Vice President for Outreach, Engagement and Regional Development

Northern Illinois University (NIU) seeks a dynamic, collaborative leader to serve as the next Vice President for Outreach, Engagement and Regional Development.

NIU is a high research activity (R2) and Carnegie-engaged institution with an enrollment of 16,078 students including approximately 12,000 undergrads and 4,000 graduate students. The Division of Outreach, Engagement and Regional Development is a highly entrepreneurial division with more than 20 departments and units that fit broadly into four categories- business and government; K-12 Educational Support and Policy; Community; and Continuing Education. The division also manages NIU’s regional centers in Rockford and Naperville.

Located 65 miles from downtown Chicago, in DeKalb, Illinois, NIU is a thriving and diverse community of dedicated faculty, staff, students, alumni, local residents and friends. Together, we support the goal of advancing social mobility for students while creating an enduring impact on the future.

The successful candidate will enhance the university’s growing reputation as a leading public and national research university; build on the institution’s substantial strengths in teaching, research, engagement and outreach; and, importantly, share in NIU’s commitment to creating an equitable and inclusive learning and living environment.

The Vice President for Outreach, Engagement and Regional Development (VPOERD) serves as NIU’s chief engagement officer, setting the vision and providing institution‑wide leadership to advance NIU’s public mission. The role is responsible for ongoing development and institutional implementation of NIU’s Centering Engagement, Driving Impact action plan and for sustaining a university-wide infrastructure that supports engaged scholarship, community‑engaged learning, and mutually beneficial partnerships—positioning NIU as a national model of excellence and maintaining the institution’s Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement. OERD is a highly entrepreneurial division, generating 80% of its own $18-20 million budget with approximately 250 FTEs.