Provost and Senior Vice President

Illinois The Position: National Louis University (NLU) is seeking a visionary leader to serve as the Provost and Senior Vice President who 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, scaling online delivery to support adult learners, 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, the Vice President of Online Education, 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. Qualifications: 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 (NLU) 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 growth in enrollment in recent years, including a 23% increase in new, degree-seeking student enrollment in AY23-24, NLU's community is composed of more than 13,000 students (6,300 of whom are undergraduates, and 6,700 are graduate students) and 801 full-time personnel across the four campuses and online programs. Among degree-seeking undergraduates, 63% are eligible for federal Pell grants and 72% 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. Mission National Louis University is an inclusive, innovative community providing educational opportunities that inspire and empower all learners as they prepare for and advance in meaningful lives and productive careers. To Apply: Confidential review of applications will begin immediately and continue on a rolling basis until the position has been filled. All applications received by November 2, 2026, will receive full consideration. Please submit a PDF version of your CV and a brief letter explaining your interest in and suitability for this position. To apply online, go to https://theapplicantmanager.com/jobs?pos=su531 For information, recommendations, or nominations: Lyndi Hewitt, PhD Senior Consultant Summit Search Solutions, Inc. Direct: 615-423-0525 lhewitt@summitsearchsolutions.com 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. NLU is dedicated to fostering a culture where diversity, equity, and inclusion remain at the core of who they are. These are more than just words: they are truly a way of life for the NLU community. NLU recognizes that differences in abilities, age, ethnicity, gender (identity and expression), race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and background bring richness to its work environment. NLU affirms diverse perspectives, innovative contributions, and authentic presentations of self from every member within the NLU community. NLU believes inclusion is grounded in the actions intentionally taken each day. NLU's goal is to inspire and empower NLU employees and community members to cultivate an environment where they collectively focus on uplifting and advancing the institutional culture. Compensation and Benefits: National Louis University offers its employees an innovative environment to work together and inspire ideas that will make an impact. As the external environment changes, our employees are provided with 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. The salary range for this position is $250,000-$285,000. Offers are based on multiple factors permitted by law, including but not limited to: budgetary considerations, job-related knowledge/skills, experience, current/previous faculty rank, market considerations, tenure and standing with the university (applicable to current employees), and internal equity.