Dean, College of Education - (STA011806)

The College of Education (COE) at the University of Houston (UH) seeks a Dean who will provide exceptional vision and leadership to a diverse community of scholars that advances the strategic vision for the college.

Successful candidates will have demonstrated success with externally funded research, excellence in teaching, and clear commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in scholarship, teaching, service, and community engagement.

The University of Houston

Founded in 1927 and currently led by President Renu Khator , the University of Houston is the largest public research university in Houston and the third largest university in Texas offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs. Located in Houston's historic Third Ward and dedicated to serving as an impactful partner within its community, UH is the oldest of the four UHS universities and recognized as an R1 institution by the Carnegie Foundation for its high level of research activity and home to a Phi Beta Kappa chapter. With a University footprint that encompasses its Houston campus and significant instructional site s in Katy and Sugar Land that further UH's learning, research, and community engagement endeavors, the University is home to more than 3,000 tenured, tenure-track, instructional, clinical and research faculty; distinguished faculty members include Tony Award winners as well as 22 members of the National Academies of Science and Engineering. As a complement to its traditional academic offerings, UH's institutional presence also extends well beyond its campuses and into its students' communities through thriving extended education and online programs.

Emblematic of its commitment to fostering a university environment dedicated to the success of students from diverse backgrounds, UH is proudly designated as a Hispanic-serving Institution (HSI) and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving (AANAPISI) institution. In Fall 2022, UH enrolled approximately 47,000 students in more 277 undergraduate and graduate academic programs with approximately 8,400 students housed in nine residential communities. With more than 500 registered student organizations and 17 NCAA Division 1 intercollegiate sports teams, campus life at UH is vibrant and engaging. UH's student body ranks second in the nation among research universities for its racial and ethnic diversity and is very international in composition with students from more than 130 nations. Students choose from 114 majors and more than 150 graduate and professional programs housed in 16 academic colleges and schools and an interdisciplinary Honors College. UH's programs are nationally recognized, including 17 ranked among the Top 50 in the country.

With more than $250 million in research expenditures in FY 2022, UH's research enterprise includes nine national research centers, over 25 university research centers and institutes, and the newly launched Presidential Frontier Faculty program to hire 100 university-wide integrated interdisciplinary faculty. As an institution that ranks amongst the top 100 global universities for patents, UH fosters a research environment that enables scholars to explore emerging areas and work more effectively with industry, other research organizations, and the community. With this goal in mind, the University has established five interdisciplinary research areas – Cyber and Physical Security, Drug Discovery and Development, Sustainable Communities and Infrastructure, Accessible Health Care, and Energy Security and Transition – creating powerful hubs of creativity where teams of researchers from a wide range of disciplines collaborate across traditional boundaries to bring research knowledge to bear on issues of intellectual, scientific, social, economic, environmental and cultural importance.

At the University of Houston, we not only dream big dreams, we also collaborate to achieve them. Building on a trajectory of accelerated research activity, the University is pursuing a bold initiative to increase research and scholarly output by 50 percent in five years. New faculty will join a university with a growing number of nationally funded research centers and an aggressive agenda to leverage science to make a transformative impact locally, nationally, and across the globe.

Exemplifying its commitment to improving the lives of those it serves, in 2017 UH had an annual economic impact of $6.4 billion on the Greater Houston area – and $7.7 billion on Texas – awards more than 11,000 degrees annually, and has nearly 306,900 alumni, many of whom live and work in Texas. Moreover, UH is a member of the Texas Medical Center , whose member institutions strive to advance patient care, research, and education in Houston and the founding partner of the Houston GPS initiative driven by a coalition of community colleges and universities dedicated to closing equity gaps in student success.

UH Strategic Plan – “Together, We Rise. Together, We Soar.”

UH's bold plan for the future, “ Together, We Rise. Together, We Soar ” pursues the University's vision to build a top 50 public university by pursuing five over-arching goals:

• Goal 1 – Student Success – Provide a top tier, inclusive educational experience to all.
• Goal 2 – Nationally Competitive Research – Build a research powerhouse that impacts our region and the world.
• Goal 3 – Social Responsibility – Serve as an exemplar for equitable and inclusive community engagement.
• Goal 4 – Nationally Relevant Athletics – Build a competitive athletics program.
• Goal 5 – Competitive Funding – Build a sustainable funding base to support vision and goals.

Houston, Texas

Houston is one of the world’s great global cities, the nation's fourth largest, and its community is one of the youngest, fastest growing, and most diverse populations in the country with one in four of the region's 7 million residents being foreign born and where more than 145 languages are spoken. Reflective of its position as the Energy Capital of the World and a hub for global trade, 44 out of 113 U.S. publicly traded oil and gas companies are headquartered here, ranking Houston #3 among U.S. metro areas in Fortune 500 headquarters. In addition, Houston is at the vanguard of the clean energy revolution and continues to grow with the energy transition. Houston is also home to the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical center in the world, over 500 digital technology companies, and an aerospace community that is flourishing because of a close partnership between NASA and private space companies transforming its connection to space exploration.

With an incredibly rich quality of life, winning sports teams, world renowned cuisine, one of the largest collections of top-rated museums and cultural activities in the nation, and a low cost of living in addition to no state income tax—Houston is truly a great place to call home.

The College of Education

As part of an ambitious Carnegie-designated Tier One research institution, the University of Houston College of Education works to improve health and educational outcomes for all children and families through inspired teaching, innovative scholarship, and strong partnerships. The College is committed to its mission to lead and inspire generative transformations of learning, health, leadership and well-being by developing new knowledge for an increasingly diverse world.

In support of the University's pursuits, the College is searching for a dean whose experience and vision are strategically aligned with the ongoing work to address educational and health disparities. The College desires a colleague who adds diversity and strength to our current faculty's strengths and areas of research.

The Houston metropolitan area offers scholars rich urban and suburban environments in which to work and live – as well as opportunities for international research and study. The College prides itself on the multiple forms of diversity embraced and valued as strengths by our students, staff, faculty, and community. The College of Education currently serves 3,513 students including 2,693 undergraduate and 820 graduate students ( https://uh.edu/education/about/coe-fast-facts.pdf ). Students in the College of Education largely come from Texas and the greater Houston region; over 95% of our students are from Texas, and over 85% from Harris and surrounding counties. More than 50% of our undergraduates are first generation college students, and over 75% are students of color.

The College is home to nearly 200 full and part-time faculty across 3 departments that include 15 different program areas (3 undergraduate, 5 master's, and 6 doctoral). The College recorded $6,089,901 in research expenditures during the 2021-2022 fiscal year with over 100 grant submissions. The College is highly engaged in the community, maintaining over 50 community partners including regional school districts, healthcare organizations, and nonprofits that offer internship/practicum as well as research opportunities. The College also houses the Advancing Community Engagement & Service (ACES) Institute, a university-wide entity focused on service learning. Additional data about the college can be found here https://uh.edu/education/about/institutional-effect/ .

Faculty and staff in the College of Education are united around five key beliefs: Our responsibility is to improve lives; achieving equity requires inspiring collective action; greater understanding depends on rigorous scientific inquiry; diverse perspectives and talents fuel excellence; and transformation requires challenging and valuing ourselves and others. These tenets drive us as we prepare future te achers, administrators, counselors, psychologists, health specialists, researchers, and other leaders. Our strategic plan can be found here. https://uh.edu/education/about/strategic-plan/ .

Position Summary

Reporting directly to the provost and as leader of the College of Education, the Dean's primary role is to provide vision and leadership that embraces and advances the mission of the college that is requisite for setting strategic, operational, and financial endeavors directly impacting and ensuring student success, research prominence, effective personnel hiring and review, academic program development, interdisciplinary initiatives, and efficient fiscal management. The Dean will work closely with the associate deans, department chairs, faculty, staff, and students to ensure excellence at all levels. Critical to advancement of the college's mission, the Dean is responsible for securing funding both internally and externally to support program and facility needs. Lastly, the Dean collaborates both internally and externally, maintaining relationships with local, regional, and national higher education leaders.

Qualifications

• Earned doctoral degree with a strong record of achievement that merits appointment as a professor with tenure in the college.
• Proven record of leadership and evidence of success working with other leaders at the university level and beyond.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and success working with a diverse faculty, staff, and students.
• Record of success in fundraising including acquiring and allocating resources to support college goals and activities.
• Demonstrated success as an outstanding collaborator and relationship builder with exceptional communication and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated success as an innovative strategic leader with abilities to plan, coordinate, articulate, and execute a strategic vision through collaboration and shared governance.

Application Process

The Search Committee invites letters of nomination (self-nomination encouraged), applications (with a letter of interest, a complete CV, and a list of at least five references that includes contact information), or expressions of interest to be submitted to the search firm assisting UH. Review of materials will begin immediately and continue until an appointment is made. For full consideration, please submit applications by Friday, March 17, 2023. Applications received after this date may be considered at the discretion of the committee and/or hiring authority. Nominations can be submitted to Search Committee Co-Chairs Dean Athena Jackson and Dr. Milena Keller-Margulis or through the electronic nomination portal via the link below.

Laurie C. Wilder, President

Porsha L. Williams, Vice President

Jacob C. Anderson, Senior Principal

Parker Executive Search

Five Concourse Parkway, Suite 2875

Atlanta, GA 30328

Tel: (678) 775-4564 || Fax: (770) 804-1917

pwilliams@parkersearch.com || janderson@parkersearch.com

Dean, College of Education, University of Houston | Parker Executive Search (parkersearch.com)

The University of Houston is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

Minorities, women, veterans and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

The University of Houston is responsive to the needs of dual career couples.

Qualifications :

The Search Committee invites letters of nomination (self-nomination encouraged), applications (with a letter of interest, a complete CV, and a list of at least five references that includes contact information), or expressions of interest to be submitted to the search firm assisting UH. Review of materials will begin immediately and continue until an appointment is made. For full consideration, please submit applications by Friday, March 17, 2023. Applications received after this date may be considered at the discretion of the committee and/or hiring authority. Nominations can be submitted to Search Committee Co-Chairs Dean Athena Jackson and Dr. Milena Keller-Margulis or through the electronic nomination portal via the link below.

Laurie C. Wilder, President

Porsha L. Williams, Vice President

Jacob C. Anderson, Senior Principal

Parker Executive Search

Five Concourse Parkway, Suite 2875

Atlanta, GA 30328

Tel: (678) 775-4564 || Fax: (770) 804-1917

pwilliams@parkersearch.com || janderson@parkersearch.com

Dean, College of Education, University of Houston | Parker Executive Search (parkersearch.com)