s strongest and most popular academic programs. It graduates students who are broadly educated, technologically astute, and responsible practitioners of nursing. Graduates utilize the liberal arts, sciences, and critical thinking to provide care that improves the human condition in a diverse, value-rich, global society. For over 80 years, Dillard’s historic nursing program has proudly produced culturally sensitive, board-certified practitioners. In the fall of 2023, the College of Nursing welcomed its inaugural masters of nursing with specializations in entrepreneurship, education, and administration. The College of Nursing is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing.
STUDENT LIFE
As a small, tight-knit community, Dillard University attracts leaders, thinkers, artists, scientists, scholars, and future professionals by focusing on high-quality instruction, research, service, and community involvement. It equips them with the tools to imagine and build a better world for everyone. Students do not acquire knowledge in a vacuum; they develop compassion and high ethical standards alongside it. They think critically and do not choose the easy path over the right one. Their commitment to excellence and integrity is a source of inspiration for them and others. Beyond the classroom, they are encouraged to participate in athletics, student government, student organization, fraternities, and sororities. Dillard’s dynamic Greek life, which includes nine National Pan Hellenic Council organizations, helps students build meaningful, lifelong relationships with each other and the faculty and staff.
The Provost will be central in bridging tighter connections between academic affairs, admissions, enrollment management, and the Office of Student Success staff. It is critical that this role works collaboratively
