Provost and Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs

The University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW–Madison) invites nominations and applications for an innovative leader to serve as the next Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (Provost). This position provides an opportunity to be the top academic leader at one of the nation's premier public research universities.

UW–Madison is the Universities of Wisconsin’s flagship university, defined by its scale, scope, groundbreaking impact, and unwavering public mission. As a land-grant, AAU member university with one of the largest research enterprises in the nation, UW–Madison is uniquely positioned to address the most complex challenges of our time. Its foundational commitment to the Wisconsin Idea—that the university’s influence should extend beyond the classroom to improve lives across the state and around the world—continues to animate its every action. UW–Madison is a campus where intellectual ambition meets public purpose, and where a diverse community of students, faculty, and staff are empowered to contribute meaningfully to society.

Today, UW–Madison stands at a moment of extraordinary momentum. Building on a strong foundation of academic excellence and institutional strength, the university is investing in faculty and facilities to fuel its continued success. The campus is home to a dynamic cohort of deans and academic leaders who are eager to collaborate across boundaries and co-create new models of interdisciplinary innovation. The RISE initiative exemplifies this spirit-catalyzing over 100 new faculty hires and investing in computational research, collaborative infrastructure, and cross-campus scholarship. Financially sound and philanthropically supported, UW–Madison continues to evolve its physical and academic landscape. The university is poised to ascend further among the top public universities in the country.

The successful candidate for Provost at UW–Madison will be an experienced academic leader with the operational sophistication, financial savvy, and emotional intelligence to navigate one of the nation’s most complex and vibrant public research universities. They will bring a deep understanding of the evolving landscape of higher education and the capacity to lead with both strategic acumen and an execution-oriented mindset. Serving a university dedicated to fulfilling its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background and viewpoint, the next Provost will advocate for pluralism in all its forms—intellectual, cultural, and experiential—ensuring that the university remains a place where a broad range of perspectives are not only welcomed but essential to academic inquiry and institutional excellence.

The Provost will inspire ambition across the academic enterprise, co-creating bold initiatives that advance interdisciplinary collaboration, elevate scholarly output and recognition, and expand the university’s global impact. They will communicate with transparency, uphold the principles of shared governance, and foster trust across a broad and engaged campus community in a politically astute and institutionally agile way. The Provost will work in close partnership with the Chancellor, the Deans, Vice Provosts, and other senior leaders to ensure the university rises to the pressing challenges facing higher education today.

Kate Barry and John Muckle are leading this search with Tiffany Weber and Kaitlin Cruz.