Provost

Tufts University distinguishes itself by combining scholarly excellence with an inclusive, holistic education grounded in the liberal arts tradition. It prides itself in its mission to graduate thoughtful, curious, and civically engaged critical thinkers to serve society at large. At its core is the undergraduate “college on a hill,” which is nested in a mid-sized, research-intensive, AAU university. The university possesses a broad array of graduate and professional schools spread across four campuses with a constantly improving scholarly and research profile, and it prospers in the higher education and high technology ecology of the greater Boston metropolitan area.

The university attracts exceptionally strong students, faculty, and staff, competitive with the world’s finest institutions. Tufts educates approximately 14,000 students, almost equally divided between undergraduate and graduate students, who are known to be remarkably kind, decidedly engaged with their communities, and highly achieving yet collaborative. At the undergraduate level, Tufts is one of the most selective and desirable institutions in the country, with an acceptance rate of approximately 10% and a yield of approximately 50% for the most recent class. Tufts provides these students with an intimate learning environment marked by a 10:1 student-faculty ratio. The university’s graduate and professional programs are similarly distinguished and selective. The students are instructed by 1,079 full-time and 579 part-time faculty members who are quintessential scholar-teachers, equally committed to their research, scholarship, art, patient care, and teaching activities. The students and faculty are supported by 3,910 dedicated staff who are essential members of the university community.

Tufts is in its strongest ever financial position, with an annual operating budget of approximately $1.3 billion and an endowment of approximately $3 billion. It completed a $1.5 billion comprehensive capital campaign in 2023, and it is preparing to launch an even more ambitious campaign. The university raised $229 million in fiscal year 2026, of which over $103 million is designated for the endowment. Since July 2023, it has raised more than $140 million for financial aid and the student experience. In just one year, it raised $38 million toward an overall $75 million goal for the Faculty and Research Excellence Fund. In Fiscal Year 2025, research and development expenditures reached a record high of $282 million, up from $275 million the previous year. In Fiscal Year 2026, research expenditures declined modestly to $254 million, primarily due to a decline in both federal and non-federal award volume and funding levels. Despite these headwinds, Tufts continues to invest strategically in its research and innovation enterprise through initiatives such as the Faculty and Research Excellence Fund, a portfolio of internal seed funding programs, and robust research development support.

Tufts seeks a Provost who will build upon this impressive foundation and champion the full breadth of academic and scholarly activities at the university, leading it to the highest level of distinction for both students and faculty. This person will be a seasoned, transparent, and collaborative leader with broad intellectual curiosity and the personal and professional qualities to inspire the full university community. The Provost will represent the voice of the faculty at the highest university levels and will be a thoughtful partner and mentor to the deans as they advance the missions of their schools. At the same time, this leader will bring a university-wide perspective to this work, facilitating connections among academic disciplines, supporting initiatives that align research, scholarship, artistic, and teaching efforts across schools and campuses, and leading collaborative efforts that address the world’s most pressing problems. They will bring a deep understanding of undergraduate, graduate, and professional education, embracing both the liberal arts core that is central to the Tufts identity and the graduate and professional programs that are critical to its success as a research university. More broadly, they will participate in efforts to fundamentally strengthen the holistic undergraduate and graduate student experience, fostering an even stronger student community and providing transformative experiences that strengthen outcomes. Externally, the Provost will represent the university’s academic and scholarly work to a wide range of audiences to build greater awareness, recognition, and resources. They will partner closely with the President and the Senior Leadership Team at the university to align university vision and strategy with the priorities of each school, allocate resources strategically to advance such priorities, and champion the efforts of the Deans in order to cohesively advance both university- and school-level strategies.

Tufts University has retained Isaacson, Miller to assist in the search for the Provost. John Isaacson is leading this search with Keith Mason and Mindy Cimini.