OPPORTUNITY AND CHALLENGE PROFILE Search for the Provost Ohio Wesleyan University Delaware, Ohio THE SEARCH Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU), one of the most comprehensive liberal arts schools in the country, seeks a bold, collaborative, and forward-thinking leader to serve as its next provost. Reporting to the president and working in collaboration with the members of the senior leadership team, the provost will lead with humility and a learning mindset, encourage consensus-building, and demonstrate an appreciation and respect for the liberal arts and professional education within the context of liberal education, as well as OWU’s commitment to shared governance. The provost will boldly shepherd OWU forward as one of only 45 schools considered a College That Changes Lives, furthering its commitment to transformational experiences for its students. Located in Delaware, Ohio, OWU is a close-knit community of 128 faculty and 1,497 students. Known for its commitment to the student experience and talented faculty and staff, OWU prides itself on its signature program, The OWU Connection, which personalizes the undergraduate experience to include travel, research, or internships, along with the opportunity to create an individualized degree plan. Ohio Wesleyan earned a 2009 Presidential Award for Excellence in General Community Service and is included on the “best colleges” lists of U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review. It has also been deemed a “best value” college by The Princeton Review, a noteworthy recognition that includes only 7% of the nation’s four-year colleges. An innovator and a change agent, the new provost will join the Ohio Wesleyan community as it emerges from a comprehensive academic and administrative program review, implementing key recommendations and positioning OWU as a sustainable model for liberal arts and pre- professional programs on the national stage. With a uniquely engaged faculty, experienced president, impressive record of philanthropic support, and an environment ripe for evolution, OWU seeks to proactively position itself to best serve future students, including consideration of investment in new programs, rather than simply react. To do so, the University requires a leader who will empower faculty and staff to think differently and creatively about systems and processes, and the way in which the institution serves and supports its students. Isaacson, Miller Provost Ohio Wesleyan University To help further OWU’s mission and realize its aspirations, the provost will address the following key opportunities and challenges: • Collectively develop a distinctive vision for the next era of Ohio Wesleyan • Implement academic program review recommendations • Champion student success and optimize the student experience • Enhance the culture and sense of community across OWU • Define and leverage an effective administrative structure and team in the Office of the Provost • Work with external partners in Ohio and beyond A list of the desired qualifications and characteristics of the provost can be found at the conclusion of this document. Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, has been retained to support the search advisory committee in this effort. Confidential inquiries, nominations, and applications may be directed to the firm, as noted at the end of this document. OHIO WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY Ohio Wesleyan University is a selective, nationally ranked, residential liberal arts college of nearly 1,500 students founded in 1842 and located on 200 beautiful acres in Delaware, Ohio. OWU is consistently ranked among the nation's top liberal arts colleges and is distinguished by a long tradition of engaged learning that produces strong leaders. Ohio Wesleyan’s charter provides that “the University is forever to be conducted on the most liberal principles, accessible to all religious denominations, and designed for the benefit of our citizens in general.” The University is a charter member of the Great Lakes Colleges Association, a consortium of 13 private liberal arts colleges that includes Albion, Allegheny, Antioch, Denison, DePauw, Earlham, Hope, Kalamazoo, Kenyon, Oberlin, Ohio Wesleyan, Wabash, and Wooster. OWU is also a member of the Ohio Five, a consortium founded in 1995 with the support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Ohio Five Colleges include – in addition to OWU – Wooster, Denison, Kenyon, and Oberlin. Academics & Faculty OWU’s hands-on approach to teaching and learning has cemented its position as one of the most comprehensive liberal arts schools in the country. Degrees are offered through 24 academic departments and several interdisciplinary programs, with more than 90 majors that include Business, Data Analytics, Fine Arts, Comparative Literature, Communication, and Education; scientific fields such as Neuroscience and Zoology; and a wide range of pre-professional studies such as Medicine, Law, Public Administration, and Engineering. In fact, more than 25 percent of OWU students graduate with at least two majors. Notable aspects of the academic program include the Arneson Institute for Practical Politics and Public Affairs; the Woltemade Center for Economics, Business and Entrepreneurship; the Sagan National Colloquium; and the Leland F. and Helen Schubert Honors Program. Isaacson, Miller Page 2 of 8 Provost Ohio Wesleyan University At its core, the strength of Ohio Wesleyan is the quality of its 128 full-time faculty members, who are known for their commitment to teaching and student success. Ohio Wesleyan students consistently rate the faculty highly for quality of teaching, excitement about their academic disciplines, mentoring, commitment, and accessibility. The University places great emphasis on the notion of the “teacher-scholar,” or the idea that each faculty member is equally committed to both excellent teaching and scholarly research. A hundred percent of full-time tenure-track faculty hold a Ph.D. or other appropriate terminal degree. Focused on an intimate academic community, OWU boasts an 10:1 student-faculty ratio and an average class size of 16. OWU’s most distinctive feature is The OWU Connection, a personalized four-year program that includes a signature experience (travel, research, or internship), and the opportunity to create an individualized degree plan from the University’s many majors and minors. The OWU Connection helps students connect academic theory with real-world practice in a global context. The substantial expansion of global opportunities has resulted in the creation of 54 Travel-Learning Courses since 2010-11, enabling students to personally explore topics studied in class. In parallel, the University is significantly enhancing The OWU Career Connection, integrating the career services operation with The OWU Connection and more closely aligning it with Alumni Relations to leverage alumni interest in student mentoring, externships, and internships. Students & Student Life With a total enrollment of 1,497 students, 44 percent of OWU students identify as male, and 56 percent identify as female. Students hail from 27 states and U.S. territories and 14 countries, and 66 percent of students are Ohio residents. Twenty-six percent of students identify as “U.S. multicultural,” while 5 percent are international students. Ninety-seven percent of students receive merit-based and/or need-based financial aid, with an average financial aid package of $42,000. The freshman class typically presents an average SAT score of 1207, an average ACT score of 25, and an average high school GPA of 3.54. Ohio Wesleyan’s student outcomes are strong. In a survey of 2017 graduates, 95 percent of respondents reported being employed or enrolled in graduate school. In recent years, OWU students have been named Goldwater Scholars, Fulbright Scholars, NSF Graduate Research Fellows, NCAA Postgraduate Scholars, Gilman International Scholars, and semifinalists in the Rhodes Scholarship competition. Ohio Wesleyan affords students numerous means of becoming involved in campus life, with nearly 100 clubs and organizations that present valuable leadership opportunities. OWU has a strong history of promoting social awareness and civic engagement among its students, and 70 percent of students participate in community service in a given year. All incoming freshmen and transfer students engage in a community service project in their first or second semesters. Annually, an average of 60 students travel during spring break to complete service activities. In 2018, 42 students participated in the institution’s Interfaith Service Trips. OWU also fields 25 varsity athletic teams – 13 women’s teams and 12 men’s teams – that compete in the North Coast Athletic Conference, NCAA Division III, and Mid-Atlantic Rowing Conference. Men compete in basketball, tennis, baseball, football, lacrosse, soccer, golf, cross- country, sailing, track & field, swimming & diving, and wrestling. Women’s sports include basketball, golf, rowing, tennis, volleyball, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, cross-country, sailing, track & field, softball, and swimming & diving. One in three OWU students is a varsity athlete. Isaacson, Miller Page 3 of 8 Provost Ohio Wesleyan University Leadership & Governance Rock Jones, Ph.D., was inaugurated as Ohio Wesleyan’s 16th president in October 2008, and his energetic leadership has helped move the University forward ever since with innovative academic programs, new and rejuvenated campus facilities, and a strong sense of engagement with alumni and the community. Jones