General Summary of Position
The University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell) seeks an accomplished, strategic, and collaborative leader to serve as its next Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs (Provost). The next Provost will build on UMass Lowell’s recent momentum and accelerate the university’s evolution by advancing its academic and scholarly mission, deepening engagement with the surrounding community, and guiding the institution to new levels of achievement and renown.
Located just 30 miles north of Boston and anchored along the Merrimack River in one of America’s most storied innovation hubs, UMass Lowell is a dynamic, urban, public research university that has been named the #1 public university in Massachusetts by The Wall Street Journal. With a mission grounded in access, affordability, and impact, the university has a proud history of providing education to its students in a wide variety of fields and collaborating closely with industry to contribute to the regional economic health. UMass Lowell delivers rigorous academics, cutting-edge research, and unmatched experiential learning that prepares approximately 16,850 students to lead in industry, government, and public service. The university generates an annual economic impact of $1.2 billion throughout the Merrimack Valley region and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
UMass Lowell’s momentum and achievements in recent years are undeniable. It was named a Research 1 (R1) university by the Carnegie Classification in 2025, affirming its very high research activity and signaling a powerful platform for discovery, collaboration, and graduate education. UMass Lowell is the highest-rated campus for sustainability in Massachusetts and is one of only eight in the nation to receive the platinum rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). It is a five-time recipient of INSIGHT Into Diversity Magazine’s Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award, and with 48 percent of undergraduates identifying as students of color and 45 percent as first‑generation college students, it is ranked by The Wall Street Journal as the #1 university in Massachusetts for Social Mobility, public or private, reflecting its commitment to advancing success for students from all backgrounds.
Reporting to the Chancellor, the Provost is UMass Lowell’s chief academic officer and a key member of the university’s executive leadership team. In this capacity, the Provost will collaborate closely with vice chancellors, deans, and vice provosts to build on the university’s recent momentum. They will contribute to the 2028 Strategic Plan by advancing student success and inclusive excellence, strengthening master’s and doctoral programs to expand scale and interdisciplinary depth, and enhancing program distinctiveness, partnerships, and research impact. Through this work, the Provost will help elevate the university’s national and global reputation.
Furthermore, the Provost will foster a culture of innovation and collaboration—leveraging technology, catalyzing cluster hires, empowering college and unit leadership, and connecting academic strengths to emerging fields and partner industries. And as an anchor institution, UMass Lowell’s deep relationship with the city of Lowell remains central. The Provost will champion community-engaged scholarship, experiential learning, and initiatives that strengthen the regional economy and civic life—ensuring the campus and city continue to thrive together.
QUALIFICATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS:
The next Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs at UMass Lowell will be a distinguished educator and scholar who holds an earned doctorate or equivalent terminal degree and brings a record of scholarship, research, and teaching commensurate with appointment as a tenured full professor. This individual will be a proven leader with extensive academic leadership experience, with significant experience in budget stewardship and personnel management. The ideal candidate will exemplify many of the following qualifications and attributes:
• Proven ability to be an inspiring leader and collaborative colleague across the university;
• Ability to motivate faculty and staff efforts to carry out the university’s mission, and to align academic departments, ensuring the coherent advancement and sustainability of the university;
• A collaborative leadership style that empowers and delegates responsibilities to deans, unit heads, and other colleagues;
• Demonstrated ability to make effective and transparent decisions using data;
• Demonstrated experience in conducting the promotion and tenure process;
• Evidence of setting priorities within an academic unit seeking input from the bottom up and helping to put in place the systems and structure to fulfill those priorities;
• Commitment to the professional development of faculty and staff;
• Experience fulfilling a vision for academic and student affairs at a transformational time for an institution;
• Proven success of change management;
• Broad appreciation for the spectrum of disciplines offered at a comprehensive research institution such as UMass Lowell;
• Successful track record in building and sustaining interdisciplinary programs and research;
• Vision for the role that academic research libraries play during the transformation of an institution;
• Experience with and vision for the role technology plays in the landscape of higher education today and in the future, particularly artificial intelligence;
• Understanding of and appreciation for the role of experiential learning and applied research within a comprehensive university;
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills in both formal and informal environments, oral and written;
• Demonstrated commitment to enhancing the teaching and learning of a genuinely student-centered institution that supports student success;
• Experience with or an appreciation for working cooperatively with faculty and staff in a union environment at a public institution or within a university system;
• Successful track record of large-scale budgetary accountability and effectiveness in the allocation of resources; and
• Ability to work with other academic and community leaders to further develop collaborative academic and student success initiatives.
Leadership style:
• Highest level of integrity and a track record of ethics in leadership;
• Sense of humor and commitment to building a positive work environment;
• A strong advocate who sets the tone with an effective and wise blending of patience, persistence, compassion, and urgency;
• A record of creativity, innovative problem-solving, bridge-building, and consensus-building;
• Commitment to transparency;
• An outgoing, graceful, highly energetic, participatory, and positive demeanor; and
• Visible on campus, and at campus events, and open and accessible to the campus community.
Special Instructions to Applicants:
Nominations, inquiries, and applications, including CVs with cover letters responding to the opportunities and challenges outlined in the full position profile, should be submitted to the Isaacson, Miller search team via the hyperlink below. Screening of applications will begin immediately and continue until the search process is completed.
This is a full-time, benefited non-union professional position in grade E8. Compensation will be commensurate with experience, with an anticipated salary range based of approximately $390,000 to $440,000.
Micah Pierce, Partner
Alycia Johnson, Managing Associate
Berlinda Mojica, Senior Associate
Marlyn Desire, Senior Search Coordinator
Isaacson, Miller
https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/university-massachusetts-lowell/provost-and-vice-chancellor-academic-and-student
