Joy K. Ward is the chief academic officer of Case Western Reserve University.
The Provost's Role
The provost and university vice president is the chief academic officer of Case Western Reserve University. The primary responsibilities of this position are providing leadership that supports all aspects of the academic enterprise of Case Western Reserve University and assuring that resources are aligned with the academic goals of the university. The provost acts to promote innovation in research and scholarship, excellence in teaching and learning both in and outside of the classroom, and recognition of the value of service to society.
As one of the leading private research universities in the United States, Case Western Reserve's reputation is built upon an inseparable commitment to research and teaching. This philosophy serves as the foundation for all of Case Western Reserve's various programs. The provost promotes high quality in Case Western Reserve's academic programs by providing strategic and visionary leadership, as well as by collaborating with and supporting the efforts of the deans of the colleges and schools, faculty as individuals and in committees, and senior officers of the university. The provost also works closely with the president and serves as the chief executive officer during her/his absence.
A partial list of responsibilities of the provost includes the following:
- Articulate institutional goals
- Set standards and forward-thinking, constructive policies especially as they relate to academic programs and student affairs
- Inspire and enable growth, productivity, and accountability in each college and school
- Facilitate collaboration between CWRU's colleges and schools and encourage interdisciplinary initiatives
- Direct the search for the position of dean of each school as the position become vacant and make recommendations to the President
- Encourage and support the efforts of each college and school to recruit and retain promising young faculty, as well as faculty who are accomplished in their fields of research, scholarship, and teaching
- Promote diversity in the recruitment and retention of students, faculty and staff
- Support academic programs and student services programs in order to provide students with opportunities to apply the knowledge and methods of academic disciplines in a variety of classroom and non-classroom settings, locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally
- Provide leadership for accreditation and certification processes
- Review applications for appointment, promotion, and tenure of faculty brought forward by the deans of each college and school and make recommendations of same to the president and Board of Trustees
- Oversee the Dean's Council and the Research Council
- Provide direction and oversight of the budget process of the University in collaboration with the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer
- Lead academic strategic planning activities, and promote integration of strategic and financial planning including capital projects
- Review the budgets of each college and school
- Review innovations in the curriculum of each college and school and make recommendations for approval to the Board of Trustees
- Review, promote, and support the advancement of infrastructure relevant to the academic goals of the University, including information technologies, library technologies, and classroom and laboratory facilities
- Participate in the Faculty Senate as a member of the Senate and its Executive Committee
- Review the reports and petitions of the faculty on matters that must be approved by the Board of Trustees