Open Searches

North Dakota State University (NDSU) invites applications and nominations for vice president for marketing and communications (VPMC). The university seeks a strategic, creative and collaborative senior leader with a record of building integrated marketing and communications strategies, strengthening institutional reputation and delivering measurable results.

Reporting to the president, the VPMC will serve as NDSU’s chief communications officer and a trusted strategic advisor to university leadership, providing institution-wide vision, direction and leadership for communications, marketing, brand strategy, media relations and reputation management. The VPMC will align marketing and communications across NDSU, strengthen coordination among communicators throughout the university and ensure that institutional priorities are translated into clear, compelling and consistent messages for internal and external audiences.

A central priority will be connecting marketing and communications strategy to university goals, particularly enrollment. Working closely with enrollment management, academic leaders and other campus partners, the VPMC will use market insight, audience segmentation, digital strategy, storytelling and coordinated campaigns to expand NDSU’s visibility, strengthen recruitment and yield efforts and position the university competitively in a rapidly changing higher education environment.

Founded in 1890 as North Dakota Agricultural College and renamed North Dakota State University in 1960, NDSU is the state’s land-grant institution and a member of the North Dakota University System, governed by the State Board of Higher Education. Central to NDSU’s mission is its designation by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as a doctoral university with very high research activity (R1).

NDSU sits in Fargo, the largest city in North Dakota and the anchor of the Fargo–Moorhead metropolitan area, home to roughly 261,600 residents and projected to approach 340,000 by 2045. The region’s economy is unusually diverse for its size, spanning biotechnology, finance, advanced manufacturing, healthcare and technology; the Greater Fargo-Moorhead Economic Development Corporation reports that the area’s industry diversity ranks in the top fifth of U.S. metros, and the metro is home to a dozen billion-dollar businesses. Along with its neighboring cities West Fargo and Moorhead, Minnesota, Fargo forms one of the largest metropolitan centers between Minneapolis and Seattle.

The search committee for NDSU’s next Vice President for Marketing and Communications is being assisted by Academic Search. To learn more and view the full position profile, please visit the Academic Search website.

To apply, applicants should visit the following link: https://www.academicsearch.org/NDSUVPMCApply. Applications should consist of a substantive cover letter addressing the qualifications and expectations in the position profile and a curriculum vitae, both submitted as PDFs. A list of professional references will be required later in the process. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled; however, those received by January 8, 2027, can be assured full consideration. The expected start for this position is May 2027.

Nominations and expressions of interest can be submitted in confidence to NDSUVPMC@academicsearch.org.

To learn more about this opportunity and discuss your qualifications and interest, potential applicants are encouraged to send a copy of their curriculum vitae to NDSUVPMC@academicsearch.org for review by the Senior Consultant, Lisa Ryan.

NDSU Non-Discrimination Statement: NDSU does not discriminate in its programs and activities on the basis of age, color, gender expression/identity, genetic information, marital status, national origin, participation in lawful off-campus activity, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, public assistance status, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, spousal relationship to current employee, or veteran status, as applicable. Direct inquiries to the Vice Provost, Title IX/ADA Coordinator, Old Main 100, 701-231-7708, ndsu.eoaa@ndsu.edu.