A Chief academic officer (CAO) is a generic term for the officer in an institution of higher education or academic medicine with specific responsibility for instructional and research affairs. The CAO usually reports directly to the chief executive officer (variously titled president, chancellor, rector, or vice chancellor) of the university, college, or academic medical center in question. In many research universities and colleges in the United States and Canada, the CAO holds the title of provost or "vice president for academic affairs."
