Who We Are

Our Purpose

The Office of the Provost promotes the success of every Princeton student, scholar, faculty member and employee by providing key budgetary and programmatic support to both academic and administrative units of the University. Our vantage point at the intersection of academics and administration provides us with unique opportunities to increase the University’s capacity to advance learning through scholarship, research and teaching of the highest quality in service of the common good.  

What we do:

  • Serve as stewards of University resources, directing them in collaboration with our colleagues to support the priorities and uphold the values set by the president and Board of Trustees
  • Provide guidance and direct support in areas such as planning, program development, data analysis, training
  • Develop and oversee key University policies, advancing policy awareness and compliance

Units within the Office of the Provost:

  • Academic Affairs
  • Institutional Equity and Diversity
  • Institutional Research
  • International Affairs and Operations
  • Resource Planning
  • Space Programming and Planning

 

Our Roles and Responsibilities

The provost fulfills the following  roles and areas of  responsibility with support from the office staff:

  • General Deputy of the President: serves as the president’s delegate in the president’s absence and ensures that campus activities align with the University’s mission.
  • Chief Academic Officer: leads long-range academic planning, supervises academic activity and administers academic policies with related offices.
  • Chief Budgetary Officer: coordinates administrative and support functions, exercises budget authority and advances long-range resource allocation.

 

Our Impact

We collaborate with academic and administrative units to develop a mutual understanding of their direction, goals and measures of success. We gather information about external factors   that affect their operations. We communicate our evolving perspective, based on the synthesis of input we receive from our partners, on the goals, directions and measures of success most aligned with the University’s mission and values. We advance the University’s mission by allocating resources and providing guidance and implementing programs to address the  specific needs of particular units within the broader plans of the University.  

To assist academic units:

  • Enable units to excel in their mission-driven work
  • Partner with units as a planning resource
  • Facilitate the development of a fundraising strategy when appropriate
  • Direct resources to further the University’s academic mission
  • Manage policies and provide training and consultative support to assist units in meeting programmatic goals in ways that align with institutional values and address compliance responsibilities
  • Support new initiatives and innovations proposed by faculty, students, and other members of the academic community

To assist administrative units:

  • Provide tools, information and mechanisms that increase budgetary control and flexibility and enable units to adapt quickly and operate effectively
  • Facilitate the development of a fundraising and/or revenue-generating strategy when appropriate
  • Direct resources across administrative units to maximize mission and increase efficiency
  • Manage policies and provide training and consultative support to assist units in meeting programmatic goals in ways that align with institutional values and address compliance responsibilities