This word refers to a distinguished academic head of an institution. This individual is often tasked with the management of all academic strategies and curricular guidelines. A provost’s key responsibility is to oversee the entire educational offerings of an institution. It’s important to note that although provosts and deans have different areas of oversight, they share some commonalities. First, both these roles typically require the person to work in an on-campus setting at an institution. Second, both focus on promoting and maintaining a distinctive academic vision. Lastly, both of these individuals have to present a public face for their college or university.
Provosts, who often perform the role of the chief academic officer, help the president of the university manage budgets, develop policies, and make faculty and tenure decisions. The duties of a provost include upholding academic integrity by developing a strong vision for the college or university overall (for instance, in accordance with its mission statement), tracking trends in higher education (for example, using technology in the classroom), and allocating funding to different departments. Provosts also play the role of champions of students while ensuring that faculty members are also backed. As a provost serves as the president’s right-hand assistant, they may eventually become the university president.
Apart from decision-making abilities, some essential skills are needed to excel in the provost position. These include:
Money management skills: Reducing and reallocating resources is one of the more complex and difficult decisions provosts are often expected to make. Provosts may also need to get involved when it comes to forming strategic alliances with industry and courting potential donors.
Analytical expertise: With analytical tools becoming plentiful and easy to use, nearly every decision has become data-driven. An analytical, research-based approach (for example, scoping out current trends in the job market and other schools’ programs) may help the provost identify different ways to attract students and increase the institution’s reputation.
Communication skills: Provosts have to be able to communicate effectively with different groups of individuals. They must be able to transform data into stories and reach out to foundations, trustees, industry leaders, and alumni.
With higher education going through a significant transformation, today’s provosts are often asked to carry out responsibilities that go beyond academic stewardship. These may include areas as diverse and expansive as student affairs and student services, enrollment and admissions, compliance, marketing, fundraising, finance, and information technology. However, the exact responsibilities of a provost at one institution can significantly differ from those at another.
