Purdue University Northwest (PNW), a student-centered regional university within the Purdue University system, seeks a strategic, fiscally disciplined, and entrepreneurial financial leader to serve as its next Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration (VCFA). Partnering closely with the Chancellor and serving as a key member of the senior leadership team, the VCFA will act as the University’s chief financial and administrative officer and play a central role in aligning institutional ambition with sustainable financial and operational models. This leader will help shape PNW’s trajectory as both a regional anchor institution and an integral member of the broader Purdue system.

Established in 2016, PNW is a two-campus institution, with locations in Hammond and Westville, Indiana, serving approximately 6,000 core students across undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. The University operates with an annual budget of approximately $168 million, supported by a combination of state appropriations, tuition revenue, and auxiliary enterprises, with endowment resources managed at the system level. PNW serves a diverse population—including first-generation students, working adults, and commuters—while also supporting a growing cohort of traditional-age and residential students. At the same time, the University plays an important role in the economic and civic vitality of Northwest Indiana and the greater Chicagoland region through applied learning, industry engagement, and community partnership.

The greater Chicagoland region further strengthens its strategic positioning. Located within close proximity to one of the nation’s largest economic centers, the University is actively leveraging its location to expand partnerships with corporate, government, and research entities—particularly in sectors such as advanced manufacturing, technology, and emerging areas of innovation. These interconnected priorities require financial and operational strategies that balance access and affordability with targeted investment in infrastructure, academic programming, and long-term growth.

As a regional campus within a large public research university system, PNW requires a finance leader who can navigate the complexity of a multi-entity financial structure while advancing the distinct priorities of the Northwest campus. Reporting to the Chancellor, with a dotted-line relationship to Purdue University’s central finance leadership, the VCFA will provide strategic and operational oversight of the University’s financial and administrative enterprise. This includes leadership of finance and accounting, budgeting and multi-year financial planning, procurement and business services, student accounts, auxiliary operations, facilities and campus planning, capital strategy, and public safety. The VCFA will play a central role in ensuring fiscal integrity, strengthening resource allocation processes, and aligning financial planning with institutional priorities.

The successful candidate will bring a demonstrated record of strong fiscal stewardship—ensuring that financial operations are accurate, balanced, and aligned with best practices in transparency and compliance. Equally important, the VCFA will be a forward-looking and analytically driven leader who leverages financial and institutional data to inform decision-making, identify opportunities for strategic investment, and advance entrepreneurial initiatives that support long-term financial sustainability and growth. This includes maximizing the value of physical and real estate assets, advancing auxiliary and enterprise operations, and developing alternative revenue streams and partnerships, including public-private models.

This is an opportunity for a leader who can balance disciplined financial management with creative, data-informed thinking, thereby strengthening the University’s financial foundation while positioning Purdue University Northwest for continued growth, innovation, and regional impact.

Purdue University Northwest has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national search firm to assist in this important search. All inquiries, applicants, and nominations for this opportunity should be directed in confidence to the University or search firm as indicated below:

Dan Rodas, Partner
Stephanie Simon, Senior Associate
Kristin Benoit, Associate
Rachel Banderob, Senior Search Coordinator
Isaacson, Miller
https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/purdue-university-northwest/vice-chancellor-finance-and-administration

Purdue University Northwest (PNW), a student-centered regional university within the Purdue University system, seeks a strategic, fiscally disciplined, and entrepreneurial financial leader to serve as its next Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration (VCFA). Partnering closely with the Chancellor and serving as a key member of the senior leadership team, the VCFA will act as the University’s chief financial and administrative officer and play a central role in aligning institutional ambition with sustainable financial and operational models. This leader will help shape PNW’s trajectory as both a regional anchor institution and an integral member of the broader Purdue system.

Established in 2016, PNW is a two-campus institution, with locations in Hammond and Westville, Indiana, serving approximately 6,000 core students across undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. The University operates with an annual budget of approximately $168 million, supported by a combination of state appropriations, tuition revenue, and auxiliary enterprises, with endowment resources managed at the system level. PNW serves a diverse population—including first-generation students, working adults, and commuters—while also supporting a growing cohort of traditional-age and residential students. At the same time, the University plays an important role in the economic and civic vitality of Northwest Indiana and the greater Chicagoland region through applied learning, industry engagement, and community partnership.

The greater Chicagoland region further strengthens its strategic positioning. Located within close proximity to one of the nation’s largest economic centers, the University is actively leveraging its location to expand partnerships with corporate, government, and research entities—particularly in sectors such as advanced manufacturing, technology, and emerging areas of innovation. These interconnected priorities require financial and operational strategies that balance access and affordability with targeted investment in infrastructure, academic programming, and long-term growth.

As a regional campus within a large public research university system, PNW requires a finance leader who can navigate the complexity of a multi-entity financial structure while advancing the distinct priorities of the Northwest campus. Reporting to the Chancellor, with a dotted-line relationship to Purdue University’s central finance leadership, the VCFA will provide strategic and operational oversight of the University’s financial and administrative enterprise. This includes leadership of finance and accounting, budgeting and multi-year financial planning, procurement and business services, student accounts, auxiliary operations, facilities and campus planning, capital strategy, and public safety. The VCFA will play a central role in ensuring fiscal integrity, strengthening resource allocation processes, and aligning financial planning with institutional priorities.

The successful candidate will bring a demonstrated record of strong fiscal stewardship—ensuring that financial operations are accurate, balanced, and aligned with best practices in transparency and compliance. Equally important, the VCFA will be a forward-looking and analytically driven leader who leverages financial and institutional data to inform decision-making, identify opportunities for strategic investment, and advance entrepreneurial initiatives that support long-term financial sustainability and growth. This includes maximizing the value of physical and real estate assets, advancing auxiliary and enterprise operations, and developing alternative revenue streams and partnerships, including public-private models.

This is an opportunity for a leader who can balance disciplined financial management with creative, data-informed thinking, thereby strengthening the University’s financial foundation while positioning Purdue University Northwest for continued growth, innovation, and regional impact.

Purdue University Northwest has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national search firm to assist in this important search. All inquiries, applicants, and nominations for this opportunity should be directed in confidence to the University or search firm as indicated below:

Dan Rodas, Partner
Stephanie Simon, Senior Associate
Kristin Benoit, Associate
Rachel Banderob, Senior Search Coordinator
Isaacson, Miller
https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/purdue-university-northwest/vice-chancellor-finance-and-administration