Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for University Vice President

🎯 Role Definition

The University Vice President is a senior executive responsible for partnering with the President/Chancellor, cabinet colleagues, trustees and campus stakeholders to develop and execute strategic priorities that advance academic quality, financial sustainability, student success, research impact, alumni and community engagement, and campus operations. This role requires proven higher education leadership, financial and enrollment acumen, fundraising and external relations experience, and a demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). The Vice President sets institutional direction in one or more major portfolios (e.g., academic affairs, student affairs, finance, advancement, enrollment management, research, or operations) and delivers measurable outcomes through data-informed decision making and collaborative change leadership.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Dean / Associate Dean with campus-wide leadership responsibilities
Senior Vice Provost or Vice Provost overseeing academic programs or faculty affairs
Chief Financial Officer or Chief Operating Officer in higher education

Advancement To:

University President / Chancellor
Provost / Chief Academic Officer
Chief Operating Officer or Executive Vice President with broader institutional portfolio

Lateral Moves:

Vice President for Enrollment Management or Student Affairs
Vice President for Advancement / Chief Development Officer
Chief Strategy Officer or Chief Diversity Officer

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead the development and implementation of a multi-year strategic plan that aligns academic priorities, enrollment targets, financial plans, research goals, and campus operations, ensuring alignment with the university mission and board direction.
Direct institutional budgeting and financial stewardship for assigned units, including development of multi-year budgets, oversight of forecasting models, management of resource reallocations, and identification of cost-saving and revenue-generating opportunities to support financial sustainability.
Serve as a principal partner to the President and Board of Trustees on policy development, governance matters, strategic initiatives, capital planning, and risk management; prepare board-level presentations, briefing memoranda, and performance dashboards.
Build and lead high-performing senior teams across academic, administrative, and operational units; recruit, mentor and evaluate senior leaders, set clear performance expectations, and design succession plans to strengthen institutional leadership capacity.
Set and oversee enrollment management strategy including recruitment, admissions, retention, financial aid policy, and partnerships with academic units to meet undergraduate and graduate enrollment and retention goals.
Lead major fundraising and development efforts in partnership with advancement staff and external stakeholders; cultivate and steward major donors, foundations, and corporate partners to support capital campaigns, endowments, scholarships, and programmatic initiatives.
Supervise accreditation preparation and compliance for assigned academic programs and institutional reporting; coordinate responses to accreditor recommendations and maintain continuous improvement processes.
Oversee campus-wide diversity, equity and inclusion strategy development and implementation; promote inclusive hiring, student success programs, curriculum development, bias response, and equitable policy review.
Lead campus crisis planning and operational response for emergencies (e.g., public health, safety incidents, financial shocks), coordinating cross-unit communications, continuity planning, and post-incident reviews to strengthen institutional resilience.
Direct institutional research and analytics functions to deliver actionable data on student outcomes, academic program performance, financial health, and external benchmarking; use data to support strategic decision-making and resource allocation.
Foster successful academic program development and review processes by partnering with deans, faculty governance, and academic leadership to launch new programs, consolidate or sunset programs, and ensure curricular relevance and market alignment.
Oversee facilities and capital project planning for assigned portfolios, including campus master planning, space utilization, deferred maintenance prioritization, and coordination with facilities management on construction and sustainability initiatives.
Lead relationships with governmental agencies, regional and national education organizations, accreditation bodies, and community partners to advocate for the university’s interests, secure public funding, and enhance institutional reputation.
Manage human resources strategies for assigned units including collective bargaining consultation where applicable, compensation planning, faculty affairs issues, faculty recruitment and retention programs, and professional development initiatives.
Drive interdisciplinary research and innovation initiatives by aligning research priorities with external funding opportunities, technology transfer, industry partnerships, and regional economic development goals.
Oversee student success initiatives—academic support, advising, mental health services, career services, and co-curricular programming—ensuring integrated pathways that improve retention, graduation rates, and post-graduate outcomes.
Develop and manage external communications strategies for major institutional priorities, high-profile initiatives, and crisis communications in partnership with the communications and marketing team to protect and enhance institutional brand.
Lead diversity-focused student recruitment and community engagement activities that expand access, build pipelines from underrepresented communities, and strengthen partnerships with K–12 schools and community colleges.
Negotiate and manage strategic vendor contracts, public-private partnerships, technology procurement and service-level agreements to ensure cost-effectiveness and delivery of high-quality services.
Implement performance measurement frameworks with clear KPIs for academic quality, financial performance, enrollment, fundraising, research output and operational efficiency; report progress to executive leadership and the board.
Drive alumni engagement strategies to increase lifetime giving, volunteer involvement, internship and mentorship opportunities, and alumni advocacy that supports institutional priorities.
Coordinate compliance with federal, state, and local regulations (including Title IX, Clery Act, research compliance, financial aid regulations) and manage processes for audits, reporting, and corrective actions.
Lead change management for institution-wide transformations such as organizational redesign, academic realignment, ERP implementations, or major policy shifts, ensuring stakeholder engagement, communication, training and measurable adoption.

Secondary Functions

Serve as a visible ambassador for the university at regional and national forums, conferences, and advisory boards to expand institutional networks and strategic partnerships.
Support cross-functional project teams by providing executive sponsorship, prioritization guidance, risk mitigation and resource alignment to ensure timely project delivery.
Participate in faculty hiring searches, promotion and tenure reviews, and faculty development programming in collaboration with academic affairs and human resources.
Facilitate strategic program partnerships with industry, K–12 education systems, community organizations, and other higher education institutions to expand experiential learning and workforce development pathways.
Lead periodic environmental scans and market analyses to inform program portfolio decisions, revenue diversification strategies, and competitive positioning.
Champion sustainability, accessibility, and inclusive design across campus operations and capital projects to advance institutional commitments to environmental and social responsibility.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Strategic planning and execution at the enterprise level, including development of multi-year action plans, KPIs and dashboards.
Financial management and budgetary oversight, including multi-million-dollar budget development, forecasting, and financial modeling.
Fundraising and advancement experience: major gifts cultivation, capital campaign leadership, donor stewardship and foundation relations.
Enrollment management knowledge: recruitment pipelines, admissions strategy, retention analytics and financial aid policy.
Accreditation and compliance expertise, including experience with regional and programmatic accreditors, audit readiness and regulatory reporting.
Data literacy and analytics: ability to interpret institutional research, enrollment and financial data to inform decisions; familiarity with data warehouses and BI tools.
Project and change management skills, including experience with ERP implementations, capital projects and organizational redesign.
Contract negotiation and vendor management including public-private partnerships and third-party service agreements.
Experience with higher education governance structures, board relations, and policy development.
Knowledge of student affairs operations including student conduct, housing, mental health services and co-curricular programming.
Familiarity with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce for Advancement), ERP systems (e.g., Workday, Banner), and common higher ed SaaS tools.

Soft Skills

Executive leadership and team-building capability with a demonstrated record of developing and empowering senior leaders.
Excellent written and oral communication skills tailored for diverse audiences including trustees, faculty, staff, students and external partners.
Political acumen and stakeholder diplomacy—ability to navigate complex shared governance environments and build consensus.
Change leadership with the ability to design and implement transformation initiatives and measure impact.
Collaboration and cross-functional partnership orientation—breaks down silos and fosters integrated solutions.
Cultural competency and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in policy, hiring and program design.
Problem-solving and decision-making under uncertainty with strong ethical judgment and discretion.
Adaptability, resilience and crisis leadership experience for high-pressure situations.
Influencing and negotiation skills for internal resource allocation and external partnership development.
Coaching and mentorship skills to develop talent across academic and administrative units.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Master's degree in Higher Education Administration, Business Administration, Public Administration, Law, Finance, or a closely related field.

Preferred Education:

Doctoral degree (PhD, EdD) or professional degree (JD, MBA) with significant senior leadership experience in higher education.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Higher Education Leadership / Administration
Business Administration (MBA)
Public Administration / Policy
Finance / Accounting
Law / Education Law
Academic discipline relevant to the institution’s strengths (e.g., STEM, Humanities, Social Sciences)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

10–15+ years of progressively responsible administrative leadership in higher education, government, nonprofit, or related sectors.

Preferred:

15+ years with demonstrated success in senior executive roles (e.g., VP, Provost, Dean, CFO) with measurable outcomes in strategic planning, budget management, enrollment, fundraising and operational leadership; proven track record of working with a Board of Trustees and leading complex organizational change.