The Vice President for People and Culture (VPPC) will join the University at a time of significant momentum as the institution continues to deliver on its ambitious goals for its second century, outlined in its strategic plan Destination 2040: Our Flight Path. Reporting to the President, serving as a member of the President’s Cabinet, and with support of the Employee Development and Well-Being Committee of the Board of Trustees, the VPPC is the principal steward of human capital and workplace culture at Ball State, providing vision, leadership, next-practice-based strategies, and management for establishing the Division of People and Culture as a people-centered organization in service of the University’s community of 3,500 talented faculty and staff.

The core of this charge is shaping a fulfilling and meaningful employee experience, modernizing human capital operations, sustaining a sense of community, and elevating the strategic orientation and service delivery of the division. Areas of opportunity to enhance the people experience, among others, include building capabilities within the People and Culture team to support the institution with workforce planning, professional fulfilment, cohesive training managers, creating programs that support employee development and engagement, job satisfaction, recognition, retention, succession planning, conflict resolution, compensation and classification, and onboarding. Thus, the VPPC will serve as an institutional change agent, fostering a culture of excellence and adaptability while strengthening Ball State’s organizational capacity to fulfill its mission.

This is a unique opportunity for an ambitious and forward-thinking human resources executive inspired by the opportunity to energize a culture of engagement and to have an enduring impact on the employee experience in support of Ball State’s mission. The community desires a transformational leader with a record of successfully advancing organizational change, strengthening institutional culture, and improving operational effectiveness. This leader will bring an enterprising outlook and a keen awareness of new possibilities and emerging trends in workforce engagement, development, and human capital practices. The ideal candidate will possess a reputation for serving as a valued partner to institutional leadership in advancing organizational agility while maintaining the strong existing culture, ensuring all employees feel valued and aligned with institutional goals. The VPPC should be a thought leader capable of innovative and creative solutions and working strategically with the President, Provost, cabinet, deans, administrative leadership, faculty, staff, and students.

Ball State University seeks an accomplished and visionary executive to serve as the inaugural Vice President for People and Culture to advance a people-centered human capital strategy grounded in the institution’s enduring values of excellence, innovation, courage, integrity, inclusiveness, social responsibility, and gratitude. This is an exceptional opportunity to advance a culture that enables faculty, staff, and students to thrive in realizing the institutional mission to empower its graduates “to have fulfilling careers and meaningful lives enriched by lifelong learning and service.”

Located in Muncie, Indiana, Ball State serves approximately 20,000 graduate and undergraduate students across seven academic colleges with 190 undergraduate programs. Ball State offers more than 140 master’s, doctoral, certificate, and specialist degrees, many of which rank among the best in the nation.

The Vice President for People and Culture (VPPC) will join the University at a time of significant momentum as the institution continues to deliver on its ambitious goals for its second century, outlined in its strategic plan Destination 2040: Our Flight Path. Reporting to the President, serving as a member of the President’s Cabinet, and with support of the Employee Development and Well-Being Committee of the Board of Trustees, the VPPC is the principal steward of human capital and workplace culture at Ball State, providing vision, leadership, next-practice-based strategies, and management for establishing the Division of People and Culture as a people-centered organization in service of the University’s community of 3,500 talented faculty and staff.

The core of this charge is shaping a fulfilling and meaningful employee experience, modernizing human capital operations, sustaining a sense of community, and elevating the strategic orientation and service delivery of the division. Areas of opportunity to enhance the people experience, among others, include building capabilities within the People and Culture team to support the institution with workforce planning, professional fulfilment, cohesive training managers, creating programs that support employee development and engagement, job satisfaction, recognition, retention, succession planning, conflict resolution, compensation and classification, and onboarding. Thus, the VPPC will serve as an institutional change agent, fostering a culture of excellence and adaptability while strengthening Ball State’s organizational capacity to fulfill its mission.

This is a unique opportunity for an ambitious and forward-thinking human resources executive inspired by the opportunity to energize a culture of engagement and to have an enduring impact on the employee experience in support of Ball State’s mission. The community desires a transformational leader with a record of successfully advancing organizational change, strengthening institutional culture, and improving operational effectiveness. This leader will bring an enterprising outlook and a keen awareness of new possibilities and emerging trends in workforce engagement, development, and human capital practices. The ideal candidate will possess a reputation for serving as a valued partner to institutional leadership in advancing organizational agility while maintaining the strong existing culture, ensuring all employees feel valued and aligned with institutional goals. The VPPC should be a thought leader capable of innovative and creative solutions and working strategically with the President, Provost, cabinet, deans, administrative leadership, faculty, staff, and students.

A bachelor’s degree.

A master’s degree in human resources or a related field and SHRM certification are preferred.

A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible leadership experience in human resources in a complex environment is required.