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Provost Search > The Opportunity

The Opportunity

Advancing Academic Excellence at CSB+SJU

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Provost Search

The College of Saint Benedict (CSB) and Saint John’s University (SJU) invite inquiries, applications, and nominations for the position of Provost. This is a transformative moment for two distinctive Catholic, Benedictine liberal arts institutions operating under Strong Integration—an innovative governance model that positions CSB and SJU as pioneers in collaborative higher education leadership. Under this unified structure, both institutions share a single president, leadership team, and two boards while preserving their distinctive single-sex missions, creating unprecedented agility and strategic coherence.

The Provost serves as the senior educational officer, responsible for the curricular and co-curricular experience across both institutions, reporting directly to President Brian Bruess and serving as a key member of the senior leadership team. This role offers an exceptional opportunity to shape the academic and student life direction of two nationally recognized liberal arts colleges at a time of genuine institutional momentum. Guided by a strategic plan emphasizing mission-centered practice, financial excellence, and transformative student experiences, the Provost will lead the academic and student life enterprise through a period of collaboration, innovation, and growth. Current initiatives exploring new approaches to student success, advising, and holistic formation—such as the developing True North Journey framework—illustrate the institutions’ shared commitment to helping students connect their academic, personal, and professional learning in meaningful ways.

President Bruess seeks a Provost who is a creative systems thinker, a proven academic leader, and a strategic partner capable of advancing academic rigor while ensuring every student’s success. The Strong Integration model—launched in 2021—fundamentally reshapes how these institutions operate, enabling coordinated strategy, unified resource allocation, and enhanced institutional effectiveness while maintaining the distinct campus identities that make each college special. The Provost, alongside the Chief Operating Officer (COO), and Chief of Staff, will be instrumental in demonstrating how this governance innovation creates competitive advantage in an increasingly challenging higher education landscape.

The ideal candidate will bring scholarly credibility, administrative acumen, and the interpersonal skills necessary to work effectively across two campuses, with diverse constituencies, and within the unique Strong Integration governance model. This is leadership work that matters—preparing young women and men for lives of purpose, meaning, and principled achievement while honoring the Catholic intellectual tradition and Benedictine values that have guided these institutions for over a century.

The Provost will champion the liberal arts, support faculty excellence, steward academic resources wisely, and collaborate closely with the president and leadership team to achieve institutional priorities. The Provost is expected to assume office on July 1, 2026.