Job Description

The Opportunity

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga seeks an innovative, collaborative, and visionary academic leader to serve as its next Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. Reporting directly to the Chancellor, the Provost serves as the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's chief academic officer and provides strategic leadership for the university's academic enterprise. The Provost advances the university's mission by fostering excellence in teaching, research, scholarship, and creative activity while ensuring academic quality, innovation, integrity, and student success.

The Provost oversees all academic colleges, departments, and academic support units, working collaboratively with university and UT System leadership to implement the institution's strategic priorities, strengthen enrollment, expand academic opportunities, and prepare graduates to meet the workforce and societal needs of Tennessee and the region.

More than 200 specialized educational programs are administered by the deans of the College of Arts & Sciences, College of Engineering & Computer Science, College of Health, Education and Professional Studies, College of Nursing, Gary W. Rollins College of Business, UTC Honors College, UTC Library, and the UTC Graduate School Additional units reporting to the Provost include the Center for Global Education, the Center for Professional Education, the Office of Accreditation & Assessment, the Office of Planning, Evaluation, & Institutional Research, and the Office of the University Registrar.

Strategic Leadership

• Lead the development, implementation, and assessment of the university's academic strategic priorities in alignment with the institutional mission and strategic enrollment plan
• Advise the Chancellor on academic policy, planning, and institutional priorities.
• Advance innovative academic programs and initiatives that respond to workforce, economic, and societal needs.
• Promote student access, success, retention, transfer pathways, and degree completion.
• Represent the university in campus, community, state, and regional partnerships that strengthen UTC's academic mission.

Academic Excellence

• Provide executive leadership for all academic programs, including undergraduate, graduate, continuing education, and extended campus initiatives.
• Foster excellence in teaching, research, scholarship, and creative activity across all disciplines.
• Strengthen the university's research enterprise, advance interdisciplinary collaboration, and support faculty success in research and innovation in partnership with the Vice Chancellor for Research.
• Oversee academic program development, review, assessment, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure compliance with accreditation standards, including SACSCOC and program-specific accrediting bodies.
• Lead institutional effectiveness, assessment, and institutional research efforts that informs improved academic quality and accountability.

Faculty Leadership

• Recruit, develop, evaluate, and retain outstanding faculty and academic leaders.
• Oversee faculty appointment, promotion, tenure, post-tenure review, and annual evaluation processes.
• Support faculty development through professional growth opportunities that strengthen teaching, research, and student learning.
• Foster a collaborative culture of innovation, accountability, and shared governance.

Collaboration and Student Success

• Enhance the UTC student experience and improve academic outcomes in partnership with the Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs.
• Build strong relationships with faculty, staff, students, alumni, community partners, the UT System, and state agencies.
• Champion initiatives that promote academic innovation, student achievement, and organizational effectiveness across the university.
• Collaborate with the Vice Chancellor for Research, academic colleges, and external partners to expand research, innovation, and experiential learning opportunities.

Resource Stewardship

• Provide strategic oversight of Academic Affairs budgets in partnership with the Vice Chancellor for Finance & Administration.
• Align academic resources with institutional priorities and enrollment demands.
• Support sustainable funding for new academic initiatives and strategic faculty hiring.
• Cultivate new revenue opportunities in partnerships with the Vice Chancellors for Research, Advancement, and Enrollment Management and Student Success.

Required Experience and Qualifications

Academic Leadership

• Distinguished record of teaching, scholarship, research, and service appropriate for appointment as a full professor.
• Significant senior academic leadership experience in progressively responsible roles at the level of the Office of the Dean, the Office of the Provost or comparable executive academic administrator.
• Demonstrated success developing and leading undergraduate and graduate academic programs, including responsibility for personnel, budgets, and program assessment.

Strategic and Fiscal Leadership

• Experience developing and implementing strategic academic initiatives aligned with institutional priorities.
• Strong understanding of emerging trends, opportunities, and challenges in higher education and within the State of Tennessee.
• Proven ability to manage complex budgets, allocate resources strategically, and support sustainable academic growth.

Faculty Leadership and Shared Governance

• Demonstrated commitment to shared governance, academic freedom, and collaborative decision-making.
• Record of recruiting, developing, evaluating, and retaining outstanding faculty and academic leaders.
• Experience fostering faculty excellence through mentorship, professional development, and support for teaching, research, scholarship, and creative activity.
• Experience leading accreditation, academic assessment, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Student Success and Innovation

• Demonstrated commitment to student success, enrollment growth, retention, and academic achievement.
• Experience advancing innovative academic programs, technology-enhanced learning, and lifelong learning initiatives.
• Understanding of institutional effectiveness and assessment practices that strengthen academic quality.

External Engagement and Collaboration

• Experience building partnerships with community, industry, government, and higher education stakeholders.
• Success in fundraising, advancement, sponsored research, or other resource development initiatives.
• Proven ability to build trust and collaborate effectively with faculty, staff, students, administrators, trustees, and external partners.

Leadership Attributes

• Exceptional communication, interpersonal, and relationship-building skills.
• High standards of integrity, sound judgment, and ethical leadership.
• Demonstrated ability to lead with transparency, inspire and mentor others, build consensus, and foster an inclusive, collaborative culture grounded in shared governance and accountability.

NOMINATIONS AND APPLICATIONS

Qualified candidates should apply electronically using the link below. Applications should include a 1) current CV, 2) a letter of interest that addresses the responsibilities and qualifications described above, and 3) names and contact information for three to five professional references.

Review of applications will begin on September 30, 2026, and continue until an appointment is made. Applications received by this date will receive priority consideration.

Compensation for the position will be competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience. The University offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, and much more. Additionally, Tennessee residents do not pay state income tax.

Questions regarding the Provost search may be directed to Angela Wharton, Director of Recruitment & HR Operations, at angela-wharton@utc.edu or 423-425-4753

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is in the heart of one of Tennessee’s largest and most dynamic cities. As a national model for metropolitan universities, UTC collaborates with its many regional partners to offer an experiential learning environment with outstanding teaching scholars in 128 undergraduate degree programs and 55 graduate programs—at both the master's and doctoral levels. UTC and Chattanooga—nationally recognized for its downtown redevelopment and wealth of outdoor recreation—are inextricably linked, and the University is central to the workforce and economic development efforts of the region and the state.

Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Engineering and Computer Science; Health, Education and Professional Studies; and the Honors College are home to an array of award-winning programs from Nursing to Computer Science, Entrepreneurship to Veteran Student Support. Innovation is a strategic focus, and UTC research and development in smart city technology is an industry leader. UTC is the first and only university in the country with access to a managed, commercial quantum computing network, and we are introducing an artificial intelligence initiative involving entities across campus and engaging partners throughout the region.

From our deep ties to the city of Chattanooga to our national reputation for innovation and hands-on learning, UTC stands out as a university where students thrive, faculty inspire, and partnerships create real impact.