Provost

Job Summary   As an employee at Colorado Christian University, you'll have the opportunity to participate in an extraordinary and bold mission: Christ-centered higher education transforming students to impact the world with grace and truth.   At the heart of CCU is our common commitment as a community of Christian believers who are rooted in a deep respect for higher education, centered on a Christian, conservative, worldview. As a higher education institution, we emphasize excellence in our academic programs while encouraging our students in the relentless pursuit of truth and the development of the mind and heart.   Innovative individuals committed to high levels of excellence, academic innovations, and rigor are encouraged to apply. Great candidates for this key leadership opportunity will have a strong sense of how the Lord has prepared them to use their unique giftings to serve Colorado Christian University as it continues to work to advance the Kingdom through its graduates: traditional on-campus students, adult and graduate students completing online programs, and high school students participating in dual credit and associate degree courses.   This may well be the most rewarding position of your career. Working at Colorado Christian University means your work centers around Jesus; this is an opportunity of a lifetime for the right person who wants to make a significant difference in the lives of students, faculty, and staff. Because Christians have varied gifts, they serve Christ in a variety of ministry vocations. CCU helps prepare students for a lifetime of service — taking the light of Christ into the world. The right person for this job will envision graduates who will succeed in their chosen professions and be leaders in their work, community, and churches and the culture at large.   The University's primary academic focus is on excellence in teaching, while innovating opportunities for research and performance by both faculty and students. The University prizes academic excellence as a virtue and encourages students to strive for such excellence.   This position reports directly to the President and works closely with each academic school and its related programs. The provost will build positive relationships with stakeholders and ensure CCU's mission and Strategic Priorities continue to be embedded into curriculum and the student experience to influence students, faculty, and staff to maintain and deepen their commitment to conservative Christian values.   The Provost leads the University in its academic growth, working collaboratively and strategically with Cabinet and members on the traditional/residential enrollment planning and practices team. Responsibilities include providing guidance to academic schools and regularly evaluating the University's academic programs and outcomes. Other key duties include: 1) oversight of multiple budgets, 2) making capital resource allocation recommendations for academic work, and 3) providing direction to ensure the priority work of teaching, scholarship, service, and professional development is accomplished.   Job Location   Fully on-site - must reside and work legally in the U.S. Regular work location: Lakewood, Colorado   Accolades for CCU   Colorado Christian University is proud to be recognized for our dedication to our mission of providing Christ-centered higher education that transforms students to impact the world with grace and truth.   And while rankings and accolades won't tell you the full CCU story, they can be indicative of some of the important aspects that make CCU unique. For nearly a decade, CCU has been ranked as one of the top universities in the U.S. by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. The University has recently been cited by or received accolades from U.S. News & World Report, The Chronicle of Higher Education, the National Council on Teacher Quality, and , in addition to garnering other national recognitions.   Some of CCU's accolades include: Wall Street Journal: America's Best Colleges, The Chronicle of Higher Education: Fastest-Growing College or University in Private, Nonprofit, Masters degree-granting Category, 2023, 8th consecutive year    Best Christian Workplace, 2021, 2022, U.S. News & World Report, Best Colleges – Regional Universities West, 2023, Niche Best: Most Conservative Colleges in America, Military Friendly School, , Gold Status Ranking, About CCU   Colorado Christian University is the premier interdenominational Christian university in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region, delivering world class education to thousands of students. The fully accredited, nonprofit University is in Lakewood, Colorado, a suburb of Denver.   Colorado Christian University was founded in 1914. CCU's motto is "grace and truth," which comes from John 1.14: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." (ESV)    CCU's mission is Christ-centered higher education transforming students to impact the world with grace and truth. Colorado Christian University cultivates knowledge and love of God in a Christ-centered community of learners and scholars, with an enduring commitment to the integration of exemplary academics, spiritual formation, and engagement with the world. We envision graduates who think critically and creatively, lead with high ethical and professional standards, embody the character and compassion of Jesus Christ, treasure the gospel, and who thereby are prepared to impact the world in their callings.   CCU's embraces an educational model that was there at the foundation of many of the great western and American universities. It is made up of three pillars—competence, character, and Christ-centered faith. We believe this classical educational model is both life-giving and greatly needed in our time.   CCU offers more than 200-degree program options for traditional, adult, and graduate students through its two colleges – Traditional/Residential (College of Undergraduate Studies), CCU Online (College of Adult and Graduate Studies), and the national CCU Academy. More than 12,000 students attend the University on the main campus, in regional centers throughout Colorado, and online. In addition, more than 5,000 high school students take CCU classes in our dual enrollment programs.   What is most appealing about working at CCU?

1. Faith-friendly: CCU's culture is unique to higher education. Where else can you pursue academic excellence yet read the Holy Bible, pray with teammates and students at work, and work to impact our culture in support of Christian values?
2. Convictionally Christian and Conservative: As a university, we have an enduring commitment to Christ, his kingdom and the truth of God's Word and to a conservative ideology.
3. Live out your calling: We are a traditional evangelical university where you can invest your God-given talents and abilities alongside coworkers and teammates, while having a profound influence on students as they deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ.
4. Equip students for kingdom work: You can be a part of helping students discover their callings and preparing them for positions of significant leadership in the church, business, government, education, and other professions, as a key part of our University's Strategic Priorities.

We're looking for candidates who have:

1. A proven track record, preferably within Christian higher education. Able to demonstrate strong support of CCU's mission and Strategic Priorities.
2. A Ph.D. or Ed.D. and a minimum of five to ten years of teaching experience, at the Professor rank, preferably within Christian higher education. Minimum of five to ten years of progressive leadership/administration experience required. This includes a track record of engaging in academic scholarship, setting operational priorities, and achieving academic and business success through leading people, systems, and programs.
3. Experience fostering a culture of academic excellence, rigor, innovation, and continuous improvement among faculty, staff, and students.
4. Experience with ensuring compliance with accreditation standards and regulatory requirements governing Christian academic programs and operations.
5. Evidence of inspiring collegial and collaborative engagement to accomplish goals of significance.
6. A well-developed business acumen, with relevant analytics and decision-making skills.
7. A vision for Christian higher education that highlights innovation and honors tradition.

Key Job Duties   Mission Contribution   CCU's mission is Christ-centered higher education transforming students to impact the world with grace and truth. In this role, the Provost contributes to the mission by providing leadership and vision to the academic branch of the University, integrating faith and learning in a scholarly environment that fosters critical and creative thinking, academic excellence, and professional competence.   Strategic Planning

1. Articulate a consistent vision and be an advocate of CCU's mission and Strategic Priorities while motivating faculty to do the same. This includes leading the formulation and implementation of an academic strategic plan for each school. Guide the evaluation of programs to ensure the University remains competitive (innovative) in its offerings.
2. Lead the accreditation process and ensure CCU meets or exceeds accreditation requirements. Attend accreditation workshops and oversee the work needed to accomplish this goal for the University and required program accreditations.
3. Serve as the representative of university academics in daily operations with the President and/or Cabinet.
4. Schedules and leads regular deans' council meetings, school/department meetings, providing guidance and performance evaluations according to the UPM (University Performance Model) and department key performance indicators.

Communications

1. Provide clear leadership communication to deans, faculty, and academic programs to enhance academic excellence in teaching.
2. Communicate effectively with each dean by providing constructive and honest feedback for each school/department, addressing the area's needs and any issues.
3. Promote healthy communication, disseminating appropriate information to faculty, staff, and students related to the University's goals and strategic plans to generate enthusiasm for new initiatives.
4. Conduct regular meetings with the deans' council, fostering a culture of collegiality, professionalism, and collaboration.

Budget

1. Manage assigned budgets responsibility while working directly with the President and VP of Finance to construct a sound budget to meet student and faculty needs.
2. Ensure that those responsible for departmental budgets (including grants or other assigned funding) do not overspend their budgets.
3. Ensure the plan for hiring and staffing of highly qualified faculty stays within budget. 

Faculty and Staff

1. Recruit, hire, and retain highly qualified faculty and staff. In partnership with Human Resources, recruit candidates who will directly contribute to the President's vision to "Be a Great Christian University."
2. Oversee faculty promotion process. Ensure consistency in the review of faculty promotional portfolio review.
3. Invest in faculty development. Design a plan to meet this need using creativity and innovation within assigned budgets. Ensure optimal development and successful onboarding of new or less experienced faculty members.
4. Coach, mentor, and establish systems to effectively support these objectives to engage performing and underperforming faculty. As needed, maintain appropriate records to ensure job performance is properly documented in employee files.
5. Calibrate critical Key Performance Indicators of each department/School within the Provost's span of control using the (UPM) University Performance Model.
6. Conduct ongoing and regular one-on-one meetings with direct reports that occur at least once per month while scheduling three annual UPM/KPIs reviews for each direct report.
7. Update and re-write the Faculty Handbook as needed, as a subset of the Employee Handbook.

Curriculum and Student Support

1. Supervise the design, delivery, and assessment of each school's curriculum. Support high quality education and student achievement of key learning objectives.
2. Plan for both short- and long-term curricular needs.
3. Collaborate with other departments to develop thorough plans to support student recruitment efforts and increase retention and graduation rates.
4. Work with deans/and or faculty members to resolve academic student misconduct, grading concerns, and other related issues that may arise.

Work Environment   While performing the duties of this job, you may be required to walk, stand, sit, reach with hands and arms, balance, stoop, speak with clarity, and have appropriate vision and hearing capabilities. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.    What we offer our employees:   We offer competitive compensation and benefits packages to all employees. Our benefit package includes: a tuition waiver program, excellent healthcare, generous paid time off, matching 403(b) retirement plan, and additional organizational paid benefits and voluntary benefit offerings. Colorado Christian University's pay philosophy is based on internal and external data for pay equity; along with budgetary considerations for effective stewardship. The pay range will begin at $200,000 and will be assigned based on relevant experience and education. CCU reserves the right to make pay decisions based on economic and equity considerations to attract the best possible talent. CCU does not determine pay based on sex or any other protected status.

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