Provost

As of May, this search is at an advanced stage in the process. If your experience and background are a good fit for the position, we will be in touch.

Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), a leading private research university, renowned for creativity and technical innovation, seeks an inventive, ambitious leader and distinguished academic to serve as the next provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. This is an exceptional opportunity as RIT continues to expand, reaching new heights in research and scholarly impact, and develops pioneering student-centered programs that prepare change agents who create powerful impact in the world. 

RIT was founded in 1829 and was an early pioneer of practice-based and cooperative education. Today, it is a nationally ranked doctoral university distinguished by its commitment to preparing students for success in a globally connected society. Over the past decade, RIT has pursued a bold strategy that has resulted in advancement in every key institutional metric. Applications have increased 42 percent. Enrollment has grown 10 percent to nearly 20,000 students, with the diversity of the student body and caliber of scholars continually on the rise. Faculty have grown in number, diversity, and scholarly stature, and research productivity combined with a commitment to being a student-focused institution remain top priorities. Cooperative education, a pillar in the RIT educational philosophy, continues to thrive both domestically and internationally. For the class of 2022, RIT boasts a 95.6 percent post-graduation employment rate. Transforming RIT: The Campaign for Greatness, a $1 billion blended fundraising campaign publicly announced in July 2018, is on track and focuses on advancing these hallmarks of the university.

The provost will join RIT as the university accelerates its upward momentum, and following several years of navigating the pandemic, the provost will work with the president and RIT community in the ongoing implementation of the ambitious strategic plan, “Greatness Through Difference.” The provost is chiefly responsible for overseeing the academic agenda for the strategic plan and will continue to lead efforts to grow the faculty across the university. Key objectives for the provost will include stimulating further growth and development of graduate education, continuing the excellence of undergraduate programs, encouraging innovation and cross-disciplinary collaborations, and capitalizing on RIT’s culture of boundless creativity advancing the university’s connection between technology, the arts, and design. 

As the chief academic officer, the provost is responsible for developing and assessing academic programs, managing a budget of over $240 million, and supervising academic administration and academic personnel policies. Deans and directors of campus-level academic units report to the provost. The ideal candidate will be a driver of innovation, have demonstrated success in implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and have capacity for strategic decision-making with a deep commitment to shared governance. 

Inquiries, nominations, and applications should be directed in confidence below. 

John Muckle is leading this search with Karen McPhedran and Ivy Couch. 

RIT does not discriminate. RIT promotes and values diversity, pluralism, and inclusion in the workplace. RIT provides equal opportunity to all qualified individuals and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, age, marital status, sex, gender, religion, sexual orientations, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, veteran status, or disability in its hiring, admissions, educational programs, and activities. For more information or inquiries, please visit RIT/TitleIX or the U.S. Department of Education at https://www.ed.gov/

The hiring process for this position may require a criminal background check and/or motor vehicle records check. 

RIT provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities under the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the New York Human Rights Law, or similar applicable law. If you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, and you wish to discuss potential accommodations related to your application for employment at RIT, please contact Isaacson, Miller as indicated above.