Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Search

Advancing Academic Excellence 

The provost is the chief academic officer and spokesperson for UNCW’s academic mission, ensuring the quality, integrity, and innovation of all academic programs and initiatives. This senior leader is responsible for policy development, long-range planning, budgeting, personnel, and strategic oversight of the Division of Academic Affairs.

The Division of Academic Affairs includes:  

• Office of the Provost
• Five academic colleges:
  • Cameron School of Business
  • College of Health and Human Services
  • College of Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts
  • College of Science and Engineering
  • Watson College of Education
• Eight functional areas:
  • Administration and Resource Management
  • Global Partnerships and International Education
  • Graduate, Continuing, and Lifelong Education
  • Institutional Research and Planning
  • Research and Innovation
  • Student Engagement, Enrollment, and Retention
  • Teaching, Learning, and Library Services
  • Undergraduate Education and Faculty Affairs
• Provost-level centers and institutes, including:
  • Center for Marine Science

The next provost will champion faculty and staff, foster transparent and collaborative leadership, and advance student success through high-impact practices, strong advising, and evidence-based strategies that support affordability, access, and well-being. They will guide UNCW’s growth as a high-impact research university, aligning infrastructure and expectations to support research expansion and R2 ambitions.

The provost will also strengthen administrative efficiency, support a culture of respect and intellectual engagement, and serve as a forward-thinking, fiscally accountable, data-informed leader who expands external partnerships and elevates UNCW’s national and global profile while championing accessibility and inclusion.

The successful provost candidate will be committed to:

• Transparent and Collaborative Leadership: Prioritize transparency, shared governance, and collaborative leadership to strengthen trust, safeguard academic freedom, and support institutional alignment. 
• Student Success and Experiential Learning: Ensure a high-quality, personalized student experience through applied learning, effective advising, interdisciplinary collaboration, clear pathways, and support for well-being, affordability, and academic success.
• Faculty and Staff Advocacy and Support: Champion equitable workloads, fair compensation, and supportive resources that strengthen faculty and staff morale and development, while promoting academic freedom.
• Research Growth and R2 Advancement: Strengthen UNCW’s research enterprise by expanding support, infrastructure, and interdisciplinary innovation while aligning processes and resources, including emerging technologies like AI, with R2 expectations.
• Administrative Efficiency and Resource Management: Streamline procedures, reduce barriers, and align resources to create efficient administrative structures that support academic excellence and campus needs.
• Campus Culture and Community: Preserve UNCW’s student-centered culture, emphasizing collegiality, respect, accountability, and engaged learning within a welcoming, connected, and innovative community.
• Commitment to Broad Campus and Global Perspectives and Backgrounds: Advance equal opportunity, global engagement, and belonging to foster and cultivate a respectful, intellectually vibrant academic environment that values open inquiry.
• Strategic Vision and External Engagement: Elevate UNCW’s long-term vision through strategic, data-driven leadership that expands partnerships, boosts visibility, and positions the university as an innovative, globally connected institution that thoughtfully leverages emerging technologies like AI.

The Division of Academic Affairs plays a central role in advancing UNCW’s mission of preparing graduates for meaningful careers, lifelong learning, and responsible citizenship. The division leads the development and assessment of academic programs; supports faculty recruitment, retention, and professional growth; expands research and creative activity; and ensures that students receive a high-quality, student-centered educational experience grounded in applied learning.

Academic Affairs Strategic Priorities

In alignment with the university’s Soar Higher strategic plan and in partnership with the executive cabinet and campus community, the 15 areas reporting to the provost advance strategic priorities with varied timelines:

• Implement the academic mission of the university
• Provide a stellar environment for faculty and staff that encourages collaboration, excellence in teaching, distinguished scholarship, innovative research, and impactful community engagement
• Increase access and affordability for students
• Develop career-ready students upon graduation
• Increase high-impact, experiential learning opportunities for students
• Encourage students to: think critically; develop problem solving and communication skills; foster an appreciation for all forms of scholarship; value lifelong learning
• Promote student success
• Position UNCW as a national leader in interdisciplinary teaching and learning
• Expand and elevate high demand academic programs and offerings
• Engage with the needs of our local community, region, and state
• Expand regionally relevant and globally important research that addresses complex problems through interdisciplinary collaboration
• Expand global collaborations and partnerships to connect Wilmington and the world
• Lead effective academic policies, practices, and programs
• Steward resources effectively and efficiently
• Modernize data and technology to advance data-informed decision-making

Academic Affairs Fast Facts

The Provost Search Committee held its first meeting on October 27, 2025. The committee conducted listening sessions and gathered feedback from the campus community throughout November 2025. Finalists are expected to be invited to campus during Spring 2026, and the new provost is anticipated to be seated by July 1, 2026.

Faculty, staff, and students can learn more by visiting the search committee’s site linked below.

* UNCW login credentials required

Widely celebrated as the state’s coastal university, the University of North Carolina Wilmington was established in 1947 as Wilmington College and joined the University of North Carolina System in 1969. Today, the university is a top national institution with nearly 19,900 students, more than 2,500 faculty and staff, 171 buildings, and an ever-growing alumni network of more than 111,000. 

UNCW has come a long way from its early days as Wilmington College. We’ve built a national and global profile while strengthening ties to our state, region, and local community. We’re growing thoughtfully, driven to see our students succeed, and committed to community partnerships.

One of 17 institutions in the UNC System, UNCW is a nationally recognized large public doctoral university with a private feel. The university offers numerous bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs across its colleges and schools. Its main academic units are: Cameron School of Business, College of Health and Human Services, College of Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts, College of Science and Engineering, and Watson College of Education. Each college is united with a focus on applied learning, with emphasis on internships, research, study abroad, community-based projects, and other high-impact experiences that grow critical thinking and hands-on skills. 

UNCW is consistently recognized for excellence in academics and affordability and earned the elevated designation of “Doctoral University: High Research Activity” in recognition of efforts to advance research and scholarly activities. 

Our beautiful location on the North Carolina coast supports outstanding programs in coastal and marine  sciences, including the coastal engineering major — the first program of its kind in the U.S.

Several notable rankings include:

• 109th among the best public national universities in the state and nation in U.S. News & World Report’s 2025-26 Best Colleges
• 12th among the best online bachelor’s degree programs in 2025 (U.S. News & World Report)
• 1st in North Carolina and 8th in the southeast on Military Times’ 2025 Best for Vets: Colleges list
• Top 100 Best Undergraduate Nursing Programs in 2025 (U.S. News & World Report)
• Listed in the best-selling Fiske Guide to Colleges since 2017

Aswani K. Volety 
Chancellor

Aswani K. Volety, an experienced leader in higher education with deeply rooted connections to UNCW, became the institution’s seventh chancellor on July 1, 2022. Most recently, he was provost and vice president for academic affairs at Elon University. He previously served as dean of UNCW’s former College of Arts and Sciences and executive director of the Center for Marine Science. Chancellor Volety earned his doctorate in marine science from the College of William & Mary, a master’s degree in zoology with a specialization in marine biology, and a Bachelor of Science from Andhra University in India. Under his direction, the university has embarked on a 10-year strategic plan that emphasizes unparalleled opportunities, nationally prominent programs, community commitment, and world-class operations and infrastructure.

The university has received the APLU’s “Innovation & Economic Prosperity University” designation and is deeply committed to strengthening ties to the Wilmington and regional community through research, partnerships, programs, and civil service. 

UNCW’s total economic impact on North Carolina is approximately $3.2 billion, with about half of that, $1.6 billion, concentrated in the southeastern part of the state, the region UNCW calls home. Situated between the Cape Fear historic downtown riverfront and beautiful Atlantic Ocean beaches — Wrightsville, Kure, and Carolina — the university supports more than 14,580 regional jobs.

The Wilmington area offers plenty of unique attractions, entertainment and activities, wonderful dining options, and much more.

From early prosperity to a wrenching and ultimately liberating civil war, from a boomtown WWII era fueled by “Liberty Ship” building to becoming a growing tourist and retirement destination, Wilmington prides itself on a fantastic, engaged university, a new and exciting technology sector, extraordinary natural beauty, historic and architectural character, and a thriving, cosmopolitan arts scene. 

• • Wilmington Chamber of Commerce 
    
  • Wilmington International Airport
    
  • City of Wilmington
    
  • New Hanover County Government
    
  • New Hanover County Schools
    
  • Novant New Hanover Regional Medical Center