University Provost

Lenoir-Rhyne University is conducting a national search for its next Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and has engaged Coleman Lew Canny Bowen to assist in the process.

Candidates interested in this leadership opportunity should apply as outlined in the position profile below. All nominations, inquiries, and application materials should be submitted directly to the search firm as indicated in the posting.

Summary

Lenoir-Rhyne University, a dynamic and growing, private, comprehensive professionally focused university, seeks a strategic, action-oriented, inspirational, relational leader to serve as Provost. Reporting directly to the President, the Provost serves as the chief academic officer for the University.

Institution

Lenoir-Rhyne University, founded in 1891, is a private, coeducational, comprehensive university grounded in the Lutheran intellectual tradition and recognized for its commitment to academic athletic, and artistic excellence, experiential learning, and student success. Located in Hickory, North Carolina with an additional graduate center in Asheville, North Carolina, the university is a vibrant, caring and close-knit community serving nearly 2,300 undergraduate and graduate students from 40 states and 37 countries. Lenoir-Rhyne is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) with its next decennial reaffirmation scheduled for 2028.

Under the leadership of President Summer McGee, the university is experiencing renewed momentum, with record enrollment growth in 2025-2026, expanded academic offerings, and strategic investments in personnel, facilities and student experience. Over the past decade, Lenoir-Rhyne has invested significantly in campus enhancements, academic innovation, and student success initiatives, positioning the institution as a leading professional university in the Southeast. Lenoir-Rhyne continues to strengthen its regional and national profile while remaining deeply rooted in its mission.

Across its colleges and programs, Lenoir-Rhyne offers a distinctive, professionally focused education spanning the health and life sciences, business, engineering and mathematics, education, human services, theology, social sciences, humanities and the fine arts. The University offers a vibrant core curriculum representing its liberal arts tradition alongside extensive undergraduate and graduate program offerings in its professional schools. With more than 40 undergraduate majors and a growing portfolio of 20 graduate and professional programs, Lenoir-Rhyne offers two undergraduate degrees (B.A. and B.S.), six graduate degrees (M.A., M.S., MBA, MPH, MFA, and DNP), and four seminary degrees (MACM, M.Div., MTS, and MARL), reflecting its comprehensive academic portfolio.

Committed to student success and strong post-graduation outcomes, Lenoir-Rhyne University boasts a 99% job and graduate school placement rate in its first-destination survey in 2025. Lenoir-Rhyne emphasizes hands-on, applied learning through internships, clinical placements, research opportunities, and community engagement. The university is known for strong programs in areas such as nursing, occupational therapy, counseling, business, education, and human services, as well as a deep commitment to preparing graduates for meaningful lives and work.

The Lenoir-Rhyne experience is both personal and transformative. Small class sizes — averaging fewer than 15 students — and a 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio ensure meaningful engagement with faculty who are dedicated teacher-scholars and mentors; nearly 100% of tenure-track faculty hold the terminal degree in their field. Faculty members challenge and support students to think critically, act ethically, and lead with integrity in a complex and changing world. Lenoir-Rhyne University is focused on college affordability through its Lenoir-Rhyne Tuition-Free Guarantee and is recognized regionally as the #15 Top Value institution in the South.

Student life is vibrant and engaging, with more than 60 student clubs and organizations that foster leadership, creativity, and community. The university competes in NCAA Division II as a member of the South Atlantic Conference and sponsors more than 23 intercollegiate and club teams for men and women. Lenoir-Rhyne University is consistently ranked among the Top 25 athletic programs in Division II athletics and is known for building champions with character while strengthening school spirit and campus life.

The university’s main campus in Hickory, North Carolina — home to the Office of the Provost — is nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the western part of the state. Hickory is known for its tradition of artisanship and strong sense of community, offering the amenities of a larger city with the charm of a small town. Recognized by Money magazine as one of the “Best Places to Live” in the United States, Hickory is located in Catawba County (population 165,000), which was ranked 7th in the nation by U.S. News and World Report among the top metropolitan areas to relocate to in 2026. The surrounding region provides a natural playground for outdoor recreation, including hiking, canoeing, and fishing, and is conveniently located within driving distance of Asheville, Charlotte, and Winston-Salem.

For more information about Lenoir-Rhyne University, please visit: www.lr.edu

Reports/Relationships

The provost at Lenoir-Rhyne University reports directly to the President. The Provost is a trusted, forward-thinking, and execution-oriented partner to the President and serves on the President’s Cabinet. The Provost will be a strategic and action-driven leader who can translate vision into measurable outcomes—moving initiatives forward with urgency, discipline, and accountability. Working closely with the President and senior leadership, the Provost will play a central role in advancing and implementing the university’s strategic plan while ensuring effective, efficient, and student-centered academic operations.

The Provost must be an exceptional communicator and relationship builder capable of fostering trust, transparency, and collaboration across faculty, staff, students, and external stakeholders. This leader will cultivate a culture of shared governance that is both transparent and results-oriented, ensuring that communication is proactive, clear, and continuous across multiple channels. The Provost will actively engage faculty in strategic discussions and collaborations while also ensuring timely progress on institutional priorities.

Positions reporting to the Provost include the Deans of the seven colleges (Business and Economics, Education and Human Services, Health Sciences, Fine Arts and Communications, Natural Science and Mathematics, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary) as well as the Dean of the Fritz Honors College. In addition, other direct reports include two Assistant Provosts, one Associate Provost and Dean of LR Online and Regional Expansion, Dean of the Library and an Executive Assistant.

Basic Functions

As the chief academic officer of the university, the Provost provides decisive and strategic leadership to ensure an innovative, relevant, and high-quality curriculum aligned with the university’s mission and market demands. The Provost leads and evaluates faculty and staff within Academic Affairs, drives both short- and long-term planning with fiscal discipline, and represents the academic enterprise to internal and external constituencies. This leader is expected to be both visionary and highly effective in execution — ensuring that priorities are not only well-conceived but also implemented with clarity, speed, and measurable impact.

Specific responsibilities for this position include, but are not limited to:

  • Develops, guides and refines undergraduate, graduate and online academic program offerings to ensure growth, quality, and market alignment.
  • Builds and sustains a campus culture focused on student success, retention, and completion.
  • Remains highly attuned to emerging trends in higher education and leads with agility in response to change.
  • Provides strong operational leadership across all academic units, ensuring alignment, efficiency, and progress toward strategic goals.
  • Strengthens communication and collaboration with faculty committees, ensuring that shared governance processes are effective, efficient, and forward-moving.
  • Drives accountability and performance management of faculty and academic staff in partnership with the Deans.
  • Ensures successful programmatic and institutional accreditation processes
  • Leads the recruitment and retention of high-performing, mission-aligned faculty, academic leaders and academic staff.
  • Advances innovation in teaching, learning, and program delivery to enhance student outcomes and institutional distinctiveness.
  • Ensures excellence in faculty and student scholarship, research, and creative activity.
  • Leads academic external funding opportunities and development of new strategic academic partnerships.
  • Champions global engagement and cultural competence through leadership of international education initiatives.
  • Develops and manages a fiscally responsible Academic Affairs budget, while identifying opportunities for growth and revenue generation.
  • Maintains and modernizes the Faculty Handbook and academic policies to reflect institutional priorities and best practices.
  • Manages and supervises all undergraduate and graduate academic affairs, library services, institutional research and assessment, academic student success, and international education.
  • Supports academic operations on the Asheville campus through close coordination with campus faculty and staff.
  • Represents academic affairs to the university’s Board of Trustees by staffing the Board’s committee on Academic and Student Experience.

Requirements

  • Terminal academic degree from an accredited college or university
  • Distinguished record of teaching, scholarship, and service appropriate for appointment to the rank of professor with tenure.
  • Record of distinguished and progressively responsible academic administrative leadership in higher education
  • Extensive experience in executive academic leadership at a regionally accredited institution (preferably as provost or dean).
  • Proven ability to lead strategic initiatives from concept through implementation, with a strong orientation toward data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement.
  • Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment that values innovation, accountability, and collaboration.
  • Commitment to fostering a culture of care, integrity, excellence and curiosity.
  • Exceptional written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
  • Demonstrated ability in relationship building across diverse constituencies.
  • Deep understanding of the evolving higher education landscape and the ability to respond with agile, forward-looking strategies.
  • Appreciation for and understanding of small to medium-sized, private, comprehensive universities with strong professional programs.
  • Expertise in both programmatic and institutional accreditation processes (e.g., SACSCOC or other regional accrediting bodies) and licensure programs.
  • Demonstrated success in building external partnerships, including pathways with community colleges and regional organizations.

Compensation

This is a 12-month administrative position with faculty appointment as professor with tenure. Compensation will be commensurate with experience including a competitive base salary and comprehensive benefits package.

Lenoir-Rhyne University is an EOE/AA employer under all applicable civil rights laws. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

Additional Information & Consideration

For additional information and consideration contact:

Coleman Lew Canny Bowen
6101 Carnegie Blvd., Suite 300
Charlotte, NC 28209 
Robin Bagby, Senior Associate or Shana Plott, CEO
LRU.Provost@CLCBsearch.com
704.377.0362