Dean, Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs

Search for Dean

Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA

The University of Minnesota (UMN) seeks an accomplished and engaging leader to serve as the next dean of the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs. The dean will take the helm of a renowned graduate school that has enjoyed a decade of positive growth and has been on the ascendancy in national rankings. The School is currently ranked ninth among hundreds of public affairs programs in the country and features six ranked specialty programs, reflecting the stellar reputation of its faculty and graduates and its robust and relevant engagement in public policy debates locally, nationally, and globally. With an impressive faculty dedicated to excellence in research, teaching, and public engagement, the School is a vibrant institution focused on providing relevant evidence to find transpartisan solutions to important public issues and on developing leadership for the public, nonprofit, and private sectors. 

The School is part of one of the world’s best public research universities and is in the heart of Minneapolis-St. Paul, a diverse and thriving metropolitan region with strong institutions and civic traditions. Among graduate schools of public affairs, the Humphrey School has established powerful connections with leaders in its host community and state, as well as across the country and the globe. The School has a thoughtful and robust equity and inclusion plan and more broadly is a School whose commitment to addressing racial injustice, gender bias, social inequality, and the strengthening of democratic values is very much reflected in its research and education mission. Financially the School is on solid footing. The next dean will have the opportunity to build on the School’s strong foundations with the help of community and University leaders eager to see it thrive. 

The Humphrey School currently has 30 full-time faculty and in 2020 enrolled 369 masters and 36 Ph.D. students. The School is robust and diverse intellectually with specialties in global policy; human rights; leadership and management; politics and governance; science, technology, and environmental policy; social policy and policy analysis; and urban and regional planning. It has eight research and outreach centers that advance the School’s research and public engagement mission. The School has an operating budget of $27.7 million and a total endowment of $74.7 million.

The dean is the chief administrative and academic officer of the Humphrey School and reports to the executive vice president and provost of the University of Minnesota. The next dean will be tasked with maintaining and enhancing the School’s reputation as a top-ranked school of public affairs; leading and promoting its efforts around racial justice and diversity, equity and inclusion; expanding its fundraising and donor cultivation; and engaging with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community representatives to build an institution that strives to fulfill the noble aspirations and unlocks the potential contributions of all stakeholders who embrace the mission of the Humphrey School and the ideals of public service.

The University of Minnesota has retained Isaacson, Miller to assist with this search. Inquiries, nominations and applications should be directed in confidence to: www.imsearch.com/7882. 

The University of Minnesota shall provide equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, familial status, disability, public assistance status, membership or activity in a local commission created for the purpose of dealing with discrimination, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. This document is available in alternative formats upon request.