Vice President, Academic

The Position

Reporting to the President, serving as Vice Chair of the Senate and as a member of the President’s Council, the Vice President, Academic, (hereafter VPA) is the Chief Academic Officer and serves as the chief executive officer as delegated by the President in his/her absence. The VPA works closely with the President in executing Redeemer’s mission and will bring a comprehensive vision for university learning, research, and campus life where faith, living, and learning are vitally connected.

The VPA is responsible for the overall development of the faculty, research, teaching, curriculum and program development, learning services, the library, external accreditation and quality assurance, government relations relating to Redeemer’s academic authorities as outlined in provincial legislation, external academic partnerships and collaboration, and all other programs and services directly related to the academic mission of the university. The VPA also works closely with the President to ensure alignment and cohesion between the academic mission and the administrative and external engagement support areas of the university.

Responsibilities

A. Overall leadership of the faculty in all areas, including:

• Recruitment, hiring, development of faculty, including oversight of and responsibility for academic promotion, all in support of the mission
• Research and creative activity, teaching and learning
• Development and oversight of academic leadership team (including academic deans and associate deans), Faculty Council, and the operations of the University Senate
• Reviewing academic administrative structures and making changes where needed. This includes consultation with faculty and relevant committees

B. Leadership of the Curriculum

• Responsible for program changes and new program development, oversight of core program, measurement and continuous improvement
• Oversight of career preparation, planning and placement, and experiential learning
• Innovation and redemptive entrepreneurship programming and services
• Program enrolment and enrolment planning in consultation with the faculty

C. Accreditation and quality assurance

• Responsible for periodic organizational review and institutional accreditation (e.g., PEQAB), Professional organization accreditations and certifications
• Cyclical program review and new program development, including new degree programs at the Bachelor’s and Master’s levels and the development of relevant, missionally aligned non-degree programs
• Works with the Registrar to maintain accurate student records and processes

D. Government Relations

• Provincial government with respect to legislation and degree-granting authority
• MCU with respect to international students, accreditation pathways
• MoE with respect to Teacher Education program
• Federal government with respect to Tri-Council funding and related matters

E. Library

• Works with the Library Director to ensure the library is operating efficiently and effectively serving the needs of the students and faculty
• Ensures that the library is engaged in accurately measuring resource usage and projecting future needs

F. Academic Student Services

• Oversight of Registrar’s Office, Learning Services, including Academic Success and Accessible Learning

G. Academic Partnerships and Collaboration

• Builds partnerships for the purposes of academic program engagement and enhancement
• Builds relationships with businesses, not-for-profit organizations, local government, and relationships with other post-secondary institutions

H. Serves as Chief Executive Officer as delegated by the president, in his/her absence

Preferred Skills and Attributes

• Must have significant experience in academic administration, preferably at the Dean level or above
• Must understand and be able to effectively articulate the Reformed Christian worldview
• External relations. There will be some fundraising that the VPA is expected to participate in.
• Strategic communication. There will be times when the VPA will be speaking on behalf of the institution in mission-critical, tense, and/or politically or personally sensitive situations.

Education, Training & Certifications

• Must possess an earned doctorate in a liberal arts and sciences or closely related field

Other Requirements

• Understanding of Redeemer University (mission, values, and Reformed Christian identity)