Vice President for People and Culture

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.

At Ball State University, inclusiveness is one of the enduring values and informs all of our work. We define 'inclusiveness' as a commitment 'to respect and embrace equity, inclusion, and diversity in people, ideas, and opinions.' As such, this value incorporates a commitment to inclusive excellence and freedom of expression.

Ball State University offers an excellent benefits package for eligible positions. Click here to explore options.

Curious about benefits calculations? Please visit the following link to explore: https://www.bsu.edu/about/administrativeoffices/humanresources/jobs

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

The successful candidate will possess broad human resources knowledge and expertise in delivering strategic consultative services to organizational leadership, excellent communication and interpersonal skills, strong problem-solving abilities, and a deep understanding of compliance requirements. In addition, this leader will bring superior personal qualities that typify the successful executive leader, including executive presence, strategic relationship building, outstanding judgment, a commitment to excellence, perseverance, trustworthiness, an open mind, collaborative communication, creativity, empathy, courage of conviction, an innovative spirit, and a service-oriented approach. Experience reporting to governing bodies or boards and working in decentralized environments will be critical to this role.

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

Ball State University is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, disability, genetic information, ethnicity, national origin or ancestry, age, protected veteran status, or any legally protected status.

Ball State University is located in Muncie, Indiana, on an attractive campus 45 miles northeast of Indianapolis. Approximately 20,000 graduate and undergraduate students enroll in one of eight academic colleges that offer 270+ undergraduate and graduate programs. Many of our master's, doctoral, certificate, and specialist degrees rank among the best in the nation. We engage students in educational, research, and creative endeavors that empower our graduates to have fulfilling careers and meaningful lives enriched by lifelong learning and service, while we enhance the economic, environmental, and social vitality of our community, our state, and our world.

All applications, nominations, and inquiries are invited. Applications should include, as two separate documents, a CV or resume and a letter of interest addressing the themes in the leadership profile found at www.wittkieffer.com. For fullest consideration, candidate materials should be received by May 2, 2025.

WittKieffer is assisting Ball State University with this search.

Applications, nominations, and inquiries can be directed to:

Sarah Palmer and Ashlee Musser at

In support of your application for this position, please prepare and submit a cover letter that describes how your qualifications and experience align with the elements of the position description (or leadership profile). In your cover letter, please select one of our enduring values and describe how you have demonstrated a commitment to that value in your professional endeavors.