Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education (2022)

Oliver O’Reilly is Berkeley’s new vice provost for undergraduate education

The University of California, Berkeley, invites nominations and applications for the position of vice provost for undergraduate education (VPUE). We seek a visionary leader with a proven track record in championing undergraduate education who will partner with the Chancellor and executive vice chancellor and provost (EVCP) to advance and support the UC Berkeley undergraduate student academic experience through teaching, learning, and discovery. The appointment will be effective on or about July 1, 2022.

The Division of Undergraduate Education (UE) engages the campus on vital academic initiatives that enrich the UC Berkeley undergraduate experience. The division is in a unique position to bridge and illuminate the academic services that support diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and justice (DEIBJ) efforts. Those efforts include, but are not limited to, supporting important campus-wide initiatives underway such as the African American Initiative (AAI) and campus efforts to become a Latinx Thriving/Hispanic Serving Institute (HSI). To learn more about these efforts in the division, please visit the division’s website. For more information about the campus and the division of Undergraduate Education, please visit berkeley.edu and ue.berkeley.edu

The VPUE works in collaboration with deans, department chairs, the Academic Senate, and others to develop and implement campus-wide teaching and learning initiatives. The VPUE also provides leadership in the coordination, development, implementation, and administration of campus-wide undergraduate curricular, academic enrichment, educational development, and instructional technology programs. 

A member of both the Chancellor’s Cabinet and the Council of Deans, the VPUE reports to the EVCP and is responsible for leading, overseeing, and administering continued improvements in undergraduate education. The VPUE serves as an important leader to build connections among multiple academic and administrative units throughout the campus community, primarily focused on the undergraduate educational experience. 

To strengthen academic ties, the VPUE collaborates closely with the deans, senior leadership, and the UC Office of the President on setting strategy related to admissions and enrollment. The portfolio of the VPUE includes a range of programs and functions involved with teaching and learning at UC Berkeley. Furthermore, the VPUE collaborates with the Graduate Division to support graduate students in their roles as graduate student instructors, mentors and research guides for undergraduate students. 

The VPUE leads the Division of Undergraduate Education. The division comprises the immediate office as well as seven reporting units: the American Cultures Center, Arts+Design, the Athletic Study Center, Berkeley Connect, the Biology Scholars Program, Research, Teaching and Learning, and the Student Learning Center

For more information, see the full position description

Qualifications

All inquiries, nominations, and applications from within the Berkeley community and across the University of California (UC) system are invited. Candidates must be a current or former faculty member at a UC campus, holding the rank of Professor, and hold a distinguished record of scholarship that warrants a tenured faculty appointment at Berkeley at the rank of Professor. Candidates who are a former UC Professor must have either held one or more more senior administrative leadership positions (such as Dean, Vice Provost, Vice Chancellor, or Provost) while employed at UC as a Professor, or hold a senior administrative leadership position at their current institution.

Ideal candidates will have a track record of: 

• A record of substantive higher education administrative experience, imaginative, and collaborative leadership.

• In-depth knowledge of issues in undergraduate education nationally, regionally, and an understanding of issues at University of California campuses.

• Expertise and commitment to the student curricular/academic experience, particularly for undergraduate students.

• Effective work advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and justice goals within an academic institution.

• An understanding of and commitment to Berkeley’s culture of shared governance.

• A creative problem solver, connection-builder, and a demonstrated ability to build trust among a variety of constituents.

• Experience with strategic planning, fundraising, and fiscal matters, including partnering with donors.

Nominations

We are eager to receive nominations, ideally including a brief statement in support of each candidate who is nominated. Please email nominations to Kristine Lee Wilby at kristineleewilby@berkeley.edu. The search committee will contact nominees to invite them to submit application materials.

Applications

An individual need not be nominated in order to be considered; the search committee welcomes applications from all interested individuals. To be considered for the position, applicants must submit a brief statement of interest and a curriculum vitae. Please review Guidance on the Statement of Interest for assistance in writing your statement of interest.

To apply, please visit: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF03389. The review of applications will begin in mid April 2022.

Questions may be referred to Kristine Lee Wilby. All nominations and applications will be kept confidential. 

Survey

We seek input from the campus community about this critical position. Please submit your input on this online survey. The survey should take approximately 5-10 minutes. It is a way for the search committee to seek input from the Berkeley community in all areas. Your feedback will be very helpful to the committee as it searches for the next VPUE. Information gathered by April 15 will be used for the search committee’s preparation for interviews, and the survey will be available throughout the search. Please note that your responses will be anonymous.

Timeline

The vice provost for undergraduate education (VPUE) search committee members were selected in February 2022. Stakeholder listening sessions will take place in March and early April to gather feedback about the skills and qualities that are needed in the next VPUE and about the short- and long-term priorities for this role. Survey information will be reviewed through mid April. Recruitment for the position will occur throughout March and April, and interviews will be conducted in the late spring.

Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Search Committee Roster 2022