A chief academic officer (CAO) is in charge of developing and implementing an academic institution’s instructional plan. The position typically reports directly to the president and is the most senior executive in charge of all aspects of the academic program. The CAO is a title that is comparable to that of a chief operating officer in a regular company because the academic program is the school’s core product.
The chief academic officer’s responsibilities span four traditional business areas, all of which are related to the instructional program. Product development is one of his primary responsibilities. The CAO ensures that credit and non-credit course curricula follow a common instructional vision and philosophy. He creates a plan for the school’s academic offerings and assesses whether they meet current and future student needs while also enhancing the school’s market position. He also establishes and maintains a quality control system to ensure that the product meets state academic standards and provides the intended value to students.
Human resource management is also a responsibility of the chief academic officer. He is in charge of recruiting, retaining, and training faculty members. Although the school’s administrative tasks will most likely be handled by a separate department, the CAO will set the hiring criteria and the overall plan for staff development. It is the CAO’s responsibility to find and implement a solution to the problem of retaining qualified faculty.
Finance is another important aspect of the chief academic officer’s responsibilities. He is in charge of the academic departments’ budgets, which includes budget planning, expense tracking, and reporting to the president and board of trustees. A chief financial officer will typically be in charge of the school’s overall finances. The CAO sends data from his departments to the finance department, which is then used in the school’s master financial plan.
The chief academic officer is also in charge of administrative duties related to the academic program. For example, he creates the academic year’s class schedule, so his office also assists the school’s marketing department in creating the school catalog, class descriptions, and other materials that describe the school’s academics. The CAO also oversees the library system, develops operational policies and systems to support faculty and students, and manages the school’s accreditation. When the school’s fundraising department applies for grants to support academic programs, his office assists them with research and writing.