Search for Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs

Clarke University invites nominations and applications for the position of Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs (VPASA). Reporting directly to the president and serving as a member of the President’s Cabinet, the VPASA provides strategic leadership for the academic enterprise and student experience.

The VPASA role reflects Clarke University’s commitment to a holistic model of student learning and development in which academic and student affairs work collaboratively to support student success, engagement, persistence, and formation. The next VPASA will guide the integration of curricular and co‑curricular learning, strengthen faculty and student affairs partnerships, and help to shape an educational environment that prepares students for lives of purpose, leadership, and service.

This position offers a distinctive opportunity to join a mission-driven Catholic university grounded in the educational tradition and values of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM).

The Opportunity: Integrating Academic and Student Affairs

The Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs serves as the University’s chief academic and student success leader, advancing an integrated approach to student learning and development.

Consistent with national research on high‑impact practices and student success, the VPASA will help cultivate structures, partnerships, and cultures that connect academic learning with co‑curricular engagement.

Working collaboratively with faculty, shared governance, student affairs professionals, and institutional leadership, the VPASA will help to ensure that Clarke’s academic programs, student life initiatives, advising systems, and support services operate as an integrated ecosystem focused on BVM learning, institutional transformation, and student success.

Key Responsibilities:

Provide strategic leadership for academic programs and student affairs initiatives in support of Clarke’s mission.
Promote collaboration between faculty and student affairs professionals to support holistic student development.
Oversee academic departments, faculty affairs, curriculum development, and academic planning.
Guide student success initiatives, including advising, engagement, retention, and completion strategies.
Strengthen the integration of curricular and co‑curricular learning opportunities.
Support excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service among faculty and staff.
Ensure that student life programs foster leadership development, community engagement, and personal/professional formation.
Lead institutional assessment and continuous improvement initiatives focused on learning and student success outcomes, and in alignment with Clarke’s mission and values.
Ensure compliance with accreditation standards and the institution’s regulatory environment.
Serve as a member of the President’s Cabinet and contribute to institutional planning and strategic decision‑making based on evidence and foresight.

Required Qualifications:

Terminal degree in an academic discipline.
Significant experience in academic leadership within higher education.
Experience in strategic planning and foresight, holistic and systems-based thinking, and leading institutional change.
Demonstrated commitment to student success and holistic student development.
Understanding of shared governance, faculty leadership, and academic program quality.
Experience fostering collaboration between academic and student affairs units.

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience leading integrated academic and student affairs structures or initiatives.
Leadership experience in a mission‑driven or faith‑based institution.
Demonstrated success in program innovation, enrollment growth, and student success initiatives.
Experience with systems-based strategic planning, assessment, and data‑informed decision making.
Commitment to the mission and values of Catholic higher education.

Leadership Profile:

The successful candidate will be a collaborative and mission‑centered leader who:

• Values academic excellence and the developmental role of student life.
• Encourages strong partnerships between faculty and student affairs professionals.
• Demonstrates strategic thinking and the ability to guide institutional change.
• Supports leadership development, student engagement, and community engagement.
• Respects and advances Clarke’s BVM heritage.