Provost (college)

A provost is the senior academic administrator at many institutions of higher education in the United States and Canada, the equivalent of a pro-vice-chancellor at some institutions in the United Kingdom and Ireland or a Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at most Australian universities.

Additionally, the heads of certain colleges in the UK and Ireland are called provosts and it is, in this sense, the equivalent of a master at other colleges.

The specific duties and areas of responsibility for a provost vary from one institution to another, but usually include supervision and oversight of curricular, instructional, and research affairs.

The various deans of a university's various schools, colleges, or faculties generally report to the provost or jointly to the chief executive officer (variously called president, chancellor, or rector) and the provost, as do the heads of various interdisciplinary units and academic support functions, such as libraries, student services, the registrar, admissions and information technology. The provost, in turn, is responsible to the institution's chief executive officer and governing board or boards (variously called the board of trustees, the board of regents, the board of governors, or the corporation) for oversight of all educational affairs and activities, including research and academic personnel.

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