Provost/Vice Chancellor
The University of Wisconsin-Parkside invites applications and nominations for the position of Provost-Vice Chancellor. Founded in 1968, UW-Parkside is a comprehensive university, offering both undergraduate and graduate programs. As an institution within the UW System, UW-Parkside operates within a tradition of shared governance, supported by state statutes.
UW-Parkside values collaborative and responsive relationships between administration, faculty, staff, students, and the local communities. The university honors a tradition of valuing faculty as teacher-scholars working closely with students and fosters an environment of teaching and learning excellence that is responsive to all students in its vigorous support of meaningful academic scholarship.
In addition to its role as a model of academic excellence, diversity, inclusion, and community engagement, the university seeks to increase its role as a globally connected educational leader, cultural magnet, environmental steward and economic engine in the 21st century.
As chief academic officer of the university, the provost reports to the chancellor and supervises matters concerning curriculum, teaching, faculty appointments, academic resources and support programs. Responsibilities include:
- 33 undergraduate majors and three master’s programs housed in the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Business and Technology;
- The Center for Community Partnerships, which oversees professional and continuing education programs, community-based learning, and community dialog and engagement efforts;
- The Library;
- Advising and Career Services;
- Campus Technology Services;
- Student Disability Services;
- First Year Experience;
- Learning Assistance;
- Student Support Services;
- Office of Multicultural Student Affairs;
- Research Administration (grants and contracts);
- Teaching and Learning Center;
- Assessment;
- Institutional Research.
At the University of Wisconsin System level, the provost meets with System administration and Board of Regents, implements and monitors University of Wisconsin System mandates, and works with the System’s vice president for academic affairs to shape and implement academic policy.
Qualifications:
Applicants and nominees must possess:
- a terminal degree from an accredited university with a record of teaching and scholarship sufficient to warrant a tenured appointment at the rank of full professor;
- significant senior level administrative experience in higher education, preferably as dean;
- strong interpersonal skills and intercultural communication skills;
- effective leadership skills in academic program development, assessment, accreditation, strategic planning, technology implementation, and faculty development;
- strong financial management experience and skills as well as an ability to make data-based decisions within resource limitations;
- a demonstrated commitment to fostering excellence in teaching and research;
- a demonstrated commitment to the promotion of diversity in the curriculum and learning outcomes;
- knowledge of key and emerging higher education issues;
- a collegial leadership style; understanding and respect for traditions of shared governance;
- a demonstrated commitment to diversity in hiring, including affirmative action and equal opportunity, and the fostering of an ethnically and culturally diverse learning community;
- the ability to effectively represent the university locally and globally.
Application Information:
Applications received by September 30, 2009 are ensured full
consideration. The position is open until filled. Appointment will begin in
Spring 2010.
Application materials should include a letter of application addressing the
applicant’s qualifications for the position as listed above, curriculum
vitae, and the names, addresses, e-mail addresses, and telephone numbers of
five references.
Submission of application materials in either electronic or paper format is
acceptable; electronic copies are preferred.
Address application materials to:
Ms. Sandra Puzerewski, Office of the Provost
Attn: Provost Search Committee
P.O. Box 2000
University of Wisconsin-Parkside
Kenosha WI 53141
puzerews@uwp.edu
UW-Parkside is an AA/EEO employer D/M/V/W
About the University
The campus:
The university is situated on 700 acres of woodland and prairie – augmented by a 450 acre county park, approximately two miles west of Lake Michigan. Consisting of 15 buildings, the coherence and unity of the original campus design has been sustained over four decades of development. The architectural style of the campus is suggestive of the Prairie School of architecture, pioneered by Wisconsin native Frank Lloyd Wright. The physical plant at UW-Parkside is truly an architectural treasure, aesthetically and functionally. Recent additions to the campus include a $25 million student center (opened spring 2009); a 250 bed suite-style residence hall that will allow the campus to expand the residence hall population to 1100 students (opening fall 2009); and renovations and addition to the Communication Arts/Fine Arts facilities (currently underway).
Locale:
UW-Parkside is located between the cities of Kenosha and Racine, in the southeastern corner of Wisconsin. As such, it lies within the urban corridor stretching north to south from Milwaukee to Chicago, and westward from Milwaukee to Madison. The region of southeastern Wisconsin is in transition from its agricultural and industrial economy to a progressively urban and knowledge-based economy. At the same time, both Kenosha and Racine are host to vital and individual civic cultures, each with prominent arts institutions, museums, recreational opportunities, and thriving community and neighborhood organizations.
UW-Parkside Students:
The student body at UW-Parkside numbers over 5,000 and is the most ethnically and racially diverse student body in the UW System. Students of color comprise over 21 percent of total enrollment. Historically, 60 to 70 percent of new freshmen are first generation college students. Over 20 percent are non-traditional (above age 25) students. In line with current recruitment strategies, international student enrollment is increasing.
The campus’s proximity to the urban centers of Kenosha and Racine and its setting between Milwaukee and Chicago provide numerous opportunities for internships through academic departments and for community-based learning in collaboration with the Center for Community Partnerships. Additionally, hundreds of students annually assist at more than 150 nonprofit organizations through the Nonprofit Development Program and Volunteer Center. Other students are involved in research projects in collaboration with faculty and staff.
UW-Parkside’s mission includes a commitment to “foster a teaching
and learning community that provides opportunities for collaborative faculty,
student, and staff interaction….” That commitment is reflected
in the increasing number of student-faculty research and community projects,
which, for the last five academic years, exceeded our target, with a high of
861 such projects in 2007-08.
Community engagement is a primary element in the mission and priorities of UW-Parkside. As a result, student involvement in academically oriented engagement is increasing. With the considerable outside demands on most UW-Parkside students, engagement activities tend to be learning-based rather than co-curricular. For the last two academic years, we exceeded our target for community based learning courses and internship experiences, with 1021 such experiences in 2007-08.
UW-Parkside features the only NCAA Division II athletic program in the State of Wisconsin. A member of the highly competitive Great Lakes Valley Conference, Ranger Athletics sponsors 15 sports with rosters exceeding 200 student-athletes recruited internationally and from all regions of the U.S. Despite extensive travel and practice schedules, Ranger student athletes are actively involved in the community and they boast a higher grade point average than the general student population.
Faculty and Staff:
UW-Parkside has 120 faculty and nearly 600 academic staff (some of whom teach in the classroom) and classified (bargaining unit) staff. 97% of the faculty have earned the terminal degree in their field.
UW-Parkside faculty members pursue active and productive research agendas that have made significant advances in their disciplines and earned national and international reputations. UW-Parkside faculty and academic staff include winners of prestigious Fulbright fellowships, and grants from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The Teaching and Learning Center sponsors many opportunities for faculty and
staff development related to student learning and facilitates faculty and staff
participation in System and national faculty development efforts.
Faculty and staff participate in the statutorily-mandated system of shared governance that characterizes the member institutions of the UW System.
Institutional Strengths and Accomplishments:
The new provost will find at UW-Parkside a number of strengths and accomplishments on which to build. These include the following:
- a new chancellor, Dr. Deborah Ford, who assumed office on August 1, 2009;
- a Title III-Strengthening Institutions Program grant, in the amount of $1.67 million, funded by the US Department of Education, awarded July 2009: “Student Success Initiatives,” October 1, 2009-September 30, 2013;
- a library that is user-centered, supports the teaching and learning on campus and provides access to the vast UW system libraries' collections;
- new facilities: a $25 million expansion to the Student Center (opened Spring 2009); a new residence hall (slated to open Fall 2009); and an addition to the Communication Arts/Fine Arts facilities currently underway;
- an AACSB-International accredited School of Business and Technology;
- international exchange agreements with colleges and universities in Wolfenbuettel, Germany; Calabria, Italy; Fortaleza, Brazil; and Beijing, China;
- one of only 12 campuses from across the nation selected by the National Resource Center for the First Year Experience as founding members of a national project to enhance the first-year college experience;
- a revised General Education program linked to ongoing assessment;
- a pre-health program which boasts a success rate of over 90% rate of admission into medical school and other health related graduate programs;
- ongoing commitment to environmental education and stewardship through a new degree programs (sustainable management on-line degree), management of two new environmental education centers in Racine and Kenosha, installation of solar panels on campus, and initiatives for environmental remediation in local, regional and global communities through collaborations with non-profit organizations.
- theater productions, concerts, art exhibitions, lectures, film series, and Division II athletic events which draw over 120,000 people to campus annually, making the university a vital cultural, educational, recreational and entertainment asset for the local communities;
- community-based learning (CBL) initiatives, in collaboration with the Center for Community Partnerships, providing students with the opportunity to earn a CBL certificate in a number of disciplinary and interdisciplinary areas of study;
- the only institution of higher learning in Wisconsin to earn Carnegie Foundation recognition for campus initiatives and commitment to community engagement, and one of only a handful of institutions nationwide to be designated in two categories: Curriculum Engagement, and Outreach and Partnerships.
Challenges and Opportunities:
- North Central Accreditation visit scheduled 2012-13;
- AACSB International Maintenance of Accreditation Review visit scheduled November 2010;
- developing new graduate programs targeted to the needs of the region;
- working with student services, First Year Experience, and Advising and Career Center to enhance student retention;
- strengthening the university’s assessment efforts;
- assist in leading the campus toward a model of Inclusive Excellence, while working to close racial achievement gaps;
- continued involvement with the University of Wisconsin System on national and statewide initiatives such as LEAP, Advantage Wisconsin, and First Year Experience.
- ongoing strategic planning for the future of UW-Parkside.
