Job Description
Position Summary :
The Chief Academic Officer (CAO) serves as the senior academic officer of the Colorado State University System and is a key member of the Chancellor’s executive leadership team. The CAO provides strategic leadership for academic affairs, student success, educational innovation, workforce development, and academic policy across the System's institutions. The position serves as the principal advisor to the Chancellor and Board of Governors on academic matters and plays a central role in advancing the System’s strategic priorities, fostering collaboration across institutions, and positioning the CSU System to meet the evolving educational and workforce needs of Colorado.
The CAO works collaboratively with System university provosts, faculty, student affairs and enrollment leaders, and external partners to promote educational excellence, strengthen student outcomes, and support the long-term strategic priorities of the Colorado State University System. The CAO also helps identify and advance opportunities for collaboration across the System’s universities, fostering innovation while respecting the distinct role and missions of each institution.
The CAO serves as the primary liaison to the Colorado Department of Higher Education and provides leadership on matters related to academic quality, accreditation, transfer and articulation, institutional effectiveness, academic policy, educational technology, and emerging issues affecting higher education.
The successful candidate will be eligible for appointment with tenure at one of the System’s universities, subject to institutional and departmental review and approval.
To learn more about the CSU System, please visit https://csusystem.edu/
For full consideration, applications must be received by 11:59pm (MT) on January 8, 2027.
Specific Responsibilities of the CAO:
Staffing the Board of Governors Academic and Student Affairs Committee (ASAC).
The Board of Governors meets six times per year and includes ASAC presentations that feature regular reports on enrollment, student success, faculty affairs, research, extension, and agriculture, as well as ad-hoc reports on issues of interest to the Board. The CAO organizes these presentations with the relevant campus leaders and ensures timely and accurate submission of materials to the Chancellor for final review and inclusion in the Board meeting agendas. The CAO is generally responsible for presenting these reports to the Board orally at the Board meetings.
Working with the campuses to bring their academic reports, curricular proposals, and academic policy changes to the Board of Governors for information and/or approvals.
The reports and action items that are brought to the Board of Governors by the campuses require consistency and collaboration that the CAO provides. The CAO is involved in designing the formats and to some extent the content of these reports on a regular basis. The CAO works primarily with the provost offices. Items requiring Board approval are also vetted with General Counsel.
Acting as the primary liaison with the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE).
The CDHE is overseen by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education which meets monthly. The CAO is expected to attend these meetings, as well as to participate in the meetings of the General Education Council (CDHE’s forum for transfer and articulation issues) and the Academic Council (CDHE’s forum for all academic matters to be discussed with state institution provosts), both of which also meet monthly. There are additional initiatives at the state level that the System CAO participates in on a more irregular basis. The CAO serves to support campuses and other system staff as they interface with the department.
Assisting on all legislative matters that involve academic and student affairs policy.
Statutory initiatives of the legislature are monitored by the System and the CAO is part of the team that analyzes probable impacts.…