Assistant Provost for Graduate Affairs

Reporting to the Associate Provost for Graduate Affairs, the Assistant Provost for Graduate Affairs oversees all matters related to university-wide graduate education policy, academic program alteration and development, graduate fellowships, and student support coordination. The assistant provost builds and maintains sustainable relationships with graduate academic units on both campuses aiming to increase alignment of academic priorities. This includes working with university stakeholders to develop academic and administrative policy, identify and support compliance efforts and developing strong working relationships with faculty, University leadership and staff. The assistant provost supervises policy, compliance, and fellowship staff, ensuring coordination of graduate affairs initiatives.

Essential Functions:

• Policy and Program Proposals:
  • The Assistant Provost provides general oversight of the review of curricular actions and policy development via the eCAP (electronic Curriculum Approval Process) and eDAAP (electronic Development and Approval of Academic Policies) systems.
  • The Assistant Provost ensures that curricular and policy actions make their way through the varied review processes in a timely way.
  • Work with IS&T regularly to enhance both OnBase systems: updating workflows, modifying document types, improving user interactions.
  • Maintain Curriculum Portal and eCAP home pages to capture process changes.
  • The Assistant Provost supervises the staff member responsible for day-to-day management of policy and program proposal workflow and graduate-related compliance. 
• Strategic Data Engagement:
  • The Assistant Provost oversees university-wide graduate education data initiatives, including the Doctoral Exit Survey, the PhD program Profiles, and the Masters Health Check Report.
  • The Assistant Provost supervises the work undertaken by the Senior Data Analyst in Graduate Affairs.
  • The Assistant Provost uses data from the Doctoral Exit Survey to highlight concerns and successes in PhD programs and brings these to the attentions of individual programs.
  • In collaboration with the Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management, the Assistant Provost uses data from the Masters Health Check report to alert the Associate Provost for Graduate Affairs and the University Provost to programs have lower than expected student completion rates, time to degree rates, and employment outcomes.
  • Finally, the Assistant Provost reviews annual updates to the PhD Program Profiles to ensure accuracy, promotes the Profiles with BU stakeholders, and uses the internal components of the Profiles to prompt discussions about program shortcomings with the Associate Provost for Graduate Affairs and the programs themselves. 
• Academic Appeals:
  • The Assistant Provost is the primary reviewer of graduate academic appeals that reach the Office of the Provost.
  • The Assistant Provost makes recommendations to the Provost or Associate Provosts on findings and sanctions.
  • The Assistant Provost works with schools and colleges, the Office of the General Counsel, and the Dean of Students to provide due process to students, faculty, and staff involved in these issues.
• Graduate Fellowships:
  • The Assistant Provost oversees all university-wide graduate fellowship programs, including promotion of competitions, review processes, and execution of awards.
  • The Assistant Provost supervises the staff member who manages all day-to-day fellowship-related activities. 
• Other Activities:
  • The Assistant Provost represents the Office of the Provost on relevant standing committees and leads new university-wide graduate initiatives.

Skills

Qualifications:

Cover letter and resume required for review.

• Masters degree required.
• 12 years of experience in academic administrative roles focused on academic affairs, preferably with a focus on graduate education.
• Role requires deep understanding of higher education. 
• Strong leadership and communication skills are needed to be able to lead a team effectively and communicate with a variety of partners, from executive level university leadership to the graduate students and postdoctoral scholars served by the office.
• Strategic thinking, data analysis, and problem-solving skills are required. 

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, natural or protective hairstyle, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.