Provost - College Preparatory and STEM Academy

SR1 CPSA IS SEARCHING FOR ITS NEXT PROVOST — A BUILDER, AN ADVOCATE, AND A CHANGE AGENT

We have the scholars. We have the scores. What we need now is a Provost who matches that with a commitment to change generations.

SR1 College Preparatory & STEM Academy is conducting a national search for our next Provost, the head of school who sets the vision, owns the outcomes, and leads our innovative college-preparatory and STEM mission from the front. This is the top leadership seat in the school. It calls for a leader with a clear, bold vision and a 100% commitment, and above all, someone who loves the process of building something great, one day and one scholar at a time.

Good to Great Lift

88% of our 3rd graders passed the Mississippi ELA reading assessment on their first attempt — more than 10 points above the state average. We did that in four years, in Canton, Mississippi. Now we need a Provost who will lead from that strength, build the innovative college-prep and STEM culture our scholars have already earned, and help shape SR1 CPSA’s next campus and the extracurricular life — clubs, athletics, enrichment — that will fill it.

The leader we are seeking:

More than a specific title or career path, we are looking for someone whose character, values, and leadership philosophy align with our mission. The ideal Provost is a builder, advocate, servant leader, educator, and change agent — someone who sees education as more than operating a school, and who understands that expanding educational opportunity is civil rights work.

This person has the courage to advocate for scholars and families, challenge conventional thinking, create opportunities where they do not exist, and develop young people who will lead locally, nationally, and globally.

What you will lead:

• Campus culture and student life, on-site, every day. You set the climate every scholar and family feels the moment they arrive, and you shape community, engagement, and belonging across the whole campus.
• Academic affairs and instructional excellence. You own academic standards, curriculum, faculty development, assessment, and outcomes, and you use evidence and data to drive continuous improvement.
• STEM innovation and college pathways. Working with our Director of STEM Innovation & Partnerships, you build the programs, pipelines, and pathways that make "college preparatory" and "STEM" real at every grade level.
• Campus development and co-curricular life. You help plan and shape SR1 CPSA's next campus as it is built. You also grow the clubs, athletics, and activities that give scholars a reason to be here beyond the classroom.
• Faculty, staff, and institutional compliance. You recruit, develop, and evaluate a growing team against a high standard, and you keep the institution accountable to its regulatory and governance obligations.
• Strategic partnerships and advancement. You build relationships with universities, industry, and funders, and you serve as the chief academic voice to our Governing Board.

What we are looking for:

• Higher education leadership, strongly preferred — but not required. We strongly prefer candidates who have led in higher education as a dean, department chair, vice provost, program director, or in a similar role, and who want to build a college-going culture from the ground up. Strong K–12 leaders are also welcome. A traditional higher education background is not required for the right individual, and a Mississippi Administrator License is not required.
• A demonstrated commitment to civil rights and social impact. We are equally interested in leaders with experience in, or a deep personal commitment to, civil rights, social justice, advocacy, community advancement, or public service focused on expanding educational opportunity and developing people and communities.
• An advanced degree from a competitive college or university, ideally in a STEM discipline, and experience teaching or leading at the college level.
• A clear record of raising outcomes and removing barriers, especially for first-generation, underserved, or underrepresented students, and the courage to stand up for scholars and families when it matters.
• Fluency in current and emerging STEM trends, and innovative thinking that brings new approaches, not just what has already been tried.
• Experience building culture, teams, and partnerships, including leading faculty and staff, shaping student life, and working with boards, funders, and industry partners.
• A builder’s character. An entrepreneurial mindset, intellectual curiosity, resilience, humility, courage, compassion, and accountability. You are comfortable helping build an institution that is still growing, rather than simply managing existing systems.
• A global perspective. You believe Mississippi scholars can compete, lead, innovate, and contribute on a national and global stage, and you can build relationships with universities, businesses, government agencies, community organizations, foundations, and international partners.
• A total, undivided commitment. This is a full-time, on-site role, and SR1 CPSA is the whole job.
• Real presence in the greater Canton and central Mississippi area. You do not have to live in Canton itself, but you do need to be part of this community.

We are deliberately widening this search beyond Mississippi and beyond the traditional K–12 pipeline. The right Provost may come from higher education, as a dean, provost, department chair, or college administrator ready to bring that leadership to K–12. They may also come from K–12 education, civil rights, social impact, community leadership, advocacy, public service, STEM, or another mission-driven field. What matters most is that you believe in this mission and have the vision, courage, and determination to help take SR1 CPSA to a national and global level of impact.

The honest part. We are open about why this search exists. SR1 CPSA needs a Provost who is all in: on campus, in the community, and invested in growing this school as their main professional pursuit.

Compensation starts at a base of $85,000, with permanent growth steps, partnership and grant incentives, and knowledge-gain incentives. Together these bring total compensation potential to $120,000 in year one and increasingly annually. Your pay grows by growing this school.

More than a job. We are not simply looking for someone to maintain a school. If you want a seat to hold, this is not the job. If you want to build an institution, help build the campus and everything around it, develop future leaders, expand educational opportunity, and leave a lasting impact on scholars, families, Mississippi, and the world, and you plan to stay and see it through, let us talk.

Apply: Email info@sr1cpsa.org with the subject line "Provost Application – [Your Name]." Include:

• your résumé or CV
• three professional references
• any administrator licensure you hold (a Mississippi license is not required)

One thing matters more than the résumé: attach a one-page vision. If you had one year, this school, and a blank page, what would you build first, and how would you know it worked?

www.sr1cpsa.org | 601.206.4544 | Canton, MS

SR1 CPSA is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Creating the Future as One with A Commitment to Excellence

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