Dean, College of Science & Engineering

Dean, College of Science & Engineering

University of Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minnesota 

The Search

The University of Minnesota (UMN), the public land-grant research university of the State of Minnesota, seeks an accomplished and bold leader, scholar, and educator to serve as the Dean of the College of Science and Engineering (CSE). Bringing together the physical sciences, engineering, mathematics, and computer science in a single college, CSE is a global leader in research and education—renowned for its world-class faculty, top-ranked academic programs, and its record of discovery and innovation that improves the lives of individuals and communities throughout the world. This is a compelling opportunity to lead a college of unique multidisciplinary breadth that is part of one of the world’s best public research universities, situated in the heart of a diverse and thriving metropolitan region that is an international hub for medical technology, bioscience and biomedical engineering, and many other critical industries.

The Dean will oversee 12 academic departments and lead 427 tenured and tenure-track faculty that together account for nearly $141 million in annual sponsored research expenditures. The College has an operating budget of $240 million and educates about 8,000 students, including 5,500 undergraduates and 2,500 graduate students. The University of Minnesota is ranked 11th among US public universities for engineering, technology, and computer science in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (Shanghai rankings). CSE boasts several academic programs in the top 10 and top 20 of national rankings. It encompasses several large federally sponsored centers, including two reflecting major multi-year commitments awarded in 2020: a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center and a Department of Defense Manufacturing Innovation Institute. 

The Dean is the chief administrative officer and chief academic officer of CSE and reports to the executive vice president and provost of the University; as a member of the UMN Twin Cities Deans Council, the Dean plays a collaborative leadership role in campus wide academic planning. The ideal candidate for this position will be a strong communicator and creative leader who will champion the transformative power of the multidisciplinary sciences and engineering in advancing scientific discoveries and technology for the benefit of the citizens of Minnesota, the nation, and the world. 

The University seeks a Dean for CSE who is committed to the highest standards of excellence in each of the college’s four core areas—the physical sciences, engineering, mathematics, and computer science. The Dean must be an experienced administrator and collaborative leader who strongly embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion as foundational values central to a successful academic enterprise and who understands that excellence is not compartmentalized and that research and teaching engaged with the most critical challenges of today must be open across disciplines and inclusive of all. The next Dean will be tasked with maintaining and enhancing CSE’s reputation as an excellent and innovative college; enriching the educational experience and leading and promoting its efforts around diversity, equity, and inclusion; advancing its resource development and fundraising; and forging connections across the University of Minnesota and with the wealth of external industry partners the Twin Cities area offers. 

The University of Minnesota has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist in this search. Please direct all inquiries, nominations, referrals, and resumes with cover letters in confidence to: 

Gregory Esposito, Partner

Kennedy Kearney-Fischer, Managing Associate

Isaacson, Miller

263 Summer Street

Boston, MA 02210

www.imsearch.com/7885

Electronic submission of materials is strongly encouraged. Review of application materials will begin immediately and will continue until an appointment is made. 

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, dis/ability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.