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Dean of the College

Employer
University of Chicago
Location
Chicago, Illinois
Salary
Competitive salary
Date posted
Nov 14, 2022

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Position Type
Administrative, Deans
Employment Level
Executive
Employment Type
Full Time

Description

 

The University of Chicago seeks a visionary leader to serve as Dean of the College. The next Dean will lead the College into a new era, furthering its commitment to rigorous liberal arts education in the context of one of the world’s great research universities.

 

This is a propitious moment for an academic leader committed to undergraduate education to join the University of Chicago. The College has experienced tremendous growth and innovation in recent years.  Undergraduate enrollment more than doubled since 1992, now totaling approximately 7,000 students; new academic programs were created, including its distinctive program of study abroad; residential halls were built to facilitate a recent two-year on-campus housing requirement; and a series of co-curricular programming was developed, including a first-in-class program of career advancement. In 2007, as part of the University’s comprehensive approach to educational access, the Odyssey Scholarship Program was established to provide a path to a need-blind, loan-free education for talented students who otherwise would not be able to afford one of the world’s top universities. Through Odyssey and other programs, the College pursues a commitment to recruiting and supporting a student body that is diverse, in a capacious sense. Today, the College remains dedicated to its distinctive values. Its famed core curriculum aims fundamentally to teach students how to think, not what to think. Across all disciplines and majors, the College encourages habits of critical reflection and rigorous inquiry. It inspires the kind of fact-based, creative thinking that allows students to make thoughtful and effective contributions to the world in which they will live, work, and engage in public life.

 

 

 

The Office of the College Dean oversees the academic administration of the College and its associated operations, including the core curriculum, other curricular and co-curricular academic programs, finance and budgeting, academic appointments (often in conjunction with University Divisions and professional Schools), and grant administration.

 

 

 

In addition to the College Dean’s Office, the College is comprised of: five Collegiate Divisions (Biological Sciences, Humanities, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, and the Office of Research and Teaching Innovations); the Dean of Students office (which oversees academic advising, tutoring, and College programming); the Study Abroad Office; College Information Technology; the postdoctoral Society of Fellows, and the University of Chicago Writing Program. Through its five Collegiate Divisions, each led by a faculty Collegiate Master/Deputy Dean, the College collaborates with other University Divisions and professional Schools to administer the core curriculum and undergraduate majors and minors. The College Dean’s office also partners with the Office of Admissions, the Office of Career Advancement, and the Office of Campus and Student Life to ensure an integrated student experience on campus and to help students leverage their education into a meaningful life after graduation. The College has a 40-member Council that contributes to the governance of the College on behalf of the faculty.

 

 

 

The College is flourishing but also ripe for fresh perspective. As a key member of the Provost’s leadership team, the Dean will be charged with developing and overseeing a strategic vision for this next chapter in the College, one that advances its academic mission into the mid-21st century, takes advantage of new avenues of inquiry, research, and distinction on campus, and nurtures a deep sense of community among students and alumni. A champion of a rigorous, holistic liberal arts education and freedom of expression, the Dean will unite the College community behind this vision, continuing to deepen its commitment to access and affordability while enriching the student experience. This is an extraordinary opportunity for an innovative and strategic advocate for the liberal arts to lead one of the world’s foremost colleges.

 

 

Qualifications

The Dean of the College will be a faculty member appointed with tenure, and a PhD or equivalent degree is required. The Dean will serve an initial five-year term, renewable following a standard review. In addition, the ideal candidate will possess many of the following preferred qualifications:

  • A deep commitment to, and passion for, undergraduate liberal arts education, teaching, and research Track record in academic administration, preferably in complex environments, with the ability to provide astute institutional leadership, in partnership with the faculty and staff, in rethinking undergraduate education Experience collaborating with other units to create and implement innovative programs that are aligned with a rigorous emphasis on the liberal arts Facility to raise philanthropic funds to support the College, and a track record of communicating effectively with various constituencies, including students, parents, departmental faculty, fellow administrators, alumni, trustees, foundations, and potential donors to support the priorities of the College Demonstrated commitment to educational access and experience evolving support structures to meet the changing needs of students Ability to thoughtfully, yet decisively, apply available resources and balancing competing needs Ability to foster a steadfast and creative commitment to a culture of free expression Sophisticated interpersonal skills and diplomacy combined with a commitment to broad consultation and transparency in establishing a collaborative, cooperative, and diplomatic leadership style

 

 

Application Instructions

 

The University of Chicago is eager to receive input that will help it build a pool of talented potential candidates. The University has retained SpencerStuart to support this search and any comments, inquiries, and nominations may directed in confidence to the search firm at  ChicagoDean@SpencerStuart.com.

 

Applications, including a CV and cover letter addressed to the College Dean Search Committee, may be submitted through Interfolio at: http://apply.interfolio.com/117117

 

All University departments and institutes are charged with building a faculty from a diversity of backgrounds and with diverse viewpoints; with cultivating an inclusive community that values freedom of expression; and with welcoming and supporting all their members.

We seek a diverse pool of applicants who wish to join an academic community that places the highest value on rigorous inquiry and encourages diverse perspectives, experiences, groups of individuals, and ideas to inform and stimulate intellectual challenge, engagement, and exchange.

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University’s Notice of Nondiscrimination. 

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-834-3988 or email equalopportunity@uchicago.edu with their request.

 

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