Assistant Provost for Institutional Effectiveness, Provost Office

The Assistant Provost for Institutional Effectiveness provides leadership and coordination for university-wide efforts related to accreditation, assessment, institutional research, strategic planning, and continuous improvement. The position guides and coordinates the accreditation and assessment processes for all colleges and academic programs, supports institution-level strategic planning, and advances a culture of data-informed decision-making. The Assistant Provost works closely with the President, Provost, Vice Presidents, Deans, and academic leaders on matters of accreditation accountability, programmatic assessment, program review, surveys, and data analysis. This role develops, manages, and interprets institutional data to support planning, assessment, compliance, and institutional effectiveness.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Accreditation Leadership

• Serve as the Lipscomb University Accreditation Liaison for SACSCOC, with primary responsibility for coordination of regional accreditation processes.
• Serve as the Provost Office Liaison for THEC and THECB, managing state reporting and compliance requirements.
• Lead the University's comprehensive reaffirmation of accreditation efforts, including preparation for off-site and on-site accreditation visits.
• Coordinate, support, and guide the preparation and submission of accreditation reports and all required state and federal program reporting.
• Facilitate preparation of program accreditation and re-accreditation processes, ensuring timely completion of planning, data collection, self-studies, and executive summary reports.
• Track and monitor program/professional accreditation, licensure approvals, and other required or voluntary academic program approvals.
• Prepare substantive change proposals to SACSCOC and other accrediting bodies as needed.
• Integrate accreditation activities across colleges and campuses to ensure consistency, compliance, and institutional alignment.

Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness

• Provide leadership for institutional effectiveness, assessment, and evaluation of student learning outcomes.
• Coordinate and support assessment of academic programs and co-curricular units across the university.
• Work collaboratively with deans, department chairs, and administrators to ensure ongoing engagement in assessment of student learning and documentation of improvement efforts.
• Provide consultation to faculty and administrators at all stages of the continuous improvement process, including:
  • assessment planning
  • measurement and data analysis
  • reporting of results
  • use of results for program improvement
• Provide feedback and guidance on the development and refinement of program learning outcomes.
• Support the alignment of program and unit-level institutional effectiveness efforts with institutional strategic plans and priorities.

Institutional Research and Data Analytics

• Develop, manage, and interpret institutional data in support of planning, assessment, and decision-making.
• Oversee access to and appropriate use of institutional data to inform strategic initiatives and operational decisions.
• Coordinate development and maintenance of information dashboards needed for accreditation, compliance, assessment, and program effectiveness.
• Oversee analysis of enrollment trends, retention, progression, graduation rates, and other student success indicators.
• Support data analysis related to staffing, space utilization, and instructional costs.
• Provide data analysis to support academic program review, new program development, and program effectiveness.
• Collaborate with the Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness to administer, analyze, interpret, and communicate results from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and other institutional surveys.

Academic Program Oversight and Coordination

• Collaborate with the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs to prepare proposals for new academic programs and program deactivations for approval by the Board of Trustees and SACSCOC.
• Coordinate program review processes and ensure alignment with accreditation and assessment requirements

Faculty Development and Policy Coordination

• Oversee Faculty Performance Evaluations and Promotion, Tenure, and Review processes as part of institutional strategy and faculty development.
• Assist with the university policy development process by:
  • ensuring consistency among policies
  • avoiding duplication or conflict
  • identifying policies and procedures that could be revised, simplified, or created to better meet institutional needs

Collaboration and Leadership Expectations

• Serve as a key advisor to the Provost and senior leadership on matters of institutional effectiveness and accreditation.
• Work closely with the President, Provost, Deans, department chairs, and administrative leaders on institutional accountability and improvement initiatives.
• Represent the University in external professional organizations and accreditation-related networks.
• Foster a culture of transparency, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Required Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in a relevant discipline.
• Direct experience serving as an accreditation liaison.
• Expertise with data visualization tools, assessment software, and institutional research systems.
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills with the ability to interpret complex data.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proven ability to collaborate effectively with faculty, administrators, and external stakeholders.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Ability to translate data into actionable insights and strategies.
• Strong organizational and project management skills.
• Demonstrated leadership and team-building abilities.
• High attention to detail and integrity in reporting.
• Ability to manage multiple complex initiatives simultaneously.
• Commitment to fostering a campus-wide culture of evidence-based improvement.

*Preference will be given to internal candidates*