Navigating the Vice Provost Search Process at UCF: A Comprehensive Guide

The University of Central Florida (UCF) is dedicated to fostering a thriving academic environment through the recruitment, development, and retention of exceptional faculty. UCF Faculty Excellence is committed to supporting and strengthening faculty through recruitment, development, and retention of outstanding scholars and educators. To this end, the Office of the Provost and Academic Affairs periodically undertakes searches for key leadership positions, such as the Vice Provost for Faculty Excellence. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the UCF provost search process, drawing upon publicly available information and insights into the university's commitment to faculty excellence.

The Role of Vice Provost for Faculty Excellence

The Vice Provost for Faculty Excellence plays a pivotal role in shaping the academic landscape at UCF. Reporting to the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Vice Provost serves as the senior advisor to the Provost on faculty affairs. This individual will lead faculty development programs, including new faculty and leadership development, the Faculty Fellowship Program, the Karen L. Smith Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning, and UCF's COACHE survey initiative.

The Vice Provost is responsible for:

Leading faculty development programs.
Coordinating with university stakeholders on faculty promotion and tenure processes.
Overseeing post-tenure review processes.
Managing the Annual Evaluation Standards and Procedures (AESP) criteria.
Collaborating with deans, administrators, faculty, and staff across UCF’s colleges and academic units.

The Vice Provost will lead the coordination with university stakeholders on processes and documents related to faculty promotion and tenure, post-tenure review, as well as the Annual Evaluation Standards and Procedures (AESP) criteria. The position will collaborate with deans, administrators, faculty and staff across UCF's 12 colleges and other academic administrative units to advance faculty excellence.

Minimum and Preferred Qualifications

A search for a Vice Provost for Faculty Excellence typically involves a rigorous evaluation of candidates based on a set of minimum and preferred qualifications. These qualifications ensure that the selected individual possesses the necessary expertise and experience to effectively lead faculty-related initiatives.

Minimum Qualifications:

Ph.D. or terminal degree from an accredited institution.
Distinguished record of accomplishment meriting appointment at the rank of tenured professor.
A minimum of five years of experience in academic leadership in higher education.

Preferred Qualifications:

Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively, ensuring buy-in from university stakeholders.
Experience developing and mentoring faculty.
A history of implementing faculty success initiatives.
A record of data-informed decision-making.
A record of strong collaboration and leadership across colleges, academic departments, and central support units.
Experience supervising promotion and tenure and post-tenure review processes.
Experience presenting and interacting with governance and/or alumni boards.
The ability to proactively anticipate state and national trends in higher education and respond accordingly.
Experience developing and implementing policies at the department, college, and/or university level.
Demonstrated experience working through shared governance to advance strategic initiatives.

Application Process

The application process for the Vice Provost position is designed to attract a diverse pool of qualified candidates. Applications, nominations, and inquiries should be directed to the search ﬁrm contact listed. Review of candidates will begin immediately and will continue until the position is ﬁlled. While applications and nominations will be accepted until a new Vice Provost is selected, interested parties are encouraged to submit their materials to our consultant for full consideration. Application materials must include a current CV and letter of interest. Once the online submission process is finalized, the system does not allow applicants to submit additional documents later.

Key Considerations for Applicants:

Ensure all required documents are ready for simultaneous upload during the application process.
Be aware that the job posting may close at any time without notice, so early submission is encouraged.
Note that sponsorship for employment-based visas will only be considered under exceptional circumstances and is not guaranteed.

The Search Committee

A committee of faculty and staff members leads the search and interview process. The committee chair will have oversight responsibility for ensuring that the committee report accurately reflects the content of the deliberations and is supported by the feedback received on the dean under review. The committee will use a survey, provided by Faculty Excellence, to widely solicit feedback on the dean under review. Faculty Excellence will synthesize the survey results and share with the committee. The review committee will reconvene to discuss the results of the survey. The provost, using the committee report as advisory in nature, makes decision to renew or discontinue appointment of the dean under review.

UCF's Commitment to Faculty Excellence

UCF Faculty Excellence is committed to supporting and strengthening faculty through recruitment, development, and retention of outstanding scholars and educators. Faculty Excellence promotes the growth of academic leaders through professional development opportunities and institutional policies designed to strengthen our collective faculty who advance UCF’s mission of discovery, learning, and engagement. We believe a great university is built by great faculty.

UCF provides numerous resources and initiatives to support faculty success, including:

Faculty Development Programs: These programs aim to enhance teaching effectiveness, research productivity, and leadership skills.
The Faculty Fellowship Program: This program provides faculty members with opportunities to pursue scholarly projects and develop new expertise.
The Karen L. Smith Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning: This center offers resources and support for faculty members to improve their teaching practices.
COACHE Survey Initiative: This initiative gathers data on faculty experiences and uses the findings to inform policies and programs.
Annual Evaluation Standards and Procedures (AESP): These standards provide a framework for evaluating faculty performance and ensuring accountability.
Promotion and Tenure Processes: UCF has established processes for promoting and tenuring faculty members based on their contributions to teaching, research, and service.
Post-Tenure Review: This process ensures that tenured faculty members continue to meet the university's standards of excellence.

Faculty Evaluations

All faculty undergo evaluations throughout their careers. Faculty are provided an annual assignment and are evaluated annually on the assignment. The annual evaluations are guided by Annual Evaluation Standards and Procedures (AESPs). Tenure-earning faculty are assessed annually on their progress toward promotion and/or tenure through Cumulative Progress Evaluations (CPEs). CPEs are guided by promotion/tenure criteria. Beginning in spring 2024, faculty annual reports and evaluations are conducted through Interfolio.

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Additional Committees and Councils Supporting Faculty and Academic Excellence

UCF has established various committees and councils to support faculty and academic excellence, including:

The Admissions and Standards Committee: Considers appeals of admissions and readmissions of undergraduate students.
The Advising Leadership Council (ALC): Provides leadership and direction for UCF’s academic advising community and partners with university leaders on advising-related student success efforts. The ALC ensures advising standards that support student success are applied across the colleges, the Knights Major Exploration and Transition Center and partners.
The Budget and Administrative Committee: Evaluates and recommends policies and procedures concerning the university budget with special emphasis on the academic budget.
The Central Support Unit Allocation Committee (CSUAC): Supports the implementation and ongoing success of UCF’s incentive-based budget model.
The Community ReEngagement and Educational Development (CREED) Program: Reviews the disciplinary probation or suspension status of students as requested under university policy.
The Compliance and Ethics Advisory Committee: Assists the chief compliance and ethics officer in the development of a comprehensive compliance and ethics program and mitigation of compliance and ethical risks at UCF.
The Golden Rule Review Committee: Is charged with making recommendations for updating UCF’s Golden Rule student handbook.
The Graduate Council: Reports graduate and curriculum matters to the Faculty Senate on a monthly basis.
The Institutional Review Board: Consists of a committee established to advocate for the protection of the rights and welfare of human participants involved in research.
The Parking Citation Appeals Committee: This committee has jurisdiction over violations of the university’s parking regulations.
The University Policies and Procedures Committee: Is a committee designated and appointed by the president to act as the central body for making recommendations regarding the creation, updating, and management of university policies.

The Broader Context: UCF as a Leading Metropolitan University

UCF's pursuit of faculty excellence is intrinsically linked to its broader vision of becoming the world's leading public metropolitan university. Bright minds are solving the world’s greatest problems right here at UCF. It is one of the reasons we are positioned to become the world’s leading public metropolitan university. To achieve this vision, we continuously work to bring together thinkers, doers and creators who deliver high-quality education and industry-leading research that transforms lives. The impact of our innovative faculty research and teaching excellence extends far beyond our campuses, unleashing a ripple effect that benefits our region, nation and world. From the interesting and heartwarming to the ground-breaking and life-changing, our research initiatives are helping change the trajectory of the future.

This vision is reflected in the university's commitment to:

Delivering high-quality education.
Conducting industry-leading research.
Transforming lives through innovation.
Creating broader prosperity for the region, nation, and world.

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