Vice President for Academic Affairs

Vice President for Academic Affairs

Saint Peter’s University

Jersey City, New Jersey

Saint Peter’s University, inspired by its Jesuit, Catholic identity, commitment to individual attention, and grounding in the liberal arts, educates a diverse community of learners in undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs to excel intellectually, lead ethically, serve compassionately, and promote justice in our ever-changing urban and global environment. – Mission Statement

Saint Peter’s University (SPU, Saint Peter’s, or the University), a Catholic Jesuit university located in Jersey City, New Jersey, seeks a strategic, innovative, and mission-driven administrator and educator with a distinguished academic record to serve as the Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA). The VPAA will join Saint Peter’s at a pivotal moment in the institution's history—with new leadership under President Hubert Benitez, the completion of the University’s largest and most successful fundraising campaign, and the launch of its new strategic plan, Igniting the Mission. The VPAA will play a key role in implementing the strategic plan, with one of its six pillars being to expand and enrich the academic portfolio and student experience. It will be critical that the next VPAA honors Saint Peter’s storied history while collaboratively and compassionately leading the academic unit into its next mission-centered chapter of impact.

Founded in 1872, Saint Peter’s is one of 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States and serves the most diverse student body of all Jesuit higher education institutions in the nation. SPU’s founding mission—to prepare students of all backgrounds to be leaders in their individual lives and broader communities—is more relevant than ever and offers a powerful narrative platform from which to advocate for institutional resources and wide-ranging philanthropic engagement.

The University comprises five schools and colleges—the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Nursing and Health Professions, the Caulfield School of Education, the Frank J. Guarini School of Business, and the School of Professional Studies—offering more than 50 undergraduate majors and minors, 18 master’s programs, five doctoral programs, and post-master’s and certificate programs. In Fall 2025, Saint Peter’s enrolled a record-setting first-year class, bringing total enrollment to approximately 3,300 full- and part-time students. The University is supported by 343 full-time and adjunct faculty members and 243 staff, with an operating budget of approximately $78 million, two-thirds of which is directly tied to academic activities. The 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings named Saint Peter’s number one in New Jersey for both Social Mobility and Best Value, while also ranking fifth in Social Mobility, second in Best Value, 16th

for Best Colleges for Veterans, and 38th overall in the Regional Universities North category. These recognitions affirm the transformative and accessible nature of a Saint Peter’s education and its lasting impact on students, families, and communities.

Reporting to the President, the VPAA serves as the chief academic officer and is a member of the President’s Cabinet. The VPAA is one of five vice presidents and directly oversees a team that includes the assistant vice president for academic affairs and assessment, the five school deans, and the directors of the Guarini Institute for Government and Leadership, Faculty Research and Development, Service Learning, Honors Program, and Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies.

The successful candidate will collaboratively guide the implementation of the academic vision set forth in the new strategic plan, advancing Saint Peter’s tradition of student success and innovation with a deep commitment to its liberal arts core. The VPAA will work to strengthen the University’s value proposition while ensuring the effective allocation of resources, cultivating a culture of trust and shared governance, supporting excellence in teaching, learning, and research, and championing the Jesuit ideals that are woven into the very fabric of the institution.

Saint Peter’s University is located in Jersey City, NJ. The expected salary range will be $180,000 to $235,000.

The University has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm to assist in this recruitment. Screening of complete applications will begin immediately and continue until the completion of the search process. Inquiries, nominations, referrals, and CVs with cover letters should be sent via the Isaacson, Miller website for the search : https : / / www.imsearch.com / open-searches / saint-peters-university / vice-president-academic-affairs . Electronic submission of materials is strongly encouraged.

Phillip Petree, Partner

Steph Simon, Senior Associate

Ryan Smillie, Senior Search Coordinator

Isaacson, Miller Inc.

Saint Peter's University is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer and desires to ensure that faculty, students, and staff members from underrepresented and marginalized populations are an integral part of the life and governance of the institution.

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