Job Overview

vice president for marketing and communications
university of tampa

the university of tampa (utampa) invites nominations and applications for the position of vice president for marketing and communications.

introduction
for over 94 years, the university of tampa has been committed to providing exceptional learning experiences in a global context. the university is ideally situated on a beautiful 110-acre, residential campus alongside the hillsborough river, adjacent to tampa's dynamic downtown business and medical districts, which comprise a growing, vibrant, diverse metropolitan area. utampa reflects this vibrancy with 900 distinguished faculty and a talented student body of nearly 11,500 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students drawn from all 50 states and many of the world's countries. utampa is supported by a committed and talented full- and part-time staff of over 550.

the university is a highly sought-after destination for students and has increased its visibility through top tier rankings in u.s. news & world report, forbes, and the princeton review. applications continue to skyrocket with over 42,000 students applying for 3,100 seats for fall 2026. utampa's distinctions include a faculty that is recognized as a top-producer of fulbright scholars, top-quality academics with a strong liberal arts foundation, and easy access to internships, community engagement, and outstanding recreational opportunities. academic programs are housed within the college of arts and letters, the sykes college of business, the college of natural and health sciences, and the college of social sciences, mathematics, and education. this four-college model has helped the university retain its small-school ambience and scholarly connections while at the same time support a high growth, rapidly evolving, and ever stronger institutional trajectory.

partnering with utampa's new president, teresa abi-nader dahlberg, a bold and energetic leader for whom advancing the institution's brand, visibility, and impact are key priorities, the vice president for marketing and communications will join the university at a pivotal moment. the vice president will be an active partner with the president, provost, deans, and other senior leaders in the campus's strategic planning, working with these leaders to design the marketing and communications strategic framework that will support the institution for several years to come. as a member of the president's cabinet, the vice president will be expected to provide meaningful input on the full range of university challenges and opportunities. contemporary and comprehensive knowledge of higher education is highly desired.

the vice president is a newly created position with membership on the president's cabinet. this position offers a unique opportunity to define and tell the story of the university of tampa to better engage the institution's many audiences, including the campus community, the tampa bay metroplex, prospective students, alumni, donors, trustees, and local, state, and federal government officials. the vice president will promote the institution nationally as utampa seeks to raise its national profile. the vice president will also cultivate front doors for utampa such as athletics, the arts, and public scholarship, to facilitate constituency engagement.

the vice president is responsible for developing and implementing a strategic communications agenda for the institution and advancing and protecting its reputation, both proactively and reactively. the vice president will be a transformational leader and a key architect of utampa's unique public voice and position. this includes serving as the institution's spokesperson and overseeing, coordinating, and integrating internal and external communications targeting the university's many constituencies. by promoting the strengths and accomplishments of utampa's undergraduate and graduate programs to national and international audiences, including local, state, and federal government officials, as well as and community policymakers and stakeholders, the vice president plays a critical role in advancing the university and cementing its reputation and its cohesive brand.

the vice president will provide the leadership necessary to plan and implement an effective marketing and communications strategy to ensure the full utilization of both traditional and digital communications platforms and to ensure the consistent, accurate, and effective representation of utampa to the full range of important constituencies. the vice president will advise the president on how best to develop, refine, and disseminate messages about the university's key initiatives and lead implementation.

utampa seeks a strategic vice president who demonstrates a strong commitment to sustaining a world-class marketing and communications enterprise, someone who will guide a robust comprehensive program adaptable to changing societal needs, and an expanding role for the university to play in technological innovation. a data-informed and bold decision-maker, the vice president will lead strategic enhancements to the university's marketing, communications, and alumni relations infrastructure and processes, positioning the university to proactively and effectively raise its brand impact and visibility to strengthen its external and internal relationships.

critical to success will be the vice president's ability to foster productive and collaborative relationships with academic and administrative leaders across the university, as well as with all marketing and communications-focused partners and leaders within the institution's four colleges and the award-winning lowth entrepreneurship center. such collaborative relationships are critical to realizing the potential of utampa alumni, supporters, and friends. to that end, the vice president will possess the ability to inspire a spirit of experimentation and entrepreneurialism, mobilize a high-performing team, advance a results-oriented work environment, retain and recruit talent, and build and manage relationships with alumni and community stakeholders.

with several years of leadership experience in best-in-class marketing, communications, and alumni relations operations, the ideal vice president will be a proactive self-starter who operates with intentionality and who possesses an extensive track record of co-creating institutional strategies to achieve ambitious goals. the vice president will also have a keen understanding of marketing and communications best practices and a comprehensive knowledge of all major associated functions, including a depth of alumni relations experience. the vice president must also be a person of impeccable character and humility with extraordinary communication and negotiation skills, and a high level of agility, diplomacy, and perseverance. with high emotional intelligence, superb relationship-building skills, and the authenticity to create genuine connections, the vice president will possess the ability to build bridges with a broad array of constituents across the community and a deep understanding of, and passion for, the mission and goals of the institution.

position description, nominations, and applications
utampa has retained the services of dr. josh ward, senior client partner at the executive search firm korn ferry, to conduct the search. to request a copy of the full-length position description, to submit nominations, or to send application materials, please contact dr. ward at the e-mail address below.

applicants should submit the following two documents (in two separate pdfs): an up-to-date and detailed curriculum vitae and a brief (2-4 pages) letter of interest describing why you are interested in the role of vice president for marketing and communications at utampa, why you would be successful based on your professional experience, and why now is a good time for you to consider this opportunity. for priority consideration, please submit all application materials by august 8, 2025. the two pdf documents should be sent directly to .

eeo statement: the university of tampa embraces diversity in its many forms, including but not limited to sex, race, color, national origin, disability, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, military or veteran status, marital status, genetic information, ethnicity, religion, spiritual belief, geographic origin, socio-economic status, language, political beliefs and first-generation status. utampa seeks to enhance the diversity of its students, faculty and staff in the belief that doing so contributes to a more impactful learning environment for everyone in the utampa community.